August 29, 2023 Mass torts trial lawyers Peter Kraus and Gary Paul have earned repeat selection among the nation’s most respected attorneys in the annual Best Lawyers in America legal guide.
Best Lawyers is the oldest and one of the most admired peer-review guides to the legal profession. Recognition by Best Lawyers is widely regarded by both clients and legal professionals as a significant honor conferred on an attorney by their peers. For more than four decades, Best Lawyers guides have earned the respect of the legal profession, the media and the public as one of the most reliable, unbiased sources of legal referrals anywhere.
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on confidential peer review, reflecting the opinions of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical areas and legal practice areas.
About Peter Kraus
Kraus, who has been named annually to the list since 2016, is a founding and managing partner of Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel.
Advocate for Mesothelioma Victims
Kraus is a trailblazer in litigation protecting individuals harmed by asbestos exposure and toxic contamination. A Dallas native, he earned his bachelor’s degree from Duke University and his law degree from the University of Texas. He has led trial teams to record verdicts and settlements in toxic torts, False Claims Act whistleblower cases, and pharmaceutical injury litigation.
Kraus is a strong supporter of consumer and victims’ rights, having testified before the Texas Legislature and frequently lobbied Congress on behalf of asbestos litigants. He also serves on several asbestos bankruptcy creditor and trustee advisory committees. He is involved in steering committees for both U.S. and Texas asbestos multidistrict litigation and has served on the American Bar Association Commission on asbestos litigation.
Licensed to practice law in Texas, California, Hawaii, Missouri, and Virginia, Kraus has been elected for membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates by his peers.
About Gary Paul
Paul, who has been named to the list every year since 2017, is a partner at Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel in the firm’s West Coast offices. He has earned a national reputation for advocacy on behalf of plaintiffs injured by defective products, including medical devices.
Innovative Complex Litigation and Personal Injury Trial Lawyer
Paul has more than four decades of litigation experience in complex civil matters such as consumer and medical product liability, medical and professional malpractice, commercial and insurance litigation, and employment and labor law.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Arizona State University and a master’s in engineering from UCLA, Paul worked as a space and missile engineer for a decade before deciding to pursue a career in law. He earned his law degree from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.
He has achieved the rank of Diplomate with the American Board of Trial Advocates, a position reached once an attorney has tried 100 jury trials. He was presented with the Leonard Ring Champion of Justice Award in 2016 and the Harry M. Philo Award in 2014 by the American Association for Justice (AAJ), and he served as president of the AAJ from 2011 to 2012.
About Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel
Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel is a national plaintiffs’ law firm devoted to helping families in personal injury and wrongful death cases involving asbestos and mesothelioma, benzene exposure, dangerous pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and birth defects caused by pesticides, toxic chemicals, opioid use, and semiconductor chip manufacturing. The law firm also represents plaintiffs in qui tam whistleblower matters and cases that uncover false claims submitted to the government. Based in Dallas, Texas, and with offices in Los Angeles, California, and by appointment in Moline, Illinois, Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel has represented families from all fifty states and many foreign countries, as well as foreign governments.
