LARRY J. DOHERTY


DOHERTY WAGNER
13810 Champion Forest Drive Suite 225
Houston, Texas 77069
(281) 583-8700 — Phone
(281) 583-8701 — Facsimile

Larry J. Doherty

BIOGRAPHY


Larry J. Doherty focuses in Personal Injury cases and is particularly strong in the area of Plaintiff's Legal Malpractice. Doherty Wagner's progression to a state of national prominence in the field of plaintiff's legal malpractice includes many highlight events, however, the defining moment occurred early in my legal career. A client came in off the street one day, and [he] got directed to me. He had been pencil-whipped by a lawyer. He had an injury, and some lawyer had gotten him a $10,000 recovery, and when the smoke cleared, he had less than $1,000 that he was going to get to put in his pocket. I thought that was awful. I decided to go ask one of the senior partners in the firm if there was any reason why we should not take that case. . . . The senior partner said, "No, we can't do that."

I had to go back and tell that poor guy that I couldn't help him, and I didn't know anybody who could. I'm sure if he's still alive he's still mad.

I made a pledge to myself that if I ever got into practice on my own that I would never turn a case down because the defendant was a lawyer. In 1974, I went into practice on my own. And sure enough a case came in, and another came in, and to this day, they're still coming.

PREPARATORY & LEGAL EDUCATION


  • University of Houston (B.S. — 1968; J.D. — 1970)
  • Licensed by Supreme Court of Texas, 1970
  • Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1978; Recertified in 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, and 2003
  • Graduate, Gerry Spence's Trial Lawyers College, 1999

MEMBERSHIPS


  • State Bar of Texas
  • Attorney and Counselor of the Supreme Court of the United States
  • Houston Bar Association
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. District Courts: Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas
  • National Academy of Legal Malpractice Attorneys
  • Associate of the National Legal Malpractice Data Center - '97-'98
  • The Best Lawyers in America - '97-'98
  • National Register's WHO'S WHO In Executives and Professionals - Life Member

APPOINTMENTS


  • State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee 4C, 1978-1986; Chairman 1985-86.
  • Adjunct Faculty of Texas College of Trial Advocacy Founded by South Texas College of Law & Texas Trial Lawyers Association.
  • Pattern Jury Charges - Vol. III Committee of the State Bar of Texas for one year term ending May 31, 1992.
  • Personal Injury Trial Manual Committee of the State Bar of Texas. Legal Malpractice Section 1995-1996.
  • Faculty — Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyer’s College — 1996 - 2005

LEGAL ARTICLES, PAPERS, PRESENTATIONS


SEMINAR:

“Texas Tort Trends” sponsored by South Texas College of Law - January 12, 1989

Oral Presentation:    Legal Malpractice


SEMINAR:

“South Texas Domestic Torts Course” sponsored by South Texas College of Law - March 30, 1989 - Austin, Texas; April 6, 1989, Houston, Texas

Oral & Written Presentation:    Civil Liability for Interference with Child Custody


SEMINAR:

“Texas College of Medical and Dental Careers Skills Course” sponsored Texas College of Medical and Dental Careers - May 16, 1989

Oral Presentation:    Malpractice


SEMINAR:

“Medical Malpractice Legal Liability” sponsored by South Texas College of Law - August 3-4, 1989 - Dallas, Texas

Oral & Written Presentation:    The Plaintiff's Perspective of Legal Malpractice


SEMINAR:

“Montgomery County Bar Association Meeting” sponsored by Montgomery County Bar Association - September 21, 1989 - Conroe, Texas

Oral & Written Presentation:    Chapter 36 Texas Family Code - Civil Liability for Interference with Child Custody


SEMINAR:

“Domestic Torts” sponsored by Maricopa County Bar Associations Family Law Committee and The Arizona Institute of Continuing Legal Education - December 8-9 1989, Phoenix, Arizona

Oral & Written Presentation:    Interference with Custody; Trial Techniques


SEMINAR:

“13TH Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course” sponsored by State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program and The Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas - September 5-7, 1990, Dallas, Texas

Oral Presentation:    “Court's Charge - A View From the Bench and Bar with a Special Emphasis on Legal Malpractice in the Charge Conference”

Written Presentation:    by John F. Nichols (co-counsel in Wierich v. Wierich)


SEMINAR:

“Persuading the Jury from Voir Dire through Closing Argument” sponsored The State Bar of Texas Professional Development Program and co-sponsored by the San Antonio Bar Association - October 19, 1990 - San Antonio, Texas

Oral Presentation:    Complementing or Combating Voir Dire with Effective Opening Statements

Written Presentation:    by John F. Nichols


SEMINAR:

“Texas Insurance Bad Faith Litigation” sponsored by Professional Education Systems, Inc. - May 1, 1991 - Houston, Texas; May 2, 1991 - San Antonio, Texas; May 3, 1991 - Dallas, Texas

Oral & Written Presentation:    Appellate Trends Regarding Bad Faith and Current State of Punitive Damages Relating to Bad Faith

SEMINAR:

The National Association of Legal Investigators, Inc. National Convention sponsored by National Association of Legal Investigators, Inc. - June 19-22, 1991, Houston, Texas

Oral & Written Presentation:    Legal Malpractice: “For Your Private Eyes Only”

SEMINAR:

“Preparing, Trying and Settling Auto Collision Cases” sponsored by State Bar of Texas - October 8-9, 1992 - Dallas, Texas; October 22-23, 1992 - Houston, Texas

Oral & Written Presentation:    Tangential Coverage — PIP/ERISA Preemption

SEMINAR:

“Texas Insurance Bad Faith Litigation” sponsored by Professional Education Systems, Inc. - December 9, 1992 -San Antonio, Texas; December 10, 1992 - Houston, Texas; December 11, 1992 - Dallas, Texas

Oral & Written Presentation:    Appellate Trends in Bad Faith Recovery

SEMINAR:

“Anticipating and Avoiding Legal Malpractice Claims” sponsored by State Bar of Texas - April 16, 1993 - Dallas, Texas

Oral & Written Presentation:    “Statute of Limitations in Malpractice Claims: Making Sense of A Riddle Without Creating Another Dilemma”

SEMINAR:

“20TH Annual Advanced Family Law Course” sponsored by State Bar of Texas - August 14-18, 1994 - San Antonio, Texas

Oral & Written Presentation:    “Statute of Limitations in Malpractice Claims: Making Sense of A Riddle Without Creating Another Dilemma”

Panel Members:    John Nichols, Houston, Texas - Chair
                              Charles Wilson, Dallas, Texas
                              Larry J. Doherty, Houston, Texas
                              Curtis Loveless, Denton, Texas
                              Ted Terry, Austin, Texas
                              Kristin Proctor, Austin, Texas

Written Presentation:    Kristin Proctor, Austin, Texas

Oral Presentation:    “Themes and Tactics for Winning Tort Issues and Punitive Damages in Family Law Litigation - Workshop Session”

SEMINAR:

“The Trial of a Legal Malpractice Action: Trying the Attorney Malpractice Case — Prosecution and Defense” sponsored by the American Bar Association - March 6-7, 1997 - New Orleans, Louisiana

Written Presentation:    “The Causation Defense” — Alvin Frederick

Oral Presentation:    “The Causation Defense” — Larry J. Doherty

SEMINAR:

“2nd Annual Insurance Law Institute” sponsored by The University of Texas School of Law - October 9-10, 1997, Dallas, Texas

Written Presentation:    “Litigation Tactics in Insurance Disputes: The Carriers Play Hardball”

Authors/Panel:    Larry J. Doherty
                            Professor Michael Quinn
                            Werner Powers

OP-ED:    

Houston Chronicle, September 15, 1995, pg 39A entitled “Legal Profession, Not Tort Law, the Real Problem”

SEMINAR:

“Texas Insurance Law Symposium” sponsored by South Texas College of Law - July 30-31, 1998, Houston, Texas

Written Presentation:    “Conflict of Interest Allegations From a Plaintiff’s Perspective”

Authors/Panel:    Larry J. Doherty

SEMINAR:

“Advanced Personal Injury Course” sponsored by TTLA - August 20, 1998, Houston, Texas

Written Presentation:    “Legal Malpractice Issues”

Authors/Panel:    Broadus A. Spivey

Presenter:    Larry J. Doherty

SEMINAR:

“Into The Deep End: Navigating the Perilous Waters of Legal Ethics and Legal Malpractice” sponsored by The State Bar of Texas - November 12-13, 1998, Austin, Texas

Written Presentation:    “Easy Ways to Lose a Fee and More”

Authors/Panel:    Larry J. Doherty
                            Also part of plenary committee for seminar

OP-ED:    

Texas Lawyer Weekly, July 19, 1999, Vol. 15, No. 19 entitled “Juries at the Mercy of Justices”

SEMINAR:

“Hate Mail, Love Letters, Overdue Bills, Ethics and Client Relations” sponsored by Great American Insurance Companies, October 15-16, 1999, Las Vegas, Nevada

Written and Oral Presentation:    “How to Get Yourself Sued”

SEMINAR:

“Advanced Personal Injury Course” sponsored by Texas Trial Lawyers Association, March 30-31, 2000, Dallas, Texas; April 6-7, 2000, Houston, Texas

Written and Oral Presentation:    “Fee Disgorgement: Losing Your Fee After It is Spent”

SEMINAR:

Continuing Legal Education Seminar sponsored by Great American Insurance Companies, Seattle, Washington, April 27-28, 2000

Written and Oral Presentation:    “How to Get Yourself Sued”

SEMINAR:

Continuing Legal Education Seminar sponsored by Great American Insurance Companies, Seattle, Washington, November 2, 2000

Written and Oral Presentation:    “How to Get Yourself Sued”

SEMINAR:

Advanced Consumer Law Course, November 3-4, 2005            

Written and Oral Presentation:    “Ethics by Example”

OTHER PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS AND AWARDS

1998
2003

The Larry and Joanne Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics Endowment at the University of Houston, Houston, Texas

Larry and Joanne Doherty were awarded the 2003 Distinguished Service Award by the University of Houston Alumni Organization


OTHER ACTIVITIES

“Texas Justice” - a nationally syndicated program that premiered on March 26, 2001, on Fox owned/operated stations in Austin, Dallas, and Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; Greensboro, North Carolina, with Judge Larry Joe Doherty presiding. In September of 2001, the show was syndicated to over 90% of the markets throughout the United States and is still being shown in re-runs.




Brett Wagner was selected as a “Top Notch Lawyer” in legal malpractice as reported by The Texas Lawyer Go-To Guide, October 8, 2007

Texas Lawyer Go-To Guide, October 8, 2007

Super Lawyer

Brett Wagner was named as a Super Lawyer in 2008 and 2009 as published by Law & Politics





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