Blair J. Leake - Austin, TX

Overview

Blair Leake is a trial attorney with years of experience serving as the lead trial counsel for individuals, businesses, cities, and government officials. He has successfully litigated a wide variety of cases, with an emphasis that includes-but is not limited to-civil rights litigation, employment litigation, personal injury litigation, and commercial litigation. Blair has persuaded juries and judges of the merits of his clients' respective claims and defenses in numerous state and federal courtrooms across Texas.

After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin, Blair went on to earn his juris doctorate degree from the University of Houston Law Center. During law school, he earned accolades that included the Hofheinz Award for top advocate of the year, the Byron McCoy Excellence in Advocacy Award, the Distinguished Advocate Award, and an induction into the National Order of the Barristers.

After law school, he initially began working alongside his father-a trial attorney with over 30 years of experience-where Blair spent most of his time representing individuals and small businesses across North Texas in a wide range of lawsuits, hearings, and trials. After several years, Blair moved back to Austin to join the trial lawyers at Wright & Greenhill, where he now regularly represents Central Texas cities, public officials, businesses, and individuals in various different types of litigation proceedings. He was selected as a Texas "Rising Star" for 2021 & 2022 by Super Lawyers, and has been named a "Top Lawyer" every year since 2020 by Austin Monthly Magazine.

Blair is also very active in the local legal community. He served as President of the Austin Young Lawyers Association for the 2022-23 bar year after having previously serving in every other elected position for the group. During his tenure as President, AYLA won first place for the TYLA statewide Comprehensive Award and first place in the Service to the Bar Award, which are awards comparing young lawyer associations statewide. He has also chaired or co-chaired the AYLA Community Service Days Committee, Bench Bar Committee, Trial Institute Committee, and others.

Representative Past Work as Lead Trial Counsel

• Obtained a complete defense verdict in a personal injury jury trial in state court, where the jury awarded in damages of less than 1% of the monetary amount the plaintiff demanded in settlement before trial.
• Obtained a "no liability" jury verdict and complete dismissal with prejudice in a civil rights lawsuit in federal court when defending a local first responder who had been wrongfully accused of committing a §1983 violation.
• Successfully obtained a complete dismissal with prejudice via summary judgment for a local police officer wrongfully accused of committing a §1983 violation.
• Successfully defended a Central Texas city accused of employment discrimination in a federal jury trial;
• Successfully obtained a sizeable jury verdict for a plaintiff client against a predatory sibling who had taken advantage of their elderly father's lack of mental capacity, embezzled money from him, and wrongfully altered his last will and testament to try and steal his estate upon his passing.
• Successfully litigated on behalf of a plaintiff client who had been defrauded by a home builder corporation that engaged in knowing violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
• Successfully obtained a no liability judgment at trial for an Austin-based small business accused of being liable for the actions of an independent contractor.
• Successfully obtained a no liability judgment at trial for a small business owner who had been wrongfully accused of Fraud, Breach of Contract, and violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, while also obtaining a judgment on a counterclaim for fees owed to his client for work performed.
• Successfully defended a small business in a jury trial where an adjacent landowner had attempted to steal the client's land and property through a claim of Adverse Possession.
• Successfully negotiated out- of- court settlements for hundreds of lawsuits.
• Obtained a defense verdict in a jury trial defending a Central Texas city in a stipulated negligence case, resulting in a verdict that was less than 9% of the monetary damages requested by the plaintiff’s attorney at trial