Baxter, Michael C.

Laura Baughman's position at Baron & Budd calls upon her to exercise her knowledge as an attorney and a civil engineer.

As managing shareholder of the firm's Qui Tam litigation team, Baughman focuses on strategies to ferret out and litigate against those who have perpetrated fraud against the government. Sometimes called "whistleblower" cases, Baughman's team handles a variety of cases in which the government has been defrauded of Medicare, Medicaid, defense and other monies. The recently signed Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act's provision of monetary rewards and protection to people who speak out against bribery and other types of financial fraud has resulted in an increase in the firm's handling of such cases.

Under Baughman's direction, Baron & Budd is active in a number of Qui Tam lawsuits. The AARP Foundation recently joined one of the firm's high-profile lawsuits against several pharmaceutical companies involving the aggressive marketing of off-label use of vascular stents. Baughman is a member of Taxpayers Against Fraud, a non-profit organization dedicated to combating fraud and educating taxpayers about the realities of fraud.

In addition, Baughman leads the firm's work in California involving Proposition 65 litigation. She served as co-lead counsel in a California Proposition 65 water contamination case that required several major oil companies to clean up groundwater that had been contaminated by gasoline leaking from storage tanks and to take steps to prevent similar leaks in the future. The settlement was valued at $107 million. Baughman settled another Proposition 65 case which required the retrofitting of school buses with devices to reduce diesel engine exhaust emissions, a known carcinogen. Baughman is currently counsel on a case seeking to require the disclosure of elevated levels of lead in certain brands of children's fruit juice, canned fruits and baby food.

Baughman has received several honors for her legal accomplishments. She was named a "Rising Star of Texas Law" in 2004 and a "Texas Super Lawyer" in 2005 (Thompson Reuters). In 2006, she was recognized by D Magazine as among the "Best Lawyers in Dallas under the age of 40." She is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating.

In addition to her legal advocacy, Baughman has a long history of community service. She has represented several clients on a pro bono basis through the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program and over the years has served as co-chair of several committees for Attorneys Serving the Community. Formerly a member of the Dallas Bar Association's Community Involvement Committee, she was the chair of the group's "Lawyers Have Heart" 5-K run benefiting the American Heart Association. While in law school, Baughman was the vice president of Texas Law Fellowships, a non-profit public interest organization.

Prior to joining Baron & Budd, Baughman served as a briefing attorney to Justice Rose Spector of the Texas Supreme Court. She also served as Chief Articles and Notes Editor of the Texas International Law Journal in 1993-1994.