John Boundas PARTNER
Firm partner John Boundas has spent the past two decades primarily representing people injured by prescription drugs or toxic substances, in many cases children born with serious birth defects after exposure to prescription drugs in utero.
John fights hard for his clients, working to get them the resolutions they deserve. As a cancer survivor, he knows how trying a medical crisis can be.
As an example of some of his experience, John was appointed Co-Lead Counsel in the In re Depakote Litigation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. In those cases, John represented children who suffered birth defects as a result of Depakote exposure and, along with the Williams Hart & Boundas team, tried individual jury trials that resulted in a $38 million verdict (unanimously affirmed on appeal) and a $15 million verdict (settled while on appeal), that ultimately led to the resolution of the litigation. He also was recently a part of a trial team that won a $3.5 million verdict on behalf of a client who was injured due to exposure to Roundup weedkiller. These results are just a few of the many results John has helped achieve for the people we represent.
John is licensed to practice in Texas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania, as well as in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan. He went on to attend the University of Iowa College of Law, obtaining his law degree and graduating first in his class. He would go on to receive the second highest statewide score on the 1995 Texas Bar Exam.
Following law school, John interned at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. and was recognized for his “outstanding” performance. He went on to clerk for the Honorable Milton I. Shadur in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. John then joined the litigation section of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, where he worked on a wide variety of cases before joining Williams Hart & Boundas in 2001. John has been selected for inclusion in the Texas Super Lawyers list every year since 2009.
Even with his impressive body of work, his many accolades, and his history of success in arguing everything from personal injury suits to pro-bono civil rights cases, John still considers beating cancer one of his biggest fights – and wins.
The Chicago native gained perspective during his time fighting cancer, and believes it has made him an even better lawyer. “I see the big picture and realize that people do not need to be hurt or affected so others can cut corners just to make outrageous profits. That is why we do what we do. We try to make sure that people can stand up against companies, corporations, and individuals that have mistreated them or been negligent.”
Education
- University of Iowa College of Law, Juris Doctorate, 1995
- University of Michigan, Bachelor of Arts in English, 1991
Practice Areas
- Personal Injury
- Mass Torts
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 1995
- Illinois, 1997
- Pennsylvania, 2007
Court Admissions
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- United States Supreme Court
Professional Affiliations
- American Association for Justice
Professional Awards & Honors
- Texas Super Lawyers, 2009 – 2023
Representative Matters / Case Results
- John was appointed Co-Lead Counsel in the In re Depakote Litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. John represented children who suffered birth defects as a result of Depakote exposure and, along with the Williams Hart & Boundas team, tried individual jury trials that resulted in a $38 million verdict (unanimously affirmed on appeal) and a $15 million verdict (settled while on appeal), that ultimately led to the resolution of the litigation.
- John was recently part of a trial team that won a $3.5 million verdict on behalf of a firm client injured by exposure to the Roundup weedkiller.