Justin Townsend, Attorney

Justin Townsend’s expertise is focused on complex commercial disputes with an emphasis on aviation litigation, cases involving injuries or death resulting from negligence or defective products and matters involving technology and intellectual property.

Mr. Townsend was recognized by Texas Monthly as a Rising Star Super Lawyer in both 2006 and 2008 after only five years of practice. This distinction names the top 2.5 percent of lawyers in Texas who are younger than 40 or have been in practice fewer than 10 years. Mr. Townsend has delivered presentations on aviation and technology issues in locations as diverse as Alaska, Texas and even Central America.

In the area of aviation, he represents clients on both the plaintiff and defense sides of the bar concerning aircraft such as large commercial airframe jets, light and medium jets, turboprop and reciprocating twin engine aircraft, as well as a regional airline with a fleet of more than 10 aircraft serving more than 20 destinations.

Before joining Slack & Davis, Mr. Townsend practiced at Mithoff & Jacks, concentrating principally on commercial litigation, personal injury law and products liability. His diverse practice extended as far as South America during the Ford/Firestone litigation and included catastrophic automobile accidents due to defective products; a copyright infringement suit for a nationally known Austin writer; and a suit against an environmental assessor concerning the purchase of an asbestos-contaminated office building.

After working with Richard Mithoff and Tommy Jacks, Mr. Townsend opened his own law office and handled cases representing buyers and sellers in breach-of-contract disputes over purchases of aircraft; tortious interference with prospective aviation business relations; and a commercial case defending a company and its owner against a suit brought by a Fortune 500 corporation.

In 2006 Mr. Townsend was elected to the Board of Directors of the Advocates section (for members with fewer than 10 years of practice) of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA). Mr. Townsend also is an active member of the Lawyers Pilots Bar Association, the Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice (formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America), the Texas Young Lawyers Association and the Austin Young Lawyers Association.

Mr. Townsend graduated from The University of Texas School of Law in Austin, Texas and received his J.D. in 2001. He also attended The University of Texas in Austin for undergraduate studies and earned a B.A. in English in 1997. He is admitted to practice in the state of Texas and the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Mr. Townsend worked as a software engineer and systems administrator at an Austin-based technology corporation. He was born and raised in Austin and developed a fascination with flying at an early age.