A fund to protect the civil justice system.

The Robert L. Habush ATLA Endowment was created to fund programs that will create public understanding and provide research and ideas to promote the civil justice system in the 21st century. The Endowment functions as a grant-making foundation with the mission to preserve and protect the civil justice system and individual rights. It does this by providing consistent public education and research to promote informed public dialogue on, understanding of, and appreciation for the civil justice system. Additionally, the Endowment sponsors prestigious education programs and publications for judges and law professors and funds innovative scholarship and research on the civil justice system and individual rights. These issues are addressed through four institutes: the Public Education Institute, the Judicial Institute, the Law School Institute, and the Research Institute.

TRIAL is proud to feature profiles of ATLA members who have completely fulfilled their commitment to the Endowment. The next three of the series appear on the following pages. They will be profiled in alphabetical order. For a complete list of Endowment Profiles, please see the 2005-06 ATLA Membership Directory Supplement.

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Ronald D. Krist is the senior member of the Krist Law Firm, P.C., of Houston, Texas. He was born, reared, and educated in Texas. He received both his undergraduate and law degree from the University of Texas. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (Board of Directors, 1988-1993; dean, 1996; vice-president, 1997; president-elect, 1998; president, 1999); the International Society of Barristers (Board of Directors, 1999-2006); the American Board of Trial Advocates (president, Houston chapter, 1985); Fellow: American College of Trial Lawyers (Texas State Committee, 2001-2005); the Inner Circle of Advocates Advisory Council, National Judicial College; and the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (Board of Trustees, 2002-2008). In 1978, he was board-certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

He is listed among the "Best Lawyers in America Since 1989" by the Honorary Order of Barristers, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He was named by Texas Lawyer Magazine as the #1 personal injury lawyer in the state of Texas. He was listed in Lawyers Weekly U.S.A. as one of the five most successful small-firm lawyers in America and chosen by Forbes as one of the seven most successful lawyers in America. He was listed by Texas Monthly in a statewide survey as one of the top 100 Texas Super Lawyers.

He has numerous publications, including Ronald D. Krist and Sigmund A. Horvitz, "Measuring Diminished Earnings," Texas Bar Journal, May 22, 1973; "Summation and Argument in Negligence Case Involving Ruptured Intervertebral Disc," Personal Injury Deskbook (1982); "Cross Examination of Non-Medical Experts," Art of Advocacy (1984); and "Wide View of Tort Reform," 24 Pepperdine Law Review 889 (1997).

Mr. Krist was a member of the Texas Public Safety Commission from 1992 to 1997 and its chairman in 1993. He was an ex-officio member of the Texas Racing Commission in 1993. Mr. Krist was commissioned as one of only six honorary captains of the Texas Rangers, under the jurisdiction of the Texas Department of Public Safety, in its 175-year history. He is also a member of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (2001-2007).

Michael Maher served as president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America in 1990 and as president of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers from 1979 to 1980.

During his highly successful career as a lawyer, Mr. Maher has received numerous prestigious awards. He has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America from 1987 to 2004 and in the 1985 edition of the Town and Country Magazine study, "The Best Lawyers in the U.S." He was named Florida Trial Lawyer of the Year in 1999 by the American Board of Trial Advocates, and Trial Lawyer of the Year from 2000 to 2001 by the Melvin Belli Society. He devotes his effectiveness as an attorney both to the representation of clients and to the leadership of lawyers across the nation who dedicate their professional lives to defending and protecting their clients.

His representation of clients in cases involving all forms of transportation, medical negligence, and products and premises liability has resulted in precedent-setting settlements and verdicts. He has tried personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout the state of Florida.

In 1995, Mr. Maher was appointed a member of the Peoples' Trial Advocates by Florida Governor Lawton Chiles and Attorney General Robert Butterworth. The group was comprised of 11 firms that contracted with the state of Florida to maintain an action on behalf of the state against the tobacco industry for the return of medicaid benefits that were paid on tobacco-related illnesses. Mr. Maher served as chairman of the group, dubbed the "dream team" by the media. In this role, he coordinated the work of 11 lawyers as they battled to recover more than $11 billion in state funds paid for medical expenses.

The knowledge and expertise that Mr. Maher has developed as a trial lawyer are evident in regular lectures and publications. He has written articles on preparation for trial, voir dire, closing argument, medical witnesses management, evidence, the use of technology in trial, uninsured motorist claims, arbitration, obstetric malpractice, using economic research in damages claims, and the insurance "crisis."

As a leader in his profession, he has also written and spoken frequently on the challenges and future trends affecting individual rights and free access to our court system. His professional activities, memberships, and associations are extensive.

He is a graduate of Rollins College (B.A. 1963) and Stetson University College of Law (J.D. 1965). He has over 39 years' experience as a trial lawyer specializing in personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout the nation.

Tommy Malone, a trial lawyer practicing in Atlanta, received his pre-law education from the University of Georgia and attended the Walter E George School of Law at Mercer University, receiving his L.L.B. in 1966. His practice is limited to plaintiffs' personal injury and wrongful death litigation.

A past president and life member of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, Mr. Malone is a life member of ATLA and served as a member of the ATLA Board of Governors. He is a past president of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association and a recipient of the War Horse Award. He is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers, and a lifetime fellow of the Roscoe Pound Institute. He is board-certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys and serves as a diplomat of that organization.

He is listed in Best Lawyers in America, all editions. In 1995, the Georgia chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates named him Georgia Trial Lawyer of the Year.

Adam Malone joined his father's practice in 2000. He has already participated in cases that have produced several significant verdicts and settlements. He is a member of ATLA, serves on the Board of Governors for the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, and serves as cochair of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association.

The Malones follow the ideal that one should be true to one's calling. Their calling is the vigorous and ethical representation of the catastrophically injured and survivors of those who have died as the result of the carelessness of others.