Legal malpractice pioneer celebrated for career-long impact on Texas law and ethics

Johnston Tobey Baruch is proud to announce that as part of this year’s Texas Legal Awards, shareholder Randy Johnston has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by ALM and Law.com, recognizing a career of exceptional service and leadership in the legal profession.

“It’s not an award I ever expected to get, given what I do for a living,” Mr. Johnston said of the honor.

Watch here for his full reaction.

Mr. Johnston for decades has been a fixture in Texas legal malpractice, fiduciary litigation, investment fraud and commercial litigation. Known as a fierce advocate and a creative courtroom strategist, Mr. Johnston has also become one of the state’s most respected voices on legal ethics, speaking, teaching and writing extensively on the professional responsibilities of lawyers.

“This award recognizes what we at the firm have always known, that Randy’s career is nothing short of extraordinary,” said managing shareholder Chad Baruch.

With a legal career spanning more than four decades, Mr. Johnston has tried and negotiated several landmark cases that reshaped professional liability law in Texas and beyond. He is best known for negotiating a high-profile malpractice settlement on behalf of Navy SEAL Mark Owen in a dispute over proceeds from his book “No Easy Day.”

“Randy’s career is a model of relentless drive, moral clarity and intellectual curiosity,” said shareholder Robert Tobey. “His insistence on honesty and accountability has set the standard, not just for our firm but for countless lawyers across Texas.”

Mr. Johnston cites a lawsuit against Upjohn as one of the most meaningful of his career. He was the first attorney to succeed in holding the company accountable over its sedative Halcion, representing a former police officer, who while under the drug’s influence, killed a friend.

Johnston’s work as a published poet, songwriter, guitarist and author of the regional bestseller “Robbed at Pen Point” underscores the breadth and depth he brings to the practice of law.

Johnston Tobey Baruch is a dynamic law practice based in Dallas. Its trial and appellate attorneys have a broad range of litigation, arbitration and appellate experience. They are pioneers in the handling of legal and accounting malpractice, investment fraud and business disputes. They also have an enviable track record with insurance bad faith matters, commercial litigation and fiduciary litigation, as well as civil, family and criminal appeals for many prominent Texas companies and individuals.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250925487237/en/

“This award recognizes what we at the firm have always known, that Randy’s career is nothing short of extraordinary,” said managing shareholder Chad Baruch.