Attorney Profile

Judge Russell Lloyd concentrates his practice on suits involving class actions, mass torts, commercial disputes, personal injuries and wrongful deaths.  Judge Lloyd has handled products liability cases involving serious injury or death against some of the largest corporations in the country covering a wide range of defective products.  He sued a major tire manufacturer for injuries resulting from a rollover caused by a defective tire.  Judge Lloyd brought suit on behalf of a family against a foreign car manufacturer for a death caused by a defective airbag.  An incorrectly formulated contacts lens solution produced by a major manufacturer resulted in a suit wherein Judge Lloyd represented a young woman who lost the vision in her left eye.  Judge Lloyd sued for the death of a toddler caused by a defective baby seat which failed to protect its occupant during a collision.  These cases resulted in seven-figure recoveries for Judge Lloyd's clients.  He has successfully represented plaintiffs in medical negligence and mis-filled prescription cases.  He was lead counsel on behalf of hourly workers in five statewide class actions against a major, nation-wide retailer which resulted in settlements in excess of two hundred million dollars.  His certified statewide class action against Southwestern Bell on behalf of that company's business customers is currently before the Texas Supreme Court. 

As a State District Judge in Harris County, Texas, Judge Lloyd presided over more than 300 jury trials, as well as over the Harris County Breast Implant Docket, the largest in the nation at more than 5,300 cases.  He also presided over the Harris County Polybutylene Pipe Docket, a nationwide collection of 104,000 claims brought by 67,000 individuals. A number of his opinions, particularly in the areas of mass torts and admiralty, have received national recognition.

Judge Lloyd was a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's Office and practiced for many years as a civil trial lawyer before his election to the bench in 1988. He served as Judge of the 334th District Court for more than 10 years, where he was one of the most senior judges in the nation's fourth-largest jurisdiction.

In 1992, President George Bush nominated him as United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas. He has also been chairman of the Mass Tort Committee of the Harris County Judiciary and has served on the Mass Tort Litigation Committee for the National Association of State Courts and on the Judicial Liaison Committee of the State Bar of Texas.

Judge Lloyd graduated from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was the Executive Editor of the American Journal of Criminal Law. Upon graduation, he was selected as a briefing attorney for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

A Vietnam veteran, he served 20 years in the military in both the active and reserve forces. He is a former Airborne Ranger and was a member of the Judge Advocate General Corps. Judge Lloyd is member of various committees within the Houston Bar Association and is active as a continuing education speaker. He is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation and a Keeton Fellow of the University of Texas School of Law. He is a Vice President of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association and a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.

Judge Lloyd is married to Mary Kazaleh Lloyd, also an attorney, and they have two children.