Larry Baron is known in legal circles nationwide for his expertise prosecuting catastrophic injury cases. The areas of law he practices include product liability, automobile product liability, automobile crashworthiness, maritime accidents, Airbag Safety, Air Bag Safety, malpractice, and railroad accidents and injuries. Baron’s guiding principle is that justice is reached only by providing each client the best possible representation.

Background
Baron was born in Detroit, Michigan. He earned his BA at Kalamazoo College and graduated from law school at Wayne State University. He was admitted to the Michigan State Bar in 1975 and the Oregon State Bar in 1981. He is married and has two children, a son and daughter.

Baron began his career as a criminal defense lawyer, working in the Portland public defender office. Frequent court appearances gave him the opportunity to thoroughly learn the rules of evidence and the art of persuading a jury.

In 1983, Baron began practicing civil law full-time. He worked at the historic Portland law firm Pozzi Wilson Atchison from 1983 to 1995, first as an associate and then as a partner. He represented plaintiffs in nearly one thousand cases, covering workers’ compensation, maritime injury, railroad injury, automobile injury, premises liability, medical malpractice and product liability. Baron distinguished himself with effective representation of clients, proving that he was willing to go to trial rather than accept an inadequate settlement.

Baron opened his own law office in 1995. His goal was to reduce the number of cases he handled at any one time to more fully dedicate himself to each and every client.

Landmarks
The first client for Baron in his new firm was burn victim Anne Kirkwood. Her case against General Motors was the type of case that defines a career. To pursue Kirkwood's claim against GM, Baron had to first go up against the Oregon State Legislature to fight for a change in law. An unusual Oregon statute barred certain product liability cases and Kirkwood's case fell into that category. During the lobbying effort, Baron made several trips to the Capitol in Salem and met individually with legislators. He brought his client to attend votes by the House and Senate. He wanted legislators to see the person their vote would be affecting. He successfully pushed through an amendment to allow his client to pursue the car manufacturer in court. Ultimately the case settled on the eve of trial on January 10, 1997. That dogged determination to do whatever it takes to help a client — even it means passing a new state law — is what clients, co-counsel and opposing counsel mention most often when describing Lawrence Baron. For his efforts on behalf of Kirkwood, Baron received the National Trial Lawyer of the Year Award from Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.

Another career landmark occurred on April 24, 2003, when Nissan announced a program to recall its 1994 and 1995 Altimas and replace their passenger side airbags. Baron had personally campaigned for a recall since he met Norma Brainerd (then Swanson), a victim of the defective airbag design. In 1998, he helped Brainerd win a settlement with Nissan and went on to successfully represent other Altima airbag victims. In the fall of 2002, Baron traveled to Washington, DC, and testified before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to urge a recall. Baron shared his own files with NHTSA to help document the product defect. Many observers believe the pressure Baron brought against Nissan was significant in moving the car company to initiate the recall.

Baron has also made a name for himself seeking damages against incompetent lasik eye surgeons. His clients have been lasik patients who generally should have never been approved for the controversial surgery. In court, Baron details mistakes and miscalculations made by operating surgeons. He isn't able to restore his clients' vision but he is able to help them restore their lives by holding accountable the doctors who injured them. His name often comes up on the web site"surgicaleyes.org" where recovering lasik patients refer dependable attorneys to each other.

Associations
Baron is a member of the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice. Baron is an active member of the Attorneys Information Exchange Group, a unique group of trial lawyers from around the country dedicated to achieving justice by sharing information and documents. He is a member of the Multnomah Bar Association and the Oregon State Bar.