Overview

Mr. Martin is one of the most recognized insurance coverage and insurance bad faith trial lawyers in the country.  As far as we know, he has tried and won more insurance coverage and insurance bad faith cases to verdict in the last 25 years than any other lawyer currently practicing in the country.  He's the author of three legal treatises on Texas Insurance Law, he is a frequent speaker at state and national insurance programs and conferences, he has served as the Adjunct Professor of Insurance Law at Baylor University School of Law since 2018, and he previously served as the Adjunct Professor of Insurance Law at University of Houston Law School for 10 years.  He has defended insurance coverage and bad faith cases in 38 different states and tried coverage and bad faith cases to final jury verdict in 14 different jurisdictions, including his home state of Texas.  He has received multiple recognitions for his skills in trying insurance lawsuits. 

Honors & Awards

Best Lawyers in America© Insurance Law, (2006–2023)

Texas Top Insurance Litigation Attorney; Chambers USA (2005–2023)

Named to “Super Lawyers List” by Texas Monthly Magazine, (2004–2023)

Named one of the top five “Go To” Insurance Lawyers in Texas by The Texas Lawyer (October 2002, November 2012)

Named one of “The World’s Leading Insurance Lawyers” by Legal Media Group (2006)

Named one of the “Top 40 Lawyers in Texas under 40” (September 2001)

Cases

Representative Matters

Mr. Martin has handled more than 10,000 insurance coverage and bad faith cases across the country in the last 25 years.  In addition to serving as lead counsel in numerous insurance lawsuits arising out of every major hurricane, tornado, earthquake and wildfire to hit a major metropolitan area in the US in the last two decades, he has handled some of the largest insurance matters in the country.  His work includes the coverage litigation and/or insurance disputes arising out of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, the Las Vegas shooting, the Twin Towers coverage litigation after 9/11, the Uvalde Texas school shooting, the Travis Scott/Astroworld litigation and many more.  Mr Martin served on the Insurer Steering Committees for the many thousands of first party bad faith suits arising out of both Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and Hurricane Ike in Texas.  He obtained the first Insurance MDL certification in  history on behalf of State Farm following Hurricane Ike and he obtained the first multi-storm/multi-event Insurance MDL for Farmers Insurance following the state-wide avalanche of wind/hail suits in Texas in 2015.

While he has tried more than 175 insurance coverage and bad faith cases to verdict and handled more than 100 appeals, some of his representative cases on appeal include:

  • Terry Black’s Barbecue, L.L.C. v. State Automobile Mutual Insurance Company, 22 F.4th 450 (C.A.5 (Tex.) 2022)
  • Southwest Airlines Co. v. Liberty Insurance Underwriters, Inc., 2022 WL 5240650 (N.D. Tex.) 2022)
  • United Fire and Casualty Company v. Kent Distributors, Incorporated,759 Fed.Appx. 326 (C.A.5 (Tex.) 2019)
  • USAA Texas Lloyds Company v. Menchaca, 545 S.W.3d 479 (Tex. 2018)
  • Triyar Companies, LLC V. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, 515 S.W.3d 517 (Houston (14th Dist.) 2017)
  • In re Bent, 487 S.W.3d 170 (Tex. 2016)
  • U.S. Metals, Incorporated v. Liberty Mutual Group, Incorporated, 654 Fed.Appx.664 (C.A.5 (Tex.) 2016)
  • U.S. Metals, Incorporated v. Liberty Mutual Group, Incorporated, 487 S.W.3d 170 (Tex. 2015)
  • In re-Deepwater Horizon, 807 F.3d 689, C.A.5 (La.) 2015
  • Khan v. Safeco Surplus Lines, 2014 WL 3907976 (Houston (14th Dist.) 2014)
  • State Farm Lloyds v. Page, 315 S.W.3d 525 (Tex 2010)
  • Crounse v State farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 336 S.W.3d 717 (Houston (1st Dist.) 2010)
  • Nationwide Ins. Co. v. Elchehimi, 249 S.W.3d 430 (Supreme Court of Texas 2008)
  • Lundstrom v. United Services Auto. Ass’n-CIC, 192 S.W.3d 78 (Houston (14th Dist.) 2008)
  • Excess Underwriters at Lloyd’s, London, Frank’s Casing crew & Rental Tools, Inc., 246 S.W.3d 42 (Tex. 2008)
  • Carrizales v. State Farm Lloyds, 518 F.3d.343, (C.A.5 (Tex.) 2008)
  • Fiess v.State Farm Lloyds, 202 S.W.3d 744 (Tex. 2006)
  • Guarranty nat. Ins. Co. v. Azrock Industries Inc., 211.F.3d 239 (C.A.5 (Tex.) 2000)

Clients

  • Allianz
  • Allstate Insurance
  • American International Group (AIG)
  • Automobile Club of Southern California
  • Berkshire Hathaway Guard Insurance
  • Chubb INA
  • Farmers Insurance
  • Innovative Risk Management
  • Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies
  • Nationwide
  • Progressive Insurance
  • State Farm Insurance
  • The Hartford
  • Travelers
  • USAA

Professional Affiliations

Professional

American Society of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriters

State Bar of Texas

Defense Research Institute

International Association of Defense Counsel

Houston Bar Association

News & Insights

Credentials

Education

Baylor University, J.D., 1990

Baylor University, B.A., 1987

Admissions

  • Texas Courts
  • Oklahoma Courts
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • United States District Court, Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas
  • United States Supreme Court

Employment

  • Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom, L.L.P., (Founding Partner), January 2000 – present
  • Bracewell & Patterson, (Partner), May 1994 – January 2000
  • Butler Binion, (Associate), 1990 – 1994

Certification

  • Board Certified in Consumer Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
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