Biography
Jack Ayres is a legendary, “go-to” Texas trial lawyer, battle tested for over 50 years. His concept has and is success-driven: what does my client need and how will I use all of my skills to go get it? During his practice, he has tried over 500 cases and handled over 150 appeals, including major commercial litigation and major personal injury cases.
Beyond his legal background, Mr. Ayres has experience and expertise in health care and law enforcement. He is a licensed peace officer and paramedic in the State of Texas and an Associate Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical and Health Science Centers in Dallas. He serves as a national consultant and expert witness for plaintiffs and defendants in emergency medical service protocol and procedure.
His unique blend of knowledge has resulted in 23 public service appointments, including selection by Governor Mark White to the Texas Board of Health and appointment as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas. He has authored five books, many articles and presentations, and made television appearances, including an interview on 60 Minutes.
Certified Legal, Medical & Law Enforcement Specialties
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Civil Trial Law, 1993
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Personal Injury Trial Law, 1993
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Civil Appellate Law, 1993
- National Board of Trial Advocacy, Civil Trial Advocacy, 1996
- Certified Master Peace Officer, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, 2005
- Permanent License as Texas Peace Officer, Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, 1969
- Lieutenant, Dallas County Hospital District Police Department, Dallas, Texas, 1998
Honors
- “AV Preeminent” rating by Martindale-Hubbell
- Texas Super Lawyer, Texas Monthly Magazine (2002 to Present)
- National Trial Lawyers, “Top 100 Texas Attorneys” (2012 to Present)
- America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators (2022 to Present)
- “Champion of Justice,” Texas Watch (2005 to Present)
- Named Honorary Fire Chief, Dallas Fire-Rescue Department (2005 to Present)
- Appointed Member, Advisory Commission on Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
- Appointed Member, Exam Commission on Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Education
- Baylor University School of Law, Waco, Texas
- J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence - 1971
- Honors: Dean’s Distinguished List
- Honors: Harris Honor Society
- Honors: Order of Barristers
- Honors: Captain, State and National Moot Court Teams
- Law Review, Baylor Law Review, Editorial Board
- Baylor University, Waco, Texas
- B.A., Bachelor of Arts - 1970
- Honors: Dean’s List
- Honors: Attorney General of the University
- Honors: Academic/Athletic Scholarship
- Major: English
- Major: Oral Communications
- Major: Psychology
Professional Associations
- Elected Advocate, American Board of Trial Advocates, 1990
- Elected Fellow and Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, 1979
- Elected Member, The College of the State Bar of Texas, 1995
- Elected Member, American College of Legal Medicine, 1977
- Elected Member, American Society of Law and Medicine, 1976
- Life Member, Baylor Law Review Association
- Life Member, Baylor Law School Alumni Association
- Charter Life Fellow, Dallas Bar Foundation, 1991
- Past President and Director, Baylor Law School Alumni Association
- Dallas Bar Association, Member
- Bar Association for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- Baylor Law Review Association, Life Member
- Baylor Law School Alumni Association, Life Member
Published Works
- “Legal Aspects of the Care and Treatment of the Critically Ill Patient.” In Critical Care Nursing: Body-Mind-Spirit, 3d Edition. Edited by Camellia Kenner et al. Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1992.
- “Legal Aspects of the Care and Treatment of the Critically Ill Patient.” In Critical Care Nursing: Body-Mind-Spirit, 2d Edition. Edited by Cornelia Kenner et al. Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1985.
- “Legal Considerations in Pre-hospital Care.” In Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America, Vol. No. 4. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1993.
- “Representing the Seller in a Products Liability Context.” In 1980 SMU Products Liability Institute. New York: Matthew Bender & Co., 1980.
- “Synopsis of Legal Considerations in Pre-hospital Care.” In Emergency Medical Care: A Manual for the Paramedic in the Field. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Transportation, 1983.
- “Legal Guide to Mobile Integrated Healthcare and Community Paramedicine for Texas EMS Providers,” April 2015.
- Legal Considerations for Texas Emergency Medical Service Providers, UT Southwestern School of Health Professionals (2013, 2011, 2009, 2007, 2005).
- “Judicial Nullification of the Right to Trial by Jury by ‘Evolving’ Standards of Appellate Review,” 60 Baylor Law Review 339-489 (2008).
- “Constructive Fraud and Non-Negligent Misrepresentation,” SMU School of Law, Business Torts and Litigation Institute Seminar, Dallas, Texas (October 1990).
- “Current Controversies in Pre-hospital Resuscitation of the Terminally Ill Patient,” Pre-hospital and Disaster Medicine (January-March 1990).
- “Current Issues and Controversies in Texas Products Liability Litigation,” State Bar of Texas, Advanced Personal Injury Law Course (2002).
- “Damages in Survival, Wrongful Death and Bystander Claims,” State Bar of Texas, Thirteenth Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Course (1997).
- “Finding the Twelve Without Divine Intervention,” Baylor University School of Law, Ninth Annual Litigation Institute (1997).
- “Practical Perspectives on Cross Examination of the Expert Witness,” Baylor University School of Law, Eighth Annual Litigation Institute (1995).
- “To Live and Die in Arizona,” Annals of Emergency Medicine, Vol. 22, No. 11 (1993).
- “Litigation of Wrongful Death and Survival Claims in Texas,” Baylor University School of Law, Fifth Annual Litigation Institute (1992).
- “Delta 191: The Dallas Experience,” Emergency Medical Services (1992).
- “The Practical Use of a Pathologist as an Expert Witness,” Voice for the Defense (1992).
- “Litigation of Death and Dying in Texas: Survival, Wrongful Death, and Related Claims,” State Bar of Texas, Institute Series on Personal Injury and Wrongful Death (1987).
- “Patient Consent and the Law; Part 1: General Principles,” Journal of Emergency Medical Services, Vol. 5 (1980).
- “Law, Psychotherapy and the Duty to Warn: A Tragic Trilogy?” Baylor Law Review, Vol. 27 (1975).
- “Removing Another Set of Judicial Blinders: The Case for Increased Information to the Criminal Jury in Sentence Deliberations,” Baylor Law Review, Vol. 22 (1970).
- “Legal Considerations of Opioid Toxicity for the Toxicologist and the Clinician,” American College of Medical Toxicology 2018 Seminar in Forensic Toxicology, Dallas, Texas.
- “Current Medical/Legal Issues in Trauma” and related presentations, St. Joseph, Missouri (1992).
- “Current Controversies in Pre-Hospital Care,” George Washington School of Medicine, Washington Hospital Center (1991).
- “Pre-Hospital and Emergency Department Issues During Cardiac Arrest,” National Association of EMS Physicians, Sixth Annual Meeting, Houston, Texas (1990).
- “Legal Aspects of Immediate Care of the Sick and Injured,” Washington State Medical Association and Seattle Fire Department (1983).
Legal & Medical Faculty Teaching
- Jaworski Fellow, Distinguished Instructor in Trial Advocacy, Baylor University School of Law
- Adjunct Faculty, Baylor University School of Law
- Faculty, State Bar of Texas Professional Development and Continuing Legal Education Program
- Faculty, “Masters in Trial” Series, American Board of Trial Advocates
- Faculty, Dallas Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education Program
- Clinical Professor of Hospital Administration and Emergency Medical Education, UT Southwestern Medical School at Dallas
- Clinical Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical School at Dallas
- Continuing Education Faculty, Parkland Memorial Hospital
- Faculty, Regional Disaster Nurse Cadre Training, American Red Cross, Dallas
- Instructor, American Heart Association Advanced Cardiac Life Support Series, Medical City Dallas Hospital
- Guest Lecturer, Texas Woman’s University School of Nursing
- National Faculty on Advanced Cardiac Life Support Subcommittee on Emergency Cardiac Care, American Heart Association
- Guest Lecturer, Southwestern Medical School, UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
- Director, Emergency Legal Assistance Program, Parkland Memorial Hospital
- Legal Advisor, UT Southwestern BioTel EMS System, Parkland Memorial Hospital
- Member, Board of Directors, University Emergency Medical Response Program, University of Texas at Dallas
- Editorial Board, Pre-Hospital and Disaster Medicine
- Special Counsel, National Association of EMS Physicians
Pro-Bono Activities
- Secretary, General Counsel, and Member, Executive Board of Directors, Friends of the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department, Inc. (1994 to Present)
- Member, Citizens for a Qualified Judiciary, Dallas, Texas (1992 to Present)
- Member, Greater Dallas Crime Commission (1991 to Present)
- Elected Charter Member, I Stand for Parkland Chevron Society (2017 to Present)
- Member, Advisory Board, Friends of Wednesday’s Child (2008 to 2012)
- Senior Warden and Member of the Vestry, Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, Dallas, Texas (1991 to 1994)
- Member, Board of Directors, Homeward Inc., AIDS/ARMS Network, Dallas, Texas (1988 to 1992)
- Member, Legal/Ethical Task Force, Dallas County Commission on AIDS (1987 to 1992)
- Member, Texas Board of Health, Appointed by Governor Mark White (1985 to 1989)
- Chairman, Emergency and Disaster Committee, Texas Board of Health (1985 to 1989)
- Member, Governor’s Task Force on Aero-Medical Transportation and Treatment of the Critically Ill (1986 to 1989)
- Consultant in Law and Medicine, Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Fire Academy (1983 to 1988)
- Chairman, Joint Committee on Inter-Professional Relations, Dallas County Medical Society and Dallas Bar Association (1977 to 1980)
Current Employment
- Shareholder, Ayres Law Office, P.C.
