New Mexico

Randi McGinn

Albuquerque, NM

Randi McGinn is one of the country’s leading trial lawyers, having represented thousands of men and women in her 40 years of practice and having tried to verdict over 130 civil and criminal cases - everything from trucking collisions to workplace violence to medical malpractice to products liability lawsuits. She lost only 6 of those trials, giving her a 95% success rate. Trials are won and cases are settled based on who tells the best story. Having started out as a journalist, Randi McGinn is a consummate storyteller. From the pile of facts that is your case, she reaches in and pulls out the beating heart of your story. She is famous for her creativity in the courtroom and use of both high- and low-tech demonstrative evidence to help the jury see and understand what happened. She has utilized powerful animations, life-size human blowups, persuasive PowerPoint presentations, toy cars and trucks, and three-dimensional models of roadways and a mountain hillside to re-create accidents in the courtroom. The first woman president of the Inner Circle of Advocates (a group of the 100 best trial lawyers in the U.S.), she is able to reveal the truth through her devastating cross-examinations. Ms. McGinn has destroyed adverse witnesses by leaving a pretentious Beverly Hills doctor standing in front of the jury covered with post-its and clutching a grapefruit to his chest and by grilling a government snitch until he threw up. You can watch her takedown of an expert in this cross-examination of Bill Lewinski. She was appointed as a special prosecutor and tried the first New Mexico criminal case against any police officer. Two Albuquerque police officers faced charges for an on-the-job shooting of a homeless man, James Boyd. The case ended in a hung jury but reduced the number of shootings of citizens by the Albuquerque Police Department. Ms. McGinn has obtained several of the largest verdicts in New Mexico history. In 2019, she obtained the largest verdict ever against a semi-trailer manufacturer for its decision not to build its trailers with side underride guards that would prevent passenger cars from becoming trapped underneath the trailer. She started her career with a bang by giving birth to her daughter, Heather, the day before the 3-day bar examination.

Turner W. Branch

Albuquerque, NM

Turner W. Branch was the founding partner of The Branch Law Firm, established in 1966. He was a nationally recognized plaintiff’s attorney with extensive experience in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. A graduate of Baylor Law School, he was admitted to practice in multiple states and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. He was instrumental in shaping New Mexico law, notably overturning sovereign immunity in the landmark Hicks v. State of New Mexico case. He played a significant role in major mass tort litigations, serving on steering committees for cases like Castano Tobacco, L-Tryptophan, Norplant, Baycol, and Vioxx. He was a Fellow in the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a Diplomate in the American Board of Trial Advocates, recognized as a 'Southwest Super Lawyer' and 'Top Plaintiffs Lawyer in America'.

David C. Chavez

Los Lunas, NM

David C. Chavez is recognized nationally as a Top 10 Personal Injury Lawyer, Top 100 Trial Lawyers Lifetime Achievement Award, and the prestigious Super Lawyer Award. David has over 40 years of experience as a personal injury attorney. Born and raised in Belen, New Mexico, David knows New Mexico culture and has served on a number of boards, committees and task forces locally and throughout New Mexico. David C. Chavez has recovered millions for those injured without a voice. David has the team, experience and resources to commit to your case. His firm is committed to helping his clients get back on the “Road to Recovery.”

Gerry L. Spence

Albuquerque, NM

Gerry L. Spence was a legendary trial lawyer and the founder of The Spence Law Firm, known for his high-profile cases and record results for the poor, injured, and marginalized. He never lost a criminal trial and had not lost a civil case since 1969. Born, raised, and educated in Wyoming, he graduated cum laude from the University of Wyoming Law School in 1952. He received numerous lifetime achievement awards and was inducted into the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame. His notable cases include the Karen Silkwood case, a libel verdict against Penthouse Magazine, and the defense of Imelda Marcos and Randy Weaver. He was also a prolific author and founder of the Trial Lawyers College.

Ron Bell

Albuquerque, NM

Ron Bell is the founding attorney and a partner of Ron Bell Injury Lawyers. Established in 1982 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, his practice has been in business for over 40 years. Throughout the duration of Ron’s career in the legal industry, he and his team have been able to achieve successful results on behalf of thousands of clients. He has become famous nationwide for his “I SUE DRUNK DRIVERS” slogan, and his pioneering work in legal advertising has made him a household name and public figure in and around New Mexico. Ron Bell received his undergraduate degree from Temple University and continued his education to secure his law degree from Villanova University in 1974. A few years later, in 1982, Ron moved to New Mexico and opened his practice in Bernalillo County. During this time, Ron Bell discovered his passion for helping people receive compensation for their injuries and decided to practice personal injury law exclusively. His practice works on all types of accident cases caused by negligence with an emphasis on car and truck wrecks, traumatic brain injuries, wrongful death, nursing home abuse, and catastrophic injuries. The Ron Bell Injury Lawyers team helps clients recover compensation for their pain and suffering, cuts through the red tape of the insurance companies, and fights for the everyday people of New Mexico. Ron Bell has always been an advocate when it comes to identifying and remedying factors of serious injury accidents. He continues to associate with numerous organizations to promote traffic safety and increase public awareness to prevent tragic accidents from occurring. He created “Sober Prom” to educate teenagers about the perils of drunk driving and has supported “free ride” programs during holidays to get members of the community home safe. Away from the office, Ron stays active in many ways. An advocate of continued education, he attends seminars and conferences to stay informed on the ever-changing world of injury law. He loves talking to people, especially those within his community and industry. In his free time, he enjoys walking, traveling, going to comedy clubs, attending concerts, and spending time with family and friends.

Derek H. Potts

Santa Fe, NM

Mr. Potts is nationally known for his leadership of mass litigations involving environmental disasters such as Hurricane Harvey, the Texas Freeze and Hurricane Ida. He also has been leading complex litigations on behalf of people injured by dangerous medical devices and pharmaceuticals for over a decade and is regularly appointed by judges to lead these mass cases and multi district litigations. As a member of the PSC, he was one of the leaders of the litigation on behalf of all plaintiffs and was one of the lead trial counsel in the first bellwether jury trial that resulted in a finding of defective design of the medical device. Mr. Potts successfully resolved class actions in 2022 in Texas against a power company and a natural gas company for overcharging thousands of Texas businesses related to the Texas freeze. In 2023, Mr. Potts successfully settled a class action with Live Nation and other defendants related to the Astroworld concert disaster. Throughout his career, Mr. Potts has been lead counsel in jury trials representing catastrophically injured clients. Examples of some of his jury verdicts include the $3.0 million verdict in Novogradac vs. Shirshekan, a nursing home negligence case tried in Platte County Missouri Circuit Court which was appealed and sustained by the Missouri Supreme Court and Millard v. Gard, M.D. a medical malpractice case tried in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas which resulted in a $12.1 million verdict for a minor injured due to medical malpractice. Mr. Potts began pursuing cases for women injured by transvaginal mesh products in 2009. He was one of a handful of plaintiffs’ lawyers from around the country who spearheaded the establishment of what would become the largest medical device MDL consolidation in history. He would be appointed by the Judge overseeing the litigation as one of 8 members of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Executive Committee and Plaintiffs’ Co Lead Counsel of 3 transvaginal mesh MDLs. He and his partners in the litigation would ultimately resolve over $1,000,000,000 in transvaginal mesh settlements. Mr. Potts has also been involved in numerous mass pharmaceutical litigations including being appointed the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel of the Los Angeles Country Superior Court’s consolidation related to the drug, Xarelto. Mr. Potts has also been involved in multiple class actions including being class counsel for the states of New York, New Jersey, and Arkansas in the In Re ATT Mobility MDL which resulted in over $1,000,000,000 in settlements nationwide relating to the improper charging of sales tax. Mr. Potts also spearheaded a series of state court consolidations against General Motors related to its ignition switch auto defect in certain model cars. Mr. Potts successfully resolved thousands of personal injury and wrongful death cases with General Motors through his state court consolidations. After Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in August 2017, Mr. Potts spearheaded litigation against the United States Army Corp of Engineers related to its intentional release of water during the storm which flooded tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the City. Mr. Potts was appointed as Plaintiffs’ Class Counsel by the United States Court of Claims to lead the prosecution of the case. In 2020, Mr. Potts spearheaded the formation of the In Re Generali Travel Insurance MDL and was appointed Plaintiffs’ Class Counsel to represent the thousands of individuals who were improperly denied their travel insurance benefits as a result of Covid-19 related travel restrictions. In 2021, Mr. Potts filed a $1 Billion Class Action against the electricity retailer Griddy related to its overcharging of Texas customers during Winter Storm Uri.