Texas Legal Legend Rusty Hardin Awarded Texas Bar Foundation’s 2024 Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award

Award celebrates high ethical standards and exceptional professional conduct

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rusty Hardin & Associates is pleased to announce that founding partner Rusty Hardin has been awarded the Texas Bar Foundation’s 2024 Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer award.

Mr. Hardin received the honor at the foundation’s annual dinner at the Hilton Anatole Dallas in June.

See photos of Mr. Hardin at the event.

The Ronald D. Secrest award recognizes an active trial lawyer with outstanding trial and advocacy skills who has demonstrated high ethical and moral standards and exceptional professional conduct. It was established in 2002 in honor of Houston trial lawyer Ronald Secrest, founding partner of Beck Redden LLP.

“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this recognition,” said Mr. Hardin. “My entire career, I have felt a deep responsibility not only to do good work but to be good to people – to hold myself and our firm to the highest of standards. I knew Ron Secrest, and to receive an award in his name is really special.”

In his distinguished career, Mr. Hardin has tried over 190 jury trials and has represented some of the country’s most high-profile clients, including ExxonMobil, Arkema, Arthur Andersen, Dow Jones, the J. Howard Marshall II estate against claims made by Anna Nicole Smith, Roger Clemens, Warren Moon, Rudy Tomjanovich, Scottie Pippen, Calvin Murphy, Adrian Peterson, James Harden, and Deshaun Watson.

In 2023, The Texas House of Representatives selected Mr. Hardin to co-lead the prosecution in the Senate impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Mr. Hardin’s work has been honored by the prestigious Chambers USA, along with Best Lawyers in America, Texas Super Lawyers, Benchmark Litigation, and Lawdragon. He is one of only four attorneys in the U.S. and the only attorney in Texas honored as a 2018 Global Elite Thought Leader in litigation by Who’s Who Legal.

Mr. Hardin is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Litigation Counsel of America, and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).

In 2023, the Texas Chapters of ABOTA honored Mr. Hardin with the Paul Stallings Civility and Ethics Award for his unwavering commitment to professionalism, civility, graciousness, and the highest moral and ethical standards.

The Texas Bar Foundation is the largest charitably funded bar foundation in the country. Election to the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a member of the State Bar of Texas and is based on an outstanding record in the legal profession and a proven commitment to support the community at large.

Rusty Hardin & Associates, LLP has built a solid reputation for taking on the causes of its clients and obtaining favorable results in commercial litigation, plaintiffs’ personal injury, white collar criminal defense, appellate matters, and general civil and criminal litigation. https://www.rustyhardin.com/.