Baron & Budd Principals Named to Public Justice Board of Directors

   Russell Budd and Scott Summy To Play Key Advisory Roles in 'America's

                         Public Interest Law Firm'



    DALLAS, July 16 /EMWNews/ -- Russell Budd, president and managing

shareholder of Dallas-based law firm Baron & Budd, P.C., and fellow

shareholder Scott Summy were named today to the Board of Directors of

Public Justice (http://www.publicjustice.net) at the organization's annual

meeting.



    Public Justice is the principal project of the Public Justice

Foundation, a non-profit nationwide network of over 3,500 attorneys and

public interest advocates established to advance consumer and workers'

rights, to protect people and the environment and to inspire lawyers and

others to serve the public interest.



    "My career has been dedicated to the values that Public Justice stands

for," said Budd, "and I am honored to serve this organization in a more

public way." Russell Budd has represented more than 100,000 victims of

occupational exposures and served as the chair and member of several

asbestos creditors' bankruptcy committees.



    Scott Summy recently achieved a national settlement with the bulk of

the nation's oil refiners on behalf of more than 150 state and local

entities seeking to recover cleanup costs for MTBE contamination of their

water supplies. "I fight in the courts every day to protect the public's

right to clean water," said Summy, "and I am excited about this chance to

participate in Public Justice's even broader pursuit of the public

interest."



    Baron & Budd has been a longtime supporter of Public Justice, donating

substantial attorney time to the cases spearheaded by the organization. For

instance, a Baron & Budd team assisted in the representation of several

environmental organizations seeking funds for environmental rehabilitation

of the damage caused by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in the Prince William

Sound of Alaska. The firm's efforts helped substantially increase the

government's recovery for environmental damage, and Public Justice awarded

the Baron & Budd team its 1993 Public Justice Award for "outstanding

contribution to environmental protection and public interest."



    In 2006, a Baron & Budd team of attorneys was named Public Justice's

"Trial Attorneys of the Year" for their work on behalf of more than 1,600

Tucson area residents who were injured by exposure to the solvent

trichloroethylene (TCE) in their drinking water. The solvent

trichloroethylene migrated from an aircraft company and nearby airport into

the groundwater, contaminating the neighborhood's water supply.



    For over 30 years, Baron & Budd has been among the nation's leading law

firms in representing the public interest. In addition to its work on

behalf of injured workers, Baron & Budd and its attorneys have contributed

to numerous pro bono causes such as Project Exodus (to assist displaced

victims of Hurricane Katrina) and Trial Lawyers Care (to help victims of

the September 11th attacks). The firm has also pledged $3 million over five

years to the International Pleural Mesothelioma Program at Brigham &

Women's Hospitals and serves on the IMP's Executive Advisory Board.

    About Baron & Budd, P.C.



    For more than 30 years, the law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C. has

championed the rights of people and communities harmed by corporate

misconduct. With more than 50 attorneys and offices in California, Texas

and Louisiana, Baron & Budd enjoys a national reputation as a leader of the

plaintiffs' bar. The firm represents individuals with mesothelioma and

other diseases caused by asbestos; leukemia caused by benzene; injuries

caused by other toxic substances and unsafe pharmaceuticals; water

authorities seeking clean-up costs for drinking water contamination;

government entities and whistleblowers fighting corporate fraud; securities

investors defrauded by corporate wrongdoing; and consumers in class

actions.






     Contact:

     Susan Jones Knape

     214/629-0596

     [email protected]



     Christal Karnaze

     703/615-5763

     [email protected]