Donald R Fountain Jr.

Donald R. Fountain, Jr. is nationally recognized as a top trial attorney and is known for his work around the country for successfully representing catastrophically injured clients during some of the most traumatic and transformational times in their lives. For more than two decades Don has been a double board certified civil trial lawyer by both the state and national boards and has twice been named “Lawyer of the Year” in plaintiff product liability litigation by Best Lawyers in America®, a prestigious award that was published in the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal.

During his more than 30 years as a West Palm Beach personal injury lawyer, Don has handled and tried virtually every kind of case – typical and atypical – from a cruise ship hitting an iceberg in Alaska to the mishandling of human remains by a regional funeral home chain. He frequently works on cases across the country related to automotive products liability, tire defects, consumer product defects, road design defects, construction defects, boating and locomotive accidents, aviation liability, legal malpractice, fires and vehicle/truck accidents. He has earned verdicts and settlements exceeding $300 million for his clients throughout Florida and the United States.

Earning titles that include “Top 100 Trial Lawyers in America,” “Leading Plaintiffs’ Lawyers in America,” and “Florida's Top 10 Attorneys,” Don is frequently called upon by other lawyers to handle major litigation matters that require unique technical expertise and financial resources. He is continuously recognized as a “Top Lawyer” in South Florida Legal Guide and as one of the “Legal Elite” in Florida Trend magazine – a recognition he shares with only 2% of lawyers in the state. Don is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, which denotes the highest level of professional excellence and ethical standards in the legal industry. He has been named a Super Lawyer® by his peers for 13 consecutive years.

Don is most proud of the fact that time and time again he has observed that some of the litigation he pursues has brought defects to the forefront and encouraged major manufacturers of automotive, tire and other consumer products to recall their products, or redesign them entirely after litigation exposed dangerous safety concerns. Don’s efforts of encouraging manufacturers to make their products safer through the litigation process prompted the American Association for Justice to recognize him with the Justice Steven T. Sharp Public Service Award for his investigative work that led to the nation’s largest recall of Firestone passenger car tires. Don also handled one of the very first Takata exploding airbag cases before any recall had been issued. Immediately following the conclusion of the case, Takata recalled 3,000 vehicles, eventually expanding the recall to more than 60 million vehicles.

Among Don’s many accomplishments is a major victory for the firm’s clients and the nation’s consumers when Clark Fountain’s products liability team convinced two separate Florida courts to allow punitive damage claims against Chrysler for designing and manufacturing its line of 15-passenger vans that the plaintiff contended the company knew were prone to rollovers. These are believed to be the only two cases in the country in which a court allowed the pleading of punitive damages. Chrysler stopped manufacturing the van altogether and adopted a new and improved design.

Don also prides himself on being able to discover and unravel complex defects and liability scenarios when other law firms have reviewed the case and determined that no valid claim exists. Clark Fountain has a long list of major multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements obtained in cases that other very qualified attorneys and law firms turned away.