Professional Experience
Don Martin handles complex commercial litigation, including professional liability, real estate and securities litigation and administrative hearings. He is the former national chair of the Quarles & Brady Litigation Group (2001-2006) and is the national chair of Quarles & Brady’s Lender Liability Task Force. Mr. Martin has recently:
- Served as lead trial counsel in a Big Four accounting firm’s defense of a $400 million audit malpractice
case in Arizona, and as co-lead counsel in the same firm’s defense of three other related lawsuits, including
a 13,000 member securities class action seeking more than $600 million in damages. A successful global settlement of all claims against the firm and its partners was achieved on the sixth day of trial in the malpractice case.
- Successfully defended a Big Four firm as a potential defendant in a large securities class action, where we were able to settle the putative claims against the firm for nuisance value, without the firm ever being named as a defendant in the lawsuit.
- Defended the retired Caribbean partner of another Big Four firm against multimillion dollar claims of civil racketeering, conversion and breaches of fiduciary duty. The matter was settled without any admission of liability and any payment by our client.
- Successfully defended the winning bidder for the largest government contract ever awarded by the State of Arizona, a $93 million contract to test the emissions of millions of automobiles over a seven year period.
- Successfully defended a major national law firm against claims of legal malpractice in its handling of a multijurisdiction construction case.
Education and Honors
- University of Virginia School of Law (J.D., with honors, 1975)
- University of Virginia (B.A., with honors, 1972)
Echols Scholar. DuPont Scholar. Society of the Cincinnati, American History Award. Phi Kappa Psi.
Bar Admissions
Nevada,
1992
Arizona,
1975
Court Admissions
U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, 1994
Professional Recognition
Listed in
The Best Lawyers in America® (2005-present: Commercial Litigation, Legal Malpractice Law).
Selected for inclusion in the 2007-2012
Southwest Super Lawyers® lists (Business Litigation).
Martindale-Hubbell AV
® Peer Review Rated.
Listed in
Chambers USA® (2009-present: Litigation).
Professional and Civic Activities
Member: American Bar Association (Litigation Section, Corporate Counsel and Professional Liability Committees); Federal Bar Association; Arizona State Bar Association; Maricopa County Bar Association.
Member and Legal Counsel: Greater Phoenix Leadership (former Counsel to Board of Directors); Mentoring Task Force, Phoenix Violence Prevention Initiative; Valley Leadership, Class IX; President-Emeritus of the Board of Trustees, Phoenix Art Museum; Past President, Men’s Arts Council, Phoenix Art Museum; Past Member, Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Scottsdale Arts Center Association; Vice President and Founding Member, University of Virginia Club of Arizona.
Board Affiliations: Board of Directors and Audit Committee, Meridian Bank, N.A. (2005-present).