Founder
George Chandler, founder of Chandler Mathis & Zivley, P.C., has routinely proved to be a fierce advocate for his clients and a respected litigator by his peers over the course of his distinguished legal career. He and his partners have represented clients in high stakes litigation in both state and federal court resulting in numerous verdicts and settlements that have frequently garnered nationwide attention. He is a familiar speaker on trial tactics and strategies in Texas and throughout the country.
In addition to individuals and families, the firm has represented a number of major corporations in commercial litigation, and has served as lead plaintiff’s trial counsel in separate lawsuits representing Samsung Electronics Corporation, Hillwood Development Corporation, and DPSolutions, Inc.
Certified Legal Specialties
Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
Bar Admissions
Texas, 1963 Colorado, 1993
Education
Baylor University School of Law, Waco, Texas
- LL.B. – 1962
- Honors: Author – “Exhibition of Injuries of a Plaintiff in a Civil Case,” Baylor Law Review, Vol. XIII, No. 3, P. 273, 1961
- Honors: Editor – Baylor Student Newspaper
- Honors: Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities
- Honors: Director – Ex-Students Association, 1974-76
- Honors: Director – Baylor Law Alumni Association, Lifetime member
- Honors: Director – Baylor “B” Association
- Law Review: Baylor Law Review
Baylor University
- B.A. – 1960
- Honors: Received Athletic Scholarship; voted one of the outstanding athletes at Baylor – 1960
- Honors: Three year letterman: 1957, 1958 & 1959
Published Works
- Preparing Impaired Earning Capacity, The Personal Injury Law Reporter, Vol. 5, No. 1, May, 1987
- Memories of Patriots from Texas to Washington, Voir Dire Magazine, Vol. 10, Issue 4, Winter, 2003
Honors and Awards
- Most Outstanding Member award – Phi Alpha Delta
- Law School Representative to Baylor Student Congress
- Recognized by National Law Journal for having top verdicts in America for Plaintiffs
- TMA – Texas Medicine’s Best Award for trial against HMOs for TMA in San Antonio Federal Court, 2001
- Selected as one of Top 100 Super Lawyers in Texas by Thomson Reuters, 2003 – 2012
- Ranked AV by Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory (highest ranking that can be achieved)
- Listed by Martindale-Hubbell in their Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, 2002 – 2009
- Selected as Top 100 Attorneys in Houston, Super Lawyer, A Thomson Reuters Company, 2009
- Texas Bar Foundation’s Ronald D. Secrest Award for Outstanding Trial Lawyer, 2009
- Texas Trial Lawyer’s Association Lifetime Achievement Award, 2009
- Baylor Lawyer of the Year, 2009
- John Hannah, Jr. Award for Public Service by the Bar Association of the Eastern District of Texas, 2011
- Jaworski Scholar by Baylor School of LawTexas Legal Legends, Litigation Section State Bar of Texas, 2014
- Professional Associations and Memberships
- Angelina County Bar Association , Member (President, 1984)
- State Bar of Texas (Committee Member, Trial Specialization, 1980; Committee Member, Pattern Jury Charge, 1990-1991; Administration of Justice Committee, 1990-1992; Council: Litigation Section; State Bar College Committee, 1990–1992), Member
- American Bar Association, Member
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association (President, 2003; Director, 1974–Present; Chairman, Consumer Law Committee, 1986-1990; Executive Committee, 1996–present), Member
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America (State Committeeman, 1976-1980; Chairman, Continuing Legal Education, 1976-1978), Sustaining Member
- Supreme Court Advisory Committee , 2004 – 2009
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Senior Fellow
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- National Board of Trial Advocacy, Diplomat
- International Academy of Trial Lawyers– (membership by invitation only and limited to 500 members worldwide) International Relations Committee; International Democracy Committee; Board of Directors 2006–2009, Fellow
- American College of Trial Lawyers
Past Employment Positions
- Edwards, Yturri & DeAnda, Associate, January 1, 1962 – July 1, 1964
- Burke, Leach & Chandler, Partner, July 1, 1964 – November 1, 1971
- Chandler Law Offices, Owner, November 29, 1971 – May 1, 2009
Pro Bono Activities
Member, First Baptist Church (Sunday School teacher for more than 40 years)
Fraternities/Sororities
Phi Alpha Delta Texas Bar Foundation Gives George E. Chandler of Lufkin Statewide Recognition George Chandler Inducted as a Texas Legal Legend at Baylor University – Lufkin Daily News
Classes/Seminars
- Persuasive Communication with a Jury; Effective Summation for the Plaintiff; Preparing the Bad Faith Case for Trial;
- Opening Statements, Texas Trial Lawyers Association Seminars
- Trying the Bad Faith Case, San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association Seminar
- Domestic Torts–False Imprisonment, State Bar of Texas Seminar
- The Tort of Bad Faith, Insurance and Beyond, State Bar of Texas Seminar
- Opening Statements, Texas Trial Lawyers Association; Advanced Trial Skills Seminar, 1990
- Persuasive Communication with a Jury, American Trial Lawyers Association, Rising Star Seminar, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Effective Summation for the Plaintiff; Handling the Bad Faith Case for the Plaintiff, Professional Education Systems, Inc.
- Damages–Maximizing Economic and Non-Economic Damages; Proving Pain and Suffering, Future Hedonic and Punitive Damages; Attorney’s Fees and Costs, Law Education
- Institute National Litigation Conference, 1991
- Speaker, Law Education Institute Civil Law Spring Conference, February 15, 1992
- The Trial Lawyer–From Runnymede to Gettysburg, Law Education Institute Civil Litigation Spring Conference, February 13, 1993
- Trial Tactics of a Products Case, Law Education Institute Civil Law Spring Conference, March 26, 1993
- Suing, Defending, and Negotiating w/ Ins. Companies, State Bar of Texas, January 7, 1994 – January 14, 1994
- Sail the Caribbean – Persuasion and Argument, Law Education Institute, Inc. Civil Law Spring Conference, February 24, 1994
- Products Liability Update, State Bar of Texas 11th Annual Litigation Update, January 25, 1995
- Cross-Examination of Expert Witness, Law Education Institute, Inc. 1995 Caribbean CLE Cruise, February 20, 1995
- Summation Techniques: The Final Moments , Texas Trial Lawyers Association Trial Notebook Seminar, October 19, 1995
- Medical Malpractice Update, State Bar of Texas 12th Annual Litigation Update Seminar, January 19, 1996
- Communication as an Art, New York State Trial Lawyers Bermuda Convention, June 6, 1995
- Psychology of the Preparation and Presentation of a Personal Injury Case, Law Education Institute, Inc. Caribbean Cruise, February 19, 1997
- Summation for the Plaintiff, Law Education Institute, Inc. Greek Isles Cruise, May 26, 1998
- Effective Trial Techniques, Texas Trial Lawyers Association Advanced Personal Injury Course, August 21, 1998
- Winning by Persuasive Argument, Texas Trial Lawyers Association 9th Annual Medical Malpractice Conference, September 17, 1998
- Proving and Getting Mental Anguish, State Bar of Texas 8TH Annual Ultimate Insurance Seminar, March 26, 1999 – April 23, 1999
- Loss of Wage Earning Capacity, Texas Trial Lawyers Association Damages Symposium, June 3, 1999
- Story Telling in Trial, Texas Trial Lawyers Association Beat the Heat Seminar, July 3, 1999
- Winning by Persuasive Argument, Texas Trial Lawyers Association 10th Annual Medical Malpractice Conference, September 18, 1999
- Closing Argument Techniques Applicable to a Smaller Case, Texas Trial Lawyers Association Advanced Personal Injury Course, March 31, 2000 – April 6, 2000
- The Closing Ceremonies–Pushing the Envelope, Texas Trial Lawyers Association 11th Annual Medical Malpractice Conference, September 28, 2000
- Closing Argument, State Bar of Texas 17th Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Course, August 1, 2001 – August 22, 2001
- Co-Chair, Colors of Fall Seminar, Texas Trial Lawyers Association , October 18, 2001
- Closing Argument, Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, March 29, 2002
- Advanced Personal Injury Course 2002, Texas Trial Lawyers Association , April 25, 2002 – May 2, 2002
- Co-Chair, Staying in the Forefront, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, May 31, 2002
- Co-Chair, Colors of Fall – The Best of the Best, Texas Trial Lawyers Association , October 2, 2002
- Faculty Member – TACT Seminar, Texas Trial Lawyers Association, June 18, 2003
- Right to a Trial by Jury, Capital Area Trial Lawyers Association, September 9, 2003
- Dynamic Advocacy, Colors of Fall Seminar, October 4, 2003
- Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, Corpus Christi Bar Association, April 22, 2005
- “Trial Legends on Trying the Car Wreck Case”, Panel Discussion, TTLA Annual Car Wreck Seminar, October 30, 2005 – December 2, 2005
- Closing Argument for the Plaintiff, Corpus Christi Bar Association Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar, April 20, 2007
- A Trial Demonstration in a Personal Injury/Products Liability Case From Opening Statements to Jury Deliberation, ABOTA – Masters in Trial, September 28, 2007
- Trucking Litigation Developments, TTLA Car Wrecks Seminar, November 29, 2007
- Trial Lawyers, San Antonio Trial Lawyer’s Association, September 17, 2009