J. Kirkland Sammons

Shareholder // Attorney

“Kirk” Sammons is the founding shareholder of Sammons & Berry, P.C. A decorated veteran, Kirk earned the rank of Sergeant while serving with a combat engineer battalion in the 3rd Armored Division during the Gulf War. While in the Army, Kirk also received his initial legal training as one of the few enlisted members selected to serve in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. After completing his military service, Kirk obtained his undergraduate degree in finance at the University of Houston, graduating with membership in the Honors College. Kirk attended law school at South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas, where he also served as the Business & Research Editor on the South Texas Law Review, Notes Editor on Currents: International Law Journal, and received numerous awards for competing in the school's intramural moot court and mock trial competitions. While in law school Mr. Sammons also served as a judicial intern to the Chief Justice of the Texas First Court of Appeals.

Over the past two decades, Mr. Sammons has tried numerous cases to verdict against some of the largest corporations in the United States, including General Motors Corporation, Allied Signal, Union Pacific Railroad Company, BNSF Railway Company, Kellogg Brown & Root, Austin Industrial Services, and others. In 2014, Mr. Sammons was recognized for having obtained one of the Top Verdicts in the State of Texas on behalf of an injured refinery worker. Mr. Sammons is also an experienced appellate attorney, having briefed and argued appellate cases in both federal and state appellate courts, including briefing and coordinating appellate efforts on issues before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Based on his tireless work ethic and relentless pursuit of justice, Mr. Sammons has been named a “Super Lawyer” by Thompson Reuters, a Top 10 Asbestos Mesothelioma Trial Lawyers and Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers Association, and has been consistently rated as an “AV” attorney by Martindale Hubbell - the highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards. Mr. Sammons has also served as Chair of the Railroad Law Section of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) and founding chair of the FELA Litigation Group.