Chad Cotten

Mr. Chad Cotten was born in Thousand Oaks, California and lived in Seattle, Washington and Dallas, Texas growing up.

Mr. Cotten attended the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for his undergraduate degree, where he studied Government, Soviet Studies, and Russian History. He received a Bachelor of Arts in 1997, then went on to attend SMU Law School where he received his Doctor of Jurisprudence in 2001.

Mr. Cotten is licensed to practice law in Texas and has previously been licensed by Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. He used to spend at least two days per week in Pennsylvania, mainly Philadelphia. He has also practiced before courts in California, Missouri, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, New York, Minnesota, and New Mexico.

For more than 15 years. Mr. Cotten has represented plaintiffs in toxic tort cases, most of whom had mesothelioma. In addition to claims against asbestos product manufacturers, Mr. Cotten focused on claims involving premises liability for contractor injuries, the wrongful deaths of past employees, (which require a showing of gross negligence), and FELA (railroad employee) and Jones Act (merchant sailors) cases. He has had major cases that involved railroads and merchant ships, asbestos-cement water pipes, asbestos drilling mud additives, equipment that required the use of asbestos-containing seals, and joint compound construction and demolition work. He has tried cases against Certainteed Corporation, Exxon (Jones Act), Union Pacific Railroad (FELA), Union Carbide, Georgia Pacific, and other major corporations.

Mr. Cotten previously operated his own practice for two years, where he litigated intentional tort claims, serious motor vehicle collision claims, real estate fraud claims, medical malpractice claims, breach of contract claims, insurance coverage claims, and claims for attorney’s fees.

He has negotiated settlements worth tens of millions of dollars cumulatively, and many seven-figure settlements with individual defendants.

As an attorney, Mr. Cotten is conscientious, creative, and positive.

PRACTICE AREAS

• Automobile Accidents
• Company Vehicle Accidents
• Premises Liability
• Trucking Accidents
• Workplace Accidents

BAR ADMISSIONS

• State Bar of Texas

EDUCATION

• SMU Deadman School of Law, Dallas, Texas (J.D.)
• University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi (B.A.)