Mark J. Buha

I spent my childhood, adolescence and young adulthood aspiring to be a professional distance runner and coach. In my former life as a distance runner, I learned what can be accomplished from careful planning, persistence and hard work alone. I wanted to be a coach because I loved the idea of being a defender and guide for others and I loved the strategy of competitive distance running. As I grew older, I developed a passion for writing and the power of persuasion through logical argument. Eventually, I decided that becoming a lawyer, rather than a coach, would best satisfy my interests. I could serve others and use my analytical qualities in the courtroom rather than on the track. I feel very fortunate that I have been able to devote my legal career to representing mesothelioma victims. I enjoy the complexity of the cases, I take pride in knowing that I am defending someone who has been wronged and I am grateful for the friendships that I have developed with my clients.

My goal in every one of my cases is to represent my client with the same passion and devotion as if he or she were a family member or close friend suffering from a disease as devastating as mesothelioma. I hope to bring some comfort to mesothelioma victims and their families, in this difficult time in their lives, through knowing that the responsible parties are held accountable and their loved ones are taken care of.

Washington University of St. Louis School of Law, St. Louis, MO

J.D., May 2011
Staff Editor, Jurisprudence Review

Duke University, Durham, NC

B.A., May 2008
Philosophy, Economics, Political Science
Varsity Cross Country, 2004-2008
Varsity Track & Field, 2004-2008

Missouri, 2011

Illinois, 2012

California, 2015

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, 2018

American Association for Justice

Trial verdicts:

• Second chair trial counsel in a multimillion-dollar verdict against Union Carbide and National Oilwell Varco in Pontotoc County, Oklahoma (Ada, Oklahoma) in May 2019.
• Second chair trial counsel in the largest-ever asbestos-related verdict in Arkansas, against Honeywell International in the Eastern District of Arkansas (Little Rock, Arkansas) in January 2019.

Reported decisions:

• Wrote significant portions of a brief to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on the specific causation standard. Rost v. Ford Motor Co., 151 A.3d 1032 (Pa. 2016).
• Wrote significant portions of a brief to the Georgia Supreme Court on the admissibility of expert testimony on specific causation. Scapa Dryer Fabrics, Inc. Knight, 788 S.E.2d 421 (Ga. 2016).

Presentations:

• “Plaintiffs’ Perspective on Manufacturers’ Duty to Warn about Necessary and Hazardous Replacement Subcomponents” – Harris Martin’s Midwest Asbestos Litigation Conference (September 2014).

Publications:

• Mark J. Buha, Rule Utilitarian and Deontologist Perspectives on Comparisons of Torture and Killing, 2 Wash U. Jur. Rev. 304 (2010).