McKenzie, James F.

Over the nearly two decades that he has practiced law, Cary McDougal has proven to be a formidable trial lawyer with unflinching resolve to serve his clients. Cary has been lead attorney in over 75 jury trials in state and federal court. He has tried cases involving such diverse areas of the law as premises liability, product liability, general personal injury, medical malpractice, insurance litigation, and environmental litigation.

The first 14 years of his legal career, Cary handled the defense of matters involving complex litigation throughout Texas and Oklahoma as a partner at two Dallas firms. He focused his practice on civil litigation, and he managed and tried all litigation for several North Texas health care agencies. He co-founded the law firm Aldous and McDougal, which gained recognition for its trial successes on behalf of plaintiffs in medical malpractice, contractual disputes, and other matters. Cary joined Baron & Budd in 2005.

A shareholder and manager of Baron & Budd's groundwater contamination litigation practice, Cary currently represents over 200 municipalities and water providers across the country that are seeking clean-up costs for the contamination of their water supplies. His practice includes management of Baron & Budd's cases in the Multi-District (MDL) MTBE water contamination litigation, which is considered one of the most complex pieces of litigation in the country. He also manages other environmental contamination cases involving chemicals such as TCP, TCE and dioxin.

Cary completed his law degree at the University of Texas School of Law and attained a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs. He continues to serve as a consultant to the LBJ school on issues concerning public policy. He has authored numerous legal papers on civil litigation and trial practice and has spoken at seminars before health care professionals, consumer groups, the insurance industry and attorneys on issues relative to civil litigation.

Cary has been inducted into the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a recognition by his peers for his jury trial experience, commitment to the jury process, and ethics. He also holds the top rating from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and was named a "Texas Super Lawyer" in 2005 and 2006.