S&D celebrates 10 years by expanding our practice and moving our offices (soon!)

In August 1993, Tom Davis, his son Mike Davis and Michael L. Slack founded Slack & Davis with one clear purpose: Helping people. In the field of personal injury law, Slack & Davis would stand for results with integrity.

“Our goal was to build a team of experts and represent people who need an advocate. We wanted to be a different kind of law firm, finding new ways to serve our clients and give them a powerful voice for change,” said Mike Slack, managing partner.

“Over the past 10 years, Slack & Davis has experienced tremendous growth and quite a few changes, but our commitment to integrity has not wavered,” said Mike Davis, co-founding partner.

Flying high

Through Tom Davis’ mentorship, Mike Slack and Mike Davis gained experience in air crash cases involving high-profile celebrities, such as blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, musician Walter Hyatt, and three members of Reba McEntire’s band. At a prior law firm, Tom Davis had already achieved extraordinary results in innovative litigation related to commercial airline crashes, such as Delta Airlines 191 in Dallas/Fort Worth, United Airlines 581 in Colorado, Scenic Airlines 306 near the Grand Canyon and Braniff Electra in Dawson, Texas.

It wasn’t long before the team at Slack & Davis expanded its national reputation, litigating commercial airline crashes like ValuJet 592 in Florida, American Airlines 1420 in Arkansas, and American Airlines 587 in New York. In addition, the firm excelled in pursuing aviation product liability claims against major manufacturers, and litigated cases nationwide involving charter plane and helicopter crashes.

A former Navy fighter pilot and commercial airline captain, John C. “Rusty” Allman joined the aviation law team full-time in March 2002, after serving of counsel. In January 2003, the firm welcomed Ladd Sanger, a Dallas attorney who had practiced with Howie & Sweeney for six years. Licensed as both a helicopter pilot and airplane pilot, Sanger heads up the Slack & Davis office in Dallas.

“With these two additions, our aviation law team offers clients tremendous advantages in any matters related to aviation law,” said Slack.

Giving people a voice

True to the firm’s roots in personal injury law, Slack & Davis has successfully represented plaintiffs in individual claims as well as mass torts over the past 10 years, such as those involving deadly diet pills (FenPhen), dangerous drugs (Baycol), defective medical products and devices (L-tryptophan, Norplant and Sulzer implants), and environmental contamination.

During this time, Mike Davis became the firm’s lead advocate in toxic torts, going toe-to-toe with major industrial polluters. In addition, he and Donna Bowen, who became a partner in 2000, led the firm’s strong practice in medical negligence and defective or dangerous products and drugs.

Ten years and evolving

“Because the demand for legal services can change with time and circumstance, a successful law firm must remain nimble. Over the next 10 years, one thing is definite. Our firm must continue to evolve in order to prosper,” said Mike Slack.

“Whether we’re representing a family after a major air crash or helping a neighborhood to fight industrial pollution, we’ll strive to do what we do best: Helping people,” said Mike Davis.