Profile: Knox D Nunnally

Product Liability

Biography: Product Liability

Knox is a partner in Vinson & Elkins' litigation practice, and has been a practising trial lawyer since 1968. He has started more than 150 jury trials and has taken well over 100 cases to a verdict. Knox has significant experience in catastrophic tort cases, mass torts, class actions, products liability and business disputes. He also has handled a variety of other major litigation matters involving legal malpractice, breach of contract, employment law, intellectual property, technology and real estate.

Knox's trial experience is expansive. Recent successes include lead trial counsel defending one of the nation's largest railroads in multiple putative class actions and individual toxic tort actions arising out of train derailment; successfully defending a marine officer as lead civilian trial counsel in 17-day court of inquiry trial at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in January 2008 (during the first court of inquiry conducted by the Marine Corps in 50 years arising out of allegations of excessive and indiscriminate force allegedly used by Special Operations Marines in defending against an ambush in Afghanistan); leading the defence of a pharmaceutical manufacturer against a Texas class-action suit; acting as lead Texas liaison counsel and lead trial counsel for a major tire manufacturer in mass tort action; and securing a take-nothing verdict for a heavy truck manufacturer client in a two-month trial where plaintiffs sought damages of US$6 billion. Knox also successfully represented a large energy company in an arbitrated dispute with its former CEO over his severance pay.

Knox, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, has been certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in personal injury trial law since 1978, and civil trial law since 1979. Knox was named by the Texas Lawyer as one of the "100 Legal Legends" who helped shape law and lawyering in Texas in the 20th century. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Ronald D Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award from the Texas Bar Foundation.

Knox obtained his BBA from the University of Texas in 1965; and his LLB from the University of Texas School of Law, with honours, in 1968.