ABOUT JOHN

For over 38 years, John Raley has tried cases to juries on behalf of individuals, small businesses, hospitals, and Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies. His litigation expertise includes complex commercial disputes, products liability, professional liability, patent infringement, trade secrets, personal injuries, securities and common law fraud, wrongful termination, healthcare, constitutional rights, and election contests.  He has argued and won cases before Texas Courts of Appeal, the Texas Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and the Federal Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. John argued and won a unanimous reversal before the Texas Supreme Court in the case that set the statute of limitations for all general torts in Texas.  He successfully briefed an opposition to a petition for writ of certiorari before the U.S. Supreme Court. His courtroom verdicts, successful appeals, and favorable settlements have made headlines in Texas and nationally throughout his career, and he has been featured in or interviewed by CNN, The Texas Tribune, Texas Monthly, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Katie Couric, and “60 Minutes.”

In 1981, John obtained his B.A summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma, majoring in Letters (History, Literature, and Philosophy), was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist.  While earning his 1984 J.D. at OU, he served as Note Editor of the Oklahoma Law Review, was a member of the National Mock Trial Team, won the Best Speaker Award at the school-wide Moot Court Competition, and was inducted into the Order of Barristers.  He was awarded a Rotary Fellowship and used it to obtain an LL.M. in International Law from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.

John credits his university varsity football experience for the preparedness and determination he brings to his legal practice and credits his high school theatre role based on Clarence Darrow for his desire to pursue justice and truth in the legal arena. Donating his time and talent to pro bono murder exoneration cases, John has helped free several innocent people from prison - and once helped identify and locate the true murderer who was apprehended and brought to justice.  The landmark “Michael Morton Act” resulting from John’s representation of one exoneree changed Texas law to require prosecutors to provide defense counsel access to investigation information. 

John is rated A-V Preeminent by Martindale-Hubble, is a fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and has been listed as a Texas Monthly “Super Lawyer” since 2003.  He has represented several celebrity clients, including Maya Angelou, Brian Bosworth, Richard “Racehorse” Haynes, and Hilary Duff.  John was named “Houstonian of the Year” by the Houston Chronicle and a top five “Impact Player of Texas” by Texas Lawyer magazine. He received the University of Texas Law School’s annual “Texas Jurist Award,” The Brazos County Bar Association’s annual “Atticus Finch Award,” and HCDLA’s annual “Clarence Darrow Award.”

A trial lawyer, John is at home in the courtroom, enjoys the art of advocacy, and thoroughly prepares every client’s case with the integrity, thoroughness and care they deserve.

John is also a certified mediator. Before handling his first mediation as a mediator and his first arbitration as an arbitrator, he had participated in over 150 mediations as a litigation party’s attorney. He derives great satisfaction in helping parties amicably and justly resolve their disputes out of court.