Clay Martin

Clay Martin is a co-founder in the law firm of Martin & Helms, P.C., in Huntsville, Alabama. Born and raised in Decatur, Alabama, he obtained his undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama in finance in 1992. Mr. Martin graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1995. While in law school, he was a member of Bench and Bar Legal Honor Society and served as Vice-President of the Student Bar Association.

Since graduating from law school, Mr. Martin has concentrated his practice on representing individuals and the families of individuals who have been harmed or injured as a result of the wrongful acts of others. While practicing in both state and federal courts throughout the Country, Mr. Martin has enjoyed great success in litigating cases involving issues of products liability, tractor-trailer and automobile collisions, dangerous roadways, defective pharmaceutical drugs, defective medical devices, defective household products, mass torts, fires and explosions and business disputes. Mr. Martin has received an AV rating which is the highest peer-review rating under Martindale-Hubbell's rating system.

Mr. Martin has successfully represented individuals in a wide array of personal injury and wrongful death cases. A substantial percentage of Mr. Martin's practice involves working on complex personal injury cases which have been referred to him by other lawyers. In the area of mass torts, he actively participated in the successful litigation and settlement of over 500 cases involving women who suffered injuries caused by a defective medical device implanted to treat urinary incontinence. Since early 2007, Mr. Martin has also been actively involved in the representation of individuals who have suffered kidney failure as a result of ingesting oral sodium phosphate bowel prep medications prior to a colonoscopy or surgical procedure. Mr. Martin and his law firm have pursued personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of injured individuals against the manufacturers of such oral sodium phosphate products, including C.B. Fleet Company, Inc., and Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In recognition of his work in this area, Mr. Martin was selected as a member of the Plaintiff's Steering Committee for In Re: Oral Sodium Phosphate Solution - Based Products Liability Litigation, Multi-District Litigation 2066, and is serving as the Chair of the American Association of Justice's Oral Sodium Phosphate Litigation Group.

Mr. Martin and his law firm take great pride in performing thorough investigations of their cases and when needed, hiring the best experts in their respective fields to assist them. As a result of such commitment to thorough investigation, Mr. Martin and his law firm have had significant success in cases which were originally rejected by other lawyers. Mr. Martin and his law firm were able to reach large confidential settlements for the family members of a lady who was killed in a propane gas explosion, for a young man who suffered severe injuries when his car collided with a tractor-trailer truck performing an illegal u-turn on a US highway, and for a lady who suffered kidney failure and is now on dialysis as a result of taking a defective over-the-counter bowel prep drug - each case had been previously rejected by other lawyers. Most importantly, the settlements in each case have made a substantial positive impact on the lives of the clients - Mr. Martin is very proud to have been able to help them.

Mr. Martin is actively involved in numerous legal organizations and within his local community. He is a member of the Alabama State Bar, the Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the American Bar Association, the Alabama Association for Justice, and the American Inns of Court, Madison County Chapter. He is also a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Martin is currently serving as President of the Huntsville-Madison County Bar Association. Mr. Martin served as President of the American Inns of Court, Madison County Chapter 2004-2005. He has previously served on the Board of Governors and currently serves as a State Delegate for the American Association for Justice. He currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Alabama Association of Justice where he is a sustaining member. Mr. Martin is also a member of the Alabama State Bar Leadership Forum Class of 2007.

Mr. Martin participated in the Trial Lawyers Care pro bono project which provided legal representation for victims making claims with the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund of 2001. He served on the Board of Directors for United Cerebral Palsy of Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley for eight years and was honored to serve as the Board's President in 2007-2008. Recently, he has served as a founder and chair of UCP of Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley's Annual Krispy Kreme Challenge Run Fundraiser.

Mr. Martin and his wife, Kim, are the proud parents of two girls. He met Kim in Law School at the University of Alabama, and they have both practiced law in Huntsville since graduating from law school. The Martins are members of First United Methodist Church in Huntsville, where Kim and he serve as teachers for the children's church program. Mr. Martin also has enjoyed the opportunity to coach his daughters in co-ed t-ball and girls softball over the past few years.