Don Karotkin
Attorney Profile
Top Rated Professional Liability Attorney in Houston, TX
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Don Karotkin is a Houston, Texas sole practitioner. He practices primarily in the specialties of professional liability defense and professional ethics defense. He represents professionals in the Houston area and statewide who are facing malpractice lawsuits and professional ethics complaints. His father was a physician. His mother was a registered nurse. His son is an orthodontist. Most of his friends are lawyers. He naturally relates to and empathizes with professionals.
Mr. Karotkin has over forty-five years of law practice experience and is a seasoned trial lawyer. Over his career, he has successfully represented numerous professionals, working hard to defend their careers and reputations. He has tried over 100 lawsuits in state and federal courts. He has represented many professionals in regard to ethics complaints and investigations, including, but not limited to, those before the Texas Medical Board, the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, the Texas Board of Nursing and the State Bar of Texas.
Mr. Karotkin has been certified in the specialty of Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization for over forty years. He has enjoyed a Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV for many years. He has for years been, and is currently, designated for inclusion in Best Lawyers.
Mr. Karotkin is a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation and a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Houston Bar Association, the Texas Association of Defense Counsel and Defense Research Institute.
Mr. Karotkin is a member of the American Bar Association. In the past, he served as a member and chair of the State Bar of Texas 4-C Grievance Committee, the Board of Directors of Gulf Coast Legal Foundation and the Board of Directors of the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program. He has lectured and presented on professional liability and professional ethics topics and authored an article that was published in the May/June 2020 issue of The Houston Lawyer magazine.
After earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Mr. Karotkin obtained his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from The University of Texas School of Law. He is licensed to practice in all courts of the State of Texas. He is also a member of the bars of the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.
- 40%Professional Liability: Defense
- 40%Administrative Law
- 20%Personal Injury - Medical Malpractice: Defense
Legal Malpractice, Professional Malpractice - Other, Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Dental Malpractice, Medical Malpractice
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2008 - 2021
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About Don Karotkin
First Admitted: 1973, Texas
Professional Webpage: https://www.karotkinlaw.com/attorney/don-karotkin/
Bar/Professional Activity
- Supreme Court of the United States, 1994
- Gulf Coast Legal Foundation, Board of Directors, 1993 to 1994
- American Bar Association
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1992
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 1990
- U.S. District Court Western District of Texas, 1995
- U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 1974
- Texas, 1973
- Diplomate, American Board of Trial Advocates; Sustaining Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation; Sustaining Life Fellow, Houston Bar Foundation; State Bar of Texas District 4-C Grievance Committee, 1987-1990, Chairman 1990; Member, Houston Bar Association; Member, Texas Association of Defense Counsel; Member, American Bar Association; Member, Defense Research Institute
Pro bono/Community Service
- Board of Directors, Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, Inc.; Board of Directors, Gulf Coast Legal Foundation, 1993 to 1994
Verdicts/Settlements
- Warren v. Davis, 539 S.W.2d 907, 1976, Tex. Civ. App. Corpus Christi
- Aetna Cas. & Sur. Co. v. Ahrens, 414 F.Supp. 1235, 1975, S.D. Tex.
- Morris v. Kaylor Engineering Co., 565 S.W.2d 334, 1978, Tex. Civ. App. Houston 14th Dist.
- Fidelity & Cas. Co. of New York v. Swayzer, 583 S.W.2d 850, 1979, Tex. Civ. App. Houston 1st Dist.
- British Overseas Airways Corp. v. Tours and Travel of Houston, Inc., 568 S.W.2d 888, 1978, Tex. Civ. App. Houston 1st Dist.
- Lawyers Surety Corp. v. Hall, 590 S.W.2d 762, 1979, Tex. Civ. App. Houston 14th Dist.
- Fillion v. Osborne, 585 S.W.2d 842, 1979, Tex. Civ. App. Houston 1st Dist.
- Chrysler Corp. v. Schuenemann, 618 S.W.2d 799, 1981, Tex. Civ. App. Houston 1st Dist.
- Lawyers Surety Corp. v. Snell, 617 S.W.2d 750, 1981, Tex. Civ. App. Houston 14th Dist.
- Nowlin v. Wheeler, 617 S.W.2d 809, 1981, Tex. Civ. App. Houston 14th Dist.
- Paulus v. Lawyers Surety Corp., 625 S.W.2d 843, 1981, Tex. App. Houston 14th Dist.
- Montanye v. Transamerica Ins. Co., 638 S.W.2d 518, 1982, Tex. App. Houston 1st Dist.
- McClung v. Komorn, 629 S.W.2d 813, 1982, Tex. App. Houston 14th Dist.
- Martinez v. F.M.C. Corp., 666 S.W.2d 654, 1984, Tex. App. Corpus Christi
- Coleman v. Lumbermen's Mut. Cas. Co., 786 S.W.2d 445, 1990, Tex. App. Houston 1st Dist.
- Kupor v. Solito, 687 S.W.2d 441, 1985, Tex. App. Houston 14th Dist.
- Aramco Services Co., v. Redland Fabricating and Welding, Inc., 752 S.W.2d 184, 1988, Tex. App. - Houston, 14th District
- Loftin v. Martin, 776 S.W.2d 145, 1989, Tex.
- In re Patel, 2004 WL 163001, 2004, Tex. App. Houston 14th Dist.
- Winn v. Di-Minno Hudson, 1990 WL 122119, 1990, Tex. App. Houston 1st Dist.
- Jackson v. Coldspring Terrace Property Owners Ass'n, 838 S.W.2d 320, 1992, Tex. App. El Paso
- Peters v. Polk County Memorial Hospital, 7 F.3d 229, 1993, 5th Cir.
- Bonner v. Texas Children's Hospital, 2006 WL 349510, 2006, Tex. App. - Corpus Christi
- Tom v. Estrada, 2011 WL 846578 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2011, no pet.)
- Bay Area Healthcare Group, Ltd. v. McShane, 239 S.W.3d 231, 2007, Tex. Sup. Ct.
- Marquez v. Quarterman, 2010 WL 1064421, 2010, E.D. Tex.
- Christus Health v. Dorriety, 2011 WL 1886572 (Tex. App. -Houston [14th Dist.] 2011)
- Manning v. Franklin, 2015 WL 4039388 (U.S.D.C., S.D. Texas 2015)
- Marquez v. Woody, 440 Fed. Appx. 318 (5th Cir. 2011)
- Milton v. Nguyen, 2012 WL 3228835 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2012, pet. denied)
- Babin v. Haynie, 2013 WL 5498144 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2013, no pet.)
- Compton v. Jue, 2017 WL 3389644 (Tex. App. – Houston [1st Dist.] 2017, pet. denied)
- Galloway v. Atrium Medical Center, L.P., 558 S.W.3d 316 (Tex. App. – Houston [14th Dist.] 2018, no pet.)
- Milton v. Nguyen, 2017 WL 4017872 (Tex. App. – Houston [14th Dist.] 2017, no pet.)
- JC Project Management Services, Inc. v. Kitchens, 2018 WL 3203437 (Tex. App. – Tyler 2018, pet. denied)
- Over 100 verdicts, the majority in the area of professional liability defense.
Educational Background
- University of Texas at Austin, B.A. 1970; St. John's School, Houston, Texas 1966
Representative Clients
- The Medical Protective Company; Attorney Protective Company; Texas Medical Liability Trust.
- Hon. Travis Kitchens
Special Licenses/Certifications
- Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law - Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1979
Other Outstanding Achievements
- Member, State Bar of Texas Committee on Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters, 1997
Honors/Awards
- , Best Lawyers, Best Lawyers, 2018
- Texas Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
- Texas Super Lawyers (Texas Monthly Magazine)
Scholarly Lectures/Writings
- The article examines the legal ethics and legal malpractice implications of impairment by alcohol, drugs and mental illness., Author, Ethics Complaints and Legal Malpractice Claims, The Houston Lawyer, The Legal Profession, 2020
- The article analyzes the data regarding the link between addiction and mental illness in the legal profession and ethics violations and legal malpractice., Author, The Addicted or Mentally Ill Lawyer: Ethics Complaints and Legal Malpractice Claims, The Houston Lawyer, The Legal Profession, 2020
- Legal Ethics, Insurance Law Update, National Business Institute, 2007 to 2007
- “The Addicted or Mentally Ill Lawyer: Ethics Complaints and Legal Malpractice Claims, The Houston Lawyer, Volume 57 – Number 6, May/June 2020, pp. 16-19.”
- Legal Ethics, Lecturer, Common Ethical Issues, National Business Institute, Lawyers, 2008
- Personal and Advertising Injury Liability Insurance Coverage, Insurance Law Update, National Business Institute, 2007 to 2007
- Legal Ethics, Insurance Coverage Litigation, National Business Institute, 2008 to 2008
- Risk Management and Loss Prevention, The Medical Protective Company, 2009 to 2009
- Disruptive Behavior and the Law, The Medical Protective Company, 2011 to 2011
- Principles of risk management, loss prevention and Texas medical malpractice law for physicians., Lecturer, Risk Management for Physicians, The Medical Protective Company, Medical Professional Liability Insurance, 2011
- This presentation included a review of Texas statutes relating to infection control in the dental office, risk management and loss prevention in the dental office and dental ethics issues related to various aspects of infection control., Presenter, Legal Aspects of Infection Control in the Dental Office, The Medical Protective Company, Dentists, 2012
Industry Groups
- Dentists And Lawyers
- Physicians
Last Updated: 12/26/2021