Practice areas: Personal Injury, Medical Malpractice, Products Liability; view more
Licensed in Texas since: 1980
Education: The University of Texas School of Law
Languages spoken: English, Spanish
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2011 - 2024 
Free Consultation Details
Mark D. Pierce is a senior partner of DJC Law, located in Austin, Texas, where he offers strategic legal representation to clients in a wide range of personal injury matters. With decades of legal experience, he has built a reputation for handling complex injury litigation involving catastrophic accidents, aviation incidents and other high-stakes claims.
Over the years, Mr. Pierce has represented plaintiffs in significant disputes requiring detailed factual analysis, strategic litigation planning and effective trial advocacy. Known for his courtroom skill and commitment to client advocacy, he serves individuals and families seeking compensation after serious injuries caused by negligence. He focuses his practice on all areas of personal injury law and has extensive experience litigating cases in both state and federal courts.
Mr. Pierce earned a Bachelor of Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin in 1976. He later attended The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, where he obtained his Juris Doctor in 1979. The following year, he gained admission to practice law in Texas.
Mr. Pierce is also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. Recognized for his professionalism and legal ability, he has earned an AV Preeminent* peer-review rating through Martindale-Hubbell.
Active in the legal community, Mr. Pierce has served as chair of the Aviation Section of the American Association for Justice and president of the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association. He is also a member of the Texas Bar College, a master of the Barbara Jordan American Inn of Court and an advocate with the American Board of Trial Advocates.
*AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff, Personal Injury - Products: PlaintiffFocus areas
Medical Malpractice, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Trucking Accidents
- 40% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 30% Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Plaintiff
- 30% Personal Injury - Products: Plaintiff
First Admitted: 1980, Texas
Professional Webpage: https://teamjustice.com/staff/mark-pierce-personal-injury-at...
Bar / Professional Activity
- Chair, Aviation Section, American Association for Justice
- President, Lawyer Pilots Bar Association
- Chair, Aviation Law Section of the State Bar of Texas 2017-2018
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- Recent verdicts (2011): HAGERMAN v. HAWKER BEECHCRAFT CORPORATION, PUMPCO, INC. and ALBERT FRANCIS SIDARAS, 169th Judicial District Court, Bell County, Texas (negligence of operator of airplane, and aircraft design defect, causing death of mechanic: pretrial settlement with manufacturer $1,800,000; verdict against operator/pilot $6,820,000, less settlement credit); DIXON v. MUROV, 53rd Judicial District Court, Travis County, Texas (automobile collision caused lower back injury; verdict $388,756). Recent settlements: THOMAJAN v. UNITED STATES (Federal Tort Claims Act case involving air traffic controllers: $1,175,000); KIPP v. UNITED STATES (Federal Tort Claims case involving air traffic controllers: $750,000); 4KS AVIATION III v. DDH AVIATION (confidential settlement amount in case involving three jet aircraft for which plaintiff paid $16,500,000). Reported cases: The MAIL BOX, INC. v. The COMMUNICATORS, INC., 703 S.W.2d 783 (Tex.App.--Corpus Christi 1985, no writ); JEEP EAGLE SALES CORP. v. MACK MASSEY MOTORS, INC., 814 S.W.2d 167 (Tex.App.--El Paso 1991, writ denied); TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER v. APODACA, 876 S.W.2d 402 (Tex.App.--El Paso 1994, writ denied); BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY WAREHOUSE OF EL PASO,INC. v. FLORES, 951 S.W.2d 542 (Tex.App.--El Paso 1997, no writ)., 2011
- SAJIB V. GLOBAL AVIATION SERVICE, INC. COURT: 61st Judicial District, Harris County District Court, Texas. JUDGE: Erin Lunceford. DOCKET/INDEX NUMBER: 2015-27690. VERDICT DATE: May 16, 2016. On June 30, 2016, the trial court entered its Final Judgment, based on the jury's verdict rendered on May 16, 2016, finding that the negligence of Global Aviation Service, Inc. was the sole proximate cause of an airplane crash that severely injured the pilot Rupom Sajib. The jury found damages totaling $1,498,000. On June 15, 2013, Mr. Sajib was acting as co-pilot on a familiarization flight in a 1974 Twin Commander, when the left engine failed. The pilot in the left took the controls and crash landed the airplane. Investigators determined that the cause of the engine failure was that two critical nuts on the engine were missing. Global Aviation had been performing maintenance and inspections on the airplane for several years before the crash. It denied liability and claimed pilot error was the cause of the crash. Mr. Sajib suffered injuries to his larynx and spine, as well as other internal injuries. 2016, 2016
- STEVEN TAKACS V. EUROCOPTER SAS, AMERICAN EUROCOPTER CORPORATION, GOODRICH CORPORATION, AND GOODRICH ACTUATION SYSTEMS SAS. COURT: 327th Judicial District Court, El Paso County, Texas. JUDGE: Linda Yee Chew. DOCKET/INDEX NO. 2008-2197. VERDICT DATE: November 16, 2012. DESCRIPTION: Plaintiff Steve Takacs was a passenger/observer in a Border Patrol helicopter when it crashed on May 22, 2007, near San Elizario, Texas. The pilot Robert Smith, Jr. was killed, and Takacs was seriously injured. Plaintiffs sued Eurocopter on a theory of defective design and marketing, and Goodrich on a theory of manufacturing defect in a hydraulic servo actuator. The jury found that a defect in the servo actuator - a component of the flight control system - was the sole cause of the pilot's loss of control and the resulting crash. Takacs's damages: $2,000,000., 2012
- LEDUC V. ORIENTAL BUILDING SERVICES, INC. COURT: 298th Judicial District, Dallas County District Court, Texas JUDGE: Emily Tobolowsky DOCKET/INDEX NUMBER: DC-10-05687-M VERDICT/SETTLEMENT DATE: July 26, 2012 On Thursday, July 26, 2012, in the 298th Judicial District Court in Dallas County, a jury unanimously concluded that negligence by an Oriental Building Services, Inc. employee was solely responsible for injuries sustained by Rene Leduc, an American Airlines baggage handler at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The amount of the verdict was $3,700,942.72. On August 2, 2009, Mr. Leduc was driving an electric tow tractor or “tug.” He had just dropped off a cart of luggage at an American Airlines gate and was returning to the bag room underneath the terminal between gates C28 and C29. As Mr. Leduc entered the bag room area, a pickup owned by defendant Oriental Building Services and operated by one of its employees unexpectedly pulled out from his right. Mr. Leduc swerved to miss the pickup truck and hit a parked luggage cart, which resulted in a severe fracture to Mr. Leduc’s left leg, requiring multiple surgeries., 2012
Special Licenses / Certifications
- Board Certified, Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1988
- Commercial Pilot: Airplane single-engine and multi-engine. FAA-certified Flight Instructor-Airplane and Flight Instructor-Instrument.
Pro bono / Community Service
- Chair, Community Outreach (2018-19) and Mentorship (2019-20), Barbara Jordan American Inn of Court, 2020
- Consumers Group of El Paso (Chair, Board of Directors, 1997-1999); Canutillo Independent School District (Career and Technology Advisory Council, 2001); El Paso Center for Children (member Board of Directors 1987-1988); St. Mark’s United Methodist Church (Chair, Staff-Parish Relations Committee 2006–2007, Strategic Planning Committee 2006–2007, Vice-chair, Building Committee 2005-2007); Special Prosecutor, 34th Judicial District of Texas 2005-2006
Educational Background
- Bachelor of Journalism with High Honors, The University of Texas at Austin, 1976
White Papers
- This article outlines the following with regard to litigation between buyers and sellers of aircraft: (a) typical parties, (b) potential causes of action, and (c) remedies. It describes common cases involving consumer protection statutes, federal warranty law, the Uniform Commercial Code, RICO, and common law claims. Published in the American Association for Justice's Aviation Section newsletter, 2008. Copyrighted., Transactions Gone Bad: Litigation Between Buyers and Sellers of Aircraft, 2008
- Submitted for presentation at the 46th Annual SMU Air Law Symposium on March 29, 2012, Government Documents and Witnesses: Using FOIA and Touhy to Get What You Need in Aviation Litigation, 2012
- This article explains the legal effect of the overlap of pilots' and air traffic controllers' responsibilities in Federal Tort Claims Act cases in which air traffic control withholds or misstates critical weather information. Presented to the American Association for Justice, July 16, 2008. Copyrighted., The Pilot-Controller Relationship -- Assessing Comparative Responsibility in General Aviation Crashes, 2008
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- Faculty, "Premises Liability: Preparation and Trial of a Difficult Case in Texas" El Paso, Texas, March 22, 1995/ Speaker, “Recent Developments in Products Liability” Advanced Products Liability Seminar, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Houston, Texas, January 9, 1997/ Speaker, “Course in Law Office Management” State Bar of Texas and El Paso Bar Association, El Paso, Texas, April 18, 1997/ Speaker, “Discovery Skills for Paralegals” El Paso, Texas, June 19, 1997/ Faculty,“Masters in Trial” Cross-examination of Defense IME Neurologist, American Board of Trial Advocates, El Paso, Texas, March 20, 1998/ Faculty, “Ethical Considerations in DTPA Cases” El Paso, Texas, September, 1999/ Faculty, “Basics of Legal Assisting in Texas” El Paso, Texas, November 30, 2001/ Speaker, “Equitable Remedies in Employment Litigation” Conference on Labor and Employment Law Austin, Texas, May 9, 2002/ Developer-speaker, “Lemons to Lemonade: How to Select, Prepare, and Win Automobile Consumer Cases” Odessa, Texas, May 17, 2002/ Faculty, “Premises Liability in Texas” El Paso, Texas, June 8, 2002/ Faculty, “How to Litigate Your First Civil Trial in Texas” El Paso, Texas, January 31, 2003/ Panel Member-Speaker, “Effective Strategies for Growing and Adapting Your Practice” Page Keeton Civil Litigation Conference, University of Texas School of Law, Austin, Texas, October 30, 2008/ Speaker, “The Pilot-Controller Relationship: Assessing Comparative Responsibility in General Aviation Crashes,” American Association for Justice, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 16, 2008/ Speaker, “What You Should Know about Airplane and Helicopter Crashes” El Paso, Texas, May 15, 2009/ Speaker, "Government Documents and Witnesses: Using FOIA and Touhy in Aviation Litigation," SMU Air Law Symposium, Dallas, Texas, March 2012
- Effective handling of aviation litigation through trial, Speaker, High Lift / Low Drag: Streamlining Aviation Litigation for Trial, State Bar of Texas, Aviation Law Section, Aviation Attorneys, 2018
- Improving trial skills., Speaker, “The Theme is the Thing: Framing Your Case at Trial”, Consumer Protection Division, Office of the Attorney General of the State of Texas, Attorney General, Litigation, 2018
- Lecture on effective techniques for closing arguments in jury trials, Speaker, Closing Strong: Converting Earned Trust into a Just Verdict, Attorney General, Consumer Protection, State Of Texas, 2016
- Faculty, Flight Training, Automation Dependency, and Educational Malpractice on the Horizon, New York, NY, June 5, 2014, National Aviation Institute, American Bar Association, 2014
- Speaker, "Human Factors in the Cockpit--Breaking Glass," State Bar of Texas, Aviation Section, June 26, 2014, 2014
- Speaker, "Commercial Aviation and Human Factors Issues: Pilot Discipline and the Safety Culture," Baltimore, MD, July 27, 2014, Aviation Section, American Association For Justice, 2014
- “Effective Strategies for Growing and Adapting Your Practice” (Austin, Texas; October 2008), 2008
- “The Pilot-Controller Relationship: Assessing Comparative Responsibility in General Aviation Crashes” (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; July 2008), 2008
- “Government Documents and Witnesses: Using FOIA and Touhy in Aviation Litigation” (SMU Air Law Symposium, March 2012), 2012
- “What You Should Know About Airplane and Helicopter Crashes” (El Paso, Texas; May 2009), 2009
- “Panel: Automation Addiction and Pilot Training” (American Bar Association Aviation Litigation National Institute; June 2014), 2014
- “How to Ask For and Get Big Damages From Conservative Juries” (Texas Trial Lawyers Association; February 2014), 2014
- “Talk to Me: Jury Selection in State and Federal Courts” (Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Texas; October 2015), 2015
- “Marshalling Evidence” (Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas Basic Litigation Training, March 2015), 2015
- “How to Litigate Your First Civil Trial in Texas” (El Paso, Texas; January 2003), 2003
Other Outstanding Achievements
- Board-certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1988
- Super Lawyers (2011-2020), 2018
Honors
- Highest ranking 10 out of 10 in Aviation Law, AVVO rank 10.0, AVVO, 2018
- Recognized as a Super Lawyer in Aviation Law, 2011 to 2022
- Recognized in Aviation Law, Top 10 Aviation Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers, 2018
- Martindale-Hubbell rating: AV(R) Preeminent (TM), Martindale-Hubbell, 2018
Industry Groups
- Aviation
Selections
14 Years Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers: 2011 - 2024
Additional sources of information about Mark D. Pierce
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