As both a top-notch trial lawyer and an FAA-certified commercial pilot and flight instructor, Mark Pierce brings a wealth of experience to Slack & Davis’ clients in aviation-related legal matters. He has been board certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1988 and has received Martindale-Hubbell’s AV® rating based on peer reviews for legal ability and integrity.

Mr. Pierce graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 1979 and became associated with the Dallas law firm of Passman & Jones, focusing on complex business and commercial litigation. In 1985, he moved his practice to West Texas, where he became known not only as an outstanding advocate in personal injury and wrongful death cases, but also for his tenacious and creative trial and appellate work on behalf of consumers and victims of deceptive business practices.

He is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education programs on trial skills and effective communication. His article, “The Seven Communication Secrets of Trial Lawyers,” was published in The Toastmaster magazine in September 2003.

Mr. Pierce is a member of the Aviation Law Section of the American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America); the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA), for which he has served on the Board of Directors; Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association; Austin and El Paso Bar Associations and the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association. He served as president of the El Paso Trial Lawyers Association for two terms, from 1994 to 1996.

Mr. Pierce has a long record of service to his community and the legal profession. He was appointed to the State Bar’s Committee on Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct (2002-04), and he served as chair of the Consumer Law Committee of the El Paso Bar Association in 2005-06. He served as an attorney member for the Texas Board of Legal Specialization’s Legal Assistant Personal Injury Trial Law Exam Commission from 1997 to2001, and chair of the Board of Directors of the Consumers Group of El Paso, Inc. from 1997 to 1999. He also served as a Special Prosecutor for the 34th Judicial District of Texas in 2005-06. He is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.

With commercial pilot certification in both single-engine and multi-engine classes of airplanes, an instrument rating and an active flight instructor’s license, Mr. Pierce has a depth of understanding of aviation issues that gives him unique insight on the legal responsibilities of manufacturers, pilots, air traffic controllers, owners, operators, maintenance facilities and others in the aviation realm.