Mark A. Shank is well-known and respected in Texas and across the nation as a trial lawyer, strategist, arbitrator, mediator and negotiator. He has significant experience in a multitude of industries as an advocate in commercial litigation, employment disputes and arbitration matters
Education
- Southwest Missouri State University (BS, magna cum laude, 1976)
- Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (LLM, 1984)
- University of Missouri - Columbia School of Law (JD, 1979)
Admission
Bar Admissions
- Texas
- Missouri
Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
- United States District Court, Northern District, Texas
- United States District Court, Southern District, Texas
- United States District Court, Eastern District, Texas
- United States District Court, Western District, Texas
After four decades of litigation practice in courtrooms all over Texas and throughout the country, I have handled every difficult commercial and employment issue imaginable. I bring a career full of diverse experiences and a practical approach to solving problems, as a fair and balanced neutral for litigants, guiding litigants to resolution of complex business and workplace and resolving challenging disputes.
Representative Experience
Arbitrations / Mediations
Mark has served as a neutral in disputes involving a variety of issues, including:
- Attorneys’ Fees
- Breach of Contract
- Breach of Fiduciary Duty/Duty of Loyalty
- Covenants Not-to-Compete
- Executive claims for compensation and stock
- Employment Discrimination
- FLSA
- Healthcare Disputes
- Insurance Disputes
- Shareholder Derivative actions
- Rights to Patent Portfolio
- Surprise billing act disputes
- Technology, Software and Hardware
- Trade Secrets
Professional Associations
- Board of Trustees, Dallas Bar Foundation (2002-2010)
- Board of Directors, and Board Chair, Professional Bank of Dallas (2005-2010)
- Board Chair, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity (2013)
- Chair, Dallas Bar Foundation (2010)
- Chair, SBOT Labor and Employment Law Section (1998-1999)
- Chair, Texas Bar Foundation (2008-2009)
- Chair, Vice President and Secretary, Texas Young Lawyers Association (1986-1990)
- Chair Texas Bar Foundation (2008-2009)
- Dallas Bar Association
- Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (2019)
- Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators (2018)
- Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Law (2008)
- Fellows Chair, Texas Bar Foundation (2020-2021)
- Fellows Chair, Texas Bar Foundation (2021)
- Leadership Dallas (1994)
- Member, SBOT Litigation Council (2012-present)
- President, Dallas Breakfast Group (2005-2010)
- President Dallas Bar Association (2001)
- President, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (1986)
- State Bar of Texas
- Trustee, The Center for American and International Law (2018-2023)
- Texas General Counsel Forum Board of Directors (2001-2005)
- The College of the State Bar of Texas
- Vice-Chairman of the M5M Foundation Board (2016-present)
Honors and Awards
- American Board of Trial Advocates (2002-present)
- AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell
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Best Lawyers in America:
• Arbitration (2019-present)
• Commercial Litigation and Labor & Employment Litigation (1995-present)
- Best Lawyers in Dallas, D Magazine (2001-present)
- D CEO Dallas 500 - The Most Powerful Business Leaders in Dallas-Fort Worth (2016)
- Dallas Volunteer Project Pro Bono Service Award (2001)
- DAYL Foundation Award of Excellence, November (2006)
- “Go-To” Lawyers: Labor and Employment, Texas Lawyer (2003)
- Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors Award (2013)
- Justinian Award, Dallas Bar Foundation (2016)
- Judge Sam Williams Local Bar Leadership Award (2006)
- Most Outstanding Member, East Dallas Chamber of Commerce (1998, 2010)
- President’s Citation of Merit, State Bar of Texas (2003)
- "Senior Statespeople" in Labor & Employment - Texas, Chambers and Partners, London
- The World’s Leading Business Lawyers, Chambers and Partners, London
- Texas Super Lawyer, Law & Politics Magazine and Texas Monthly (2003-present)
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Texas Bar Foundation
• Dan Rugeley Price Award (2018)
• Terry Lee Grantham Award (2023)
Away From Work
Water-skiing has been my passion since I was five years old. My family moved to Lake of the Ozarks in 1967, where I became a performer in the local water-skiing show for six summers. These days, I’m still highly active in barefoot skiing both recreationally and competitively, in barefoot ski tournaments and endurance races. For the past 5 years I have been Chair of the World Barefoot Council Rules Committee.