Buffy Martines

FOUNDING & MANAGING PARTNER AT LAMINACK, PIRTLE & MARTINES, LLP

Buffy Martines is the founding and managing partner of Laminack, Pirtle & Martines, where she practices in several areas of law, including personal injury, products liability, and commercial disputes.

A lifelong resident of Southeast Texas, Buffy earned her undergraduate degree from Lamar University and a Master’s degree from the University of Houston. Since obtaining her Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law in 2002, Buffy has dedicated her legal career to protecting the rights of individuals harmed by the actions of others. She is recognized for her comprehensive involvement in every stage of a case, from start to finish, and for her ability to successfully collaborate with colleagues on large-scale, high-stakes litigation. She has been named a Texas Super Lawyer for the last six consecutive years, a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2007 to 2013, and Texas Lawyer’s Litigator of the Week for her work on Wellogix, Inc. v. Accenture, a case that resulted in a $98 million jury verdict, which was upheld by the United States Supreme Court.

From 2002 to 2006, Buffy worked as an associate at the esteemed law firm of O'Quinn, Laminack & Pirtle. During her tenure, she worked in the firm's mass tort division, which encompassed several medical device and pharmaceutical dockets. In 2004, she actively participated in the trial and subsequent appeal of Coffey v. Wyeth, et al., a case resulting in a record-breaking $1.1 billion verdict awarded to the family of a woman who tragically lost her life due to the "fen-phen" diet drug combination. In 2006, Buffy and her mentors, Rick Laminack and Tom Pirtle, co-founded Laminack, Pirtle & Martines. Since then, Buffy has successfully litigated thousands of cases, consistently exhibiting exceptional leadership and an unwavering commitment to pursuing justice in every case she takes on.

In addition to her work in the courthouse, Buffy has held prominent nationwide leadership positions in various federal multi-district litigations, including roles on the Plaintiffs' Steering Committees in the transvaginal mesh, Paragard IUD, and hair relaxer product liability cases, as well as a position on the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the proton pump inhibitor litigation.

Outside of the legal arena, Buffy enjoys serving her community through volunteer activities with various animal welfare organizations. Over the years, she has served on the Board of Directors and Advisory Board of Barrio Dogs, Inc., and as President of Unity for a Solution.