H. Forest Horne

Forest has been practicing law for more than twenty-five years. He spent the first six years of his career as a partner with a large "defense" law firm mainly defending large corporations in civil lawsuits. Seeing the inequalities that existed in the justice system between wealthy and powerful companies and regular people, Forest was motivated to change his law practice, join Martin & Jones and help level the playing field for ordinary, hard-working men and women and their families.

With the experience Forest gained from defending lawsuits, he now represents people who have been severely injured or families of those killed due to the negligence of others. Forest represents men and women injured on the job in claims before the Industrial Commission with a goal of obtaining every dollar of compensation to which the employee is entitled under the law. Forest has tried lawsuits for his clients to successful jury verdicts in numerous states, including North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas. He has also successfully represented clients in lawsuits filed in Georgia, New Jersey, Tennessee, Ohio, Alabama, Minnesota, Florida, Utah and Illinois. Forest has argued appellate cases in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Forest has obtained verdicts or negotiated settlements for his clients from corporations in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, medical, railroad, and trucking industries. He continues to represent clients in a wide variety of cases, including asbestos disease, defective drug, professional negligence, and the Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA).

Forest was lead counsel in a case in which he won what was reported to be the single largest FELA asbestos disease verdict in the country on behalf of a CSX railroad worker who contracted the asbestos related lung cancer, mesothelioma. Forest has also obtained other verdicts or negotiated settlements for his railroad worker clients against various railroads in numerous states.

Forest has been recognized by his peers as a Best Lawyer in America for the last decade, and has the further honor of being named Lawyer of the Year for 2018 in the area of Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions for Raleigh. Forest also received the distinction of Lawyer of the Year in 2012 in the area of Product Liability Litigation for Raleigh. He has also been chosen annually for inclusion in North Carolina Super Lawyers since 2010. Forest has achieved the highest attorney rating, "AV," by Martindale-Hubbell, an independent legal services company whose peer-review attorney ratings service is an objective indicator that an attorney has the highest ethical standards and professional ability. What these accolades and ratings do not show is Forest's commitment to and compassion for his clients.

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Forest has held leadership positions in the NC Advocates for Justice, and NC Bar Association and has been a speaker at seminars sponsored by these and other legal organizations. He is a senior fellow of The Trial Lawyer Honorary Society of the Litigation Counsel of America.

(Cases or matters referenced do not represent the law firm's entire record. Each case is unique and must be evaluated on its owns merits. The outcome of a particular case cannot be predicated upon a lawyer's or a law firm's past results. Unless otherwise specified, each of the following matters was contested on liability and/or damages, the opposing parties were represented, the matters involved complex legal and/or factual issues, and the law firm was successful in collecting the amounts stated. Case summaries are from 2000 through the present.)