The Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) is a Texas-based business league that represents plaintiff’s attorneys. It advocates on issues affecting patients and employees’ ability to win civil suits and maximize damages awards. ¹

Background

Founded in 1949, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association is a nonprofit business league based in Texas whose membership consists of plaintiffs’ attorneys and law firms. ² It lobbies on behalf of issues pertaining to plaintiffs’ attorneys in civil suits and provides professional development resources for its members. ³

In 2013, the late former TTLA president Steve Mostyn, described as one of Texas’ “most prolific Democratic donors” at the time, formed a like-minded 501(c)(6) organization called the Texas Association of Consumer Lawyers after criticisms that TTLA was overspending on executive compensation and “overhead.” TTLA declined to respond to the criticisms but commented that TTLA shared the same mission as the newly created, Democratic party-aligned organization Texas Association of Consumer Lawyers. ⁴

Alleged Ties to the Democratic Party

The Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC is the official political action committee associated with the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. ⁵ In 2024, it received $2.52 million in total contributions and had $2.39 million in expenditures, the majority of which went to Democratic Party candidates and campaigns. ^{6 7}

TTLA’s director of political affairs Dennis Speight is a member of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and in 2016 supported Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention in Texas. ⁶

Craig Eiland is a practicing lawyer, lobbyist, and director for TTLA, and previously served as a Texas State Representative as a member of the Democratic Party. ⁶

Advocacy

The Texas Trial Lawyers Association campaigns in opposition to Texas’ Senate Bill 30 and House Bill 4806 in the 2025 Texas legislative session. It opposes the bills’ provisions that would define and implement stipulations for noneconomic damages eligible for compensation in a civil suit, require courts to provide “legal and factual support” to justify awards for noneconomic damages in excess of typical amounts, and that would limit awards for unpaid medical expenses to 150 percent of the median market rate for similar expenses. ⁸ TTLA argues that if enacted, the bills would result in healthcare providers refusing to service patients and deter individuals from seeking healthcare. ⁹

TTLA campaigns in opposition to Texas’s Senate Bill 39 and House Bill 4688 in the 2025 Texas legislative session, which would regulate accountability between Commercial Motor Vehicle companies and their drivers. TTLA claims that the bills “focus” on how drivers can be held liable in damages incurred by or against commercial motor vehicle companies and argues that companies have greater responsibility for the decisions and actions that take place under them. ¹

Member Programming

The Texas Trial Lawyers Association advocates on behalf of its members and offers advocacy training where it informs members of its advocacy initiatives and provides resources on how they can independently advocate in support of TTLA’s advocacy initiatives. TTLA also hosts events where members review pending legislation, develop policy recommendations, and provide testimony to legislative committees during the Texas legislative session. ¹⁰

Leadership

Jack Walker is the president of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and is a co-founder of the law firm Martin Walker which primarily focuses on medical malpractice and products liability. ¹¹

Financials

In 2023, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association reported $7.6 million in total revenue, including $4.7 million from membership dues and $1.0 million from meetings and seminars. ¹² It also reported $7.6 million in total expenses, including $3.5 million in salaries and compensation of its employees, and $1.1 million spent on lobbying. ¹³

1. “Legislative Info Center.” Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://www.ttla.com/?pg=NoCaps2025.
2. “Mission and History.” Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://www.ttla.com/?pg=MissionHistory.
3. “Membership Benefits & Services.” Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://www.ttla.com/?pg=networkingmain.
4. Root, Jay. “Democratic Mega-Donor Forms New Trial Lawyer Association.” The Texas Tribune. October 22, 2013. https://www.texastribune.org/2013/10/22/mega-donor-forms-new-trial-lawyer-association/.
5. “TTLA PAC.” Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://www.ttla.com/?pg=PAC.
6. McCaig. Mark. “Trial Lawyers, Soros Bankrolled PAC to “Stop MAGA Republicans.” The Texas Voice. Accessed May 18, 2025. https://www.thetexasvoice.com/trial-lawyers-soros-bankrolled-pac-to-stop-maga-republicans/.
7. “Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC.” Transparency USA. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://www.transparencyusa.org/tx/committee/texas-trial-lawyers-association-pac-15666-gpac/payees.
8. “89(R) HB 4806 – Introduced Version – Bill Text.” Texas Capitol. Accessed May 18, 2025. https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/89R/billtext/html/HB04806I.htm.
9. “TTLA Issue Brief.” Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://www.ttla.com/docDownload/2609403.
10. “TTLA At the Capitol.” Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://www.ttla.com/?pg=legislaturemain.
11. “Lawyer Limelight: Jack Walker.” Lawdragon. September 28, 2022. https://www.lawdragon.com/lawyer-limelights/2022-09-28-lawyer-limelight-jack-walker.
12. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Texas Trial Lawyers Association. 2023. Part VIII.
13. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Texas Trial Lawyers Association. 2023. Part IX.