Law Firm Overview

Grover G. Hankins, principal attorney for The Hankins Law Firm, P.L.L.C., in Houston, Texas, has practiced law for more than 30 years. His clients have been awarded millions of dollars in actions involving products liability, personal injury, employment and toxic and environmental law, among others. A leader in the field of environmental justice, he is committed to protecting the rights of all Americans. Formerly National General Counsel for The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and trial attorney with the U.S. Justice Department, he has also served as Principal Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Champaign, Illinois, and Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, he was honored as Distinguished Visiting Professor at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas, where he also was Director of the Environmental Justice Clinic.

Areas of Practice

• Business & Commercial Law
• Business Organizations
• Civil Rights
• Class Actions -- Plaintiff
• Contracts
• Discrimination
• Employment Law -- Employee
• Environmental Law
• Insurance Defense
• Insurance Law
• Litigation & Appeals
• Personal Injury -- Defense
• Products Liability Law
• Railroad Worker Injury/FELA
• Sexual Harassment
• Workplace Injuries
• Mediation
• Arbitration
• Corporate Defense
• Minority Business Representation
• Expert Witness
• NFL Pension

Honors and Awards

• Distinguished Law School Alumni, 1987
• Homecoming Alumni of the Year, 1988

Published Works

• "The Toxic Injustice Crisis", Crisis Magazine, January, 1987
• "The Toxic Injustice Crisis", Environment 2000 New York State, Edited By The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government
• "Sins of the Father", Thurgood Marshall Law Review

Classes and Seminars

• Professor of Law, Environmental Justice Clinic, Texas Southern University - Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Houston, Texas, 1993
• Distinguished Visiting Professor, Texas Southern University - Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Houston, Texas, 1992 - 1993
• Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore, Maryland, 1990
• Adjunct Professor, Park College, Parkville, Missouri, 1979 - 1981
• Environmental Law 3L Fall, 1993 - 2001
• Environmental Justice Clinic 3L Fall, 1994 - 2001
• Panelist and Moderator, "Civil Rights And The Environment: Bridging The Disciplines", The Environmental Justice Project Of The Lawyer's Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, 1993
• Lecturer, "Toxins In Our Neighborhood Problems Of Contamination In Texas", Baylor College of Medicine, 1993
• Speaker, Meeting of People Against Contaminated Communities, Corpus Christi, TX, 1993
• Presenter, "Environmental Justice: Defining the Problem", The National Bar Association's Environmental Law and Energy Section, 1993
• Presenter, "The Ethical Implications of The Human Genome Project", George Mason University, 1993
• Presenter, "Racism In Environmental Encroachment", The Judicial Council of The National Bar Association, 1994
• Keynote Speaker, ?Forum On Environmental Justice?, The American Bar Association, Section Of Natural Resources Energy And Environmental Law
• Keynote Speaker, ?Forum On Environmental Justice?, National Bar Association, National Tribal Environmental Council, 1994
• Presenter/Moderator, ?Environmental Justice Update?, National Bar Association?s Environmental Law And Energy Section, 1994
• Presenter, ?Environmental Science of Public Policy Seminar?, Professor James Hoyte, Assistant to the President Harvard University, 1995
• Panelist, ?New England Association of Environmental Law Societies 8th Annual Conference?, The National Association of Environmental Law Societies at Boston College Law School, 1995
• Speaker, ?Earth Week - Environmental Equity Forum?, T.S.U. Environmental Health Club, 1995
• Presenter, ?Environmental Justice. Title VI, and Alternatives to Litigation, Chemical Manufacturers Association Environmental Justice Task Group, 1995
• Speaker, ?5th Biennial Symposium On Minorities, The Medically Under-Served And Cancer", Cultural Diversity, Public Policy And Survivorship, 1995
• Speaker, ?Key Environmental Issues In U.S. EPA Region VI?, The American Bar Association Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law, 1995
• Speaker, ?Environmental Justice and Transportation: Building Model Partnerships", The Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University, 1995
• Panelist, ?W.E.B. Dubois? Environmental Justice Consultation Expanding The Dialogue?, By The National Council of Negro Women, Inc., 1995
• Speaker, ?Global Information, Space And Education? - Environmental Issues Session, The National Technical Association, 1995
• Speaker, ?Energy, Environment And Public Utilities Section?, The National Bar Association, 1995
• Speaker, ?Environmental Justice Forum?, International City/County Management Association, 1995
• Speaker, ?Environmental Justice: Assuring Minority Health In Alabama?s Black Belt?, Tuskegee University-School of Nursing & Allied Health, 1995
• Panelist, ?Empowering People of Color to Address Environmental Injustice", Texas Southern University -HBCU/MI Environmental Technology Consortium, 1995
• Speaker, ?Mississippi Delta Project: Communicating Environmental Health Risk Factors Conference?, Texas Southern University - College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 1995
• Panelist, "Discussing Environmental Issues", NAACP Legal Defense Fund Conference, 1996
• Speaker, ?African -American Mobility Symposium", University of South Florida, Center for Urban Transportation Research, 1997
• Panelist, ?Environmental Justice Across the Nation?, Texas Southern University, Environmental Justice, 1997
• Presenter, ?Toxic Release Inventory and Right-To-Know Conference?, 1997
• Invited Attendee, Summit on Global Warning, President Bill Clinton?s White House
• Panelist, ?Climate Change: The Challenge of Global Warming?, White House Conference, 1997
• Speaker, ?NAACP Conference?, Corpus Christi, 1997
• Panelist, ?Civil Rights Summit, Fiftieth Anniversary Ceremony?, 1997
• Speaker, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1997
• Panelist, ?Redefining Environmental Protection: The Case for Change?, The University of Tulsa College of Law, 1997
• Panelist, ?Environmental Justice: A Challenge for the 21st Century?, National Bar Association, 1997
• Speaker, National Bar Association, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1997
• Speaker, ?African American Mobility Symposium?, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, 1997
• Speaker, ?Statues, Theories for Addressing Environmental Justice?, 1997
• Speaker, ?Community Groups Fighting Against Environmental Pollution?, 1997
• Panelist, ?Toxic Torts?, 1997
• Co-Panelist, Teaching Students About Dealing with Environmental Justice Issues, Building Blocks for Environmental Education in Texas Environmental Institute of Houston, April 10, 1997 - March 12, 1997
• Presenter, Environmental Justice: Domestic and International Implications, Institute of International Education, Visitor's Program, 1997
• Panelist, St. Joseph's Hospital, Staten Island, N.Y., 1998
• Presenter, "I've Been ?Buked", The African American's National Board of Director's Meeting, Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, Maui, HI, 1998
• Presenter, "Environmental Justice in Black America", "State of the Race Conference" Baltimore, Md., 1998
• Panelist, Southern University School of Law, 50th Year Anniversary Panel on Constitutional Roll Backs
• Presenter, National Bar Association Convention, Environmental Law and Energy Section Seminar on Environmental Justice, Memphis, TN, 1998
• Presenter, Society for Ecological Restoration International Conference, Austin, TX, 1998
• Presenter, SALT Teaching Conference, Power, Pedagogy & Praxis: Moving the Classroom to Action", Los Angeles, CA, 1998
• Presenter, Genomic Research on Populations Exposed to Environmental Toxins: Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues, October 13, 1998 - October 14, 1998
• Presenter, Environmental Justice Update, National Bar Association Environmental Law Seminar, 1999
• Presenter, Environmental Justice Update, National Bar Association Environmental Law Section, 2000
• Panelist, American Bar Association, 2001
• Presenter, Environmental Justice Update, National Bar Convention, 2001
• Presenter, ?The Nuts and Bolts of Pulling Together The Environmental Pollution Claim and Lawsuit?, Absolute Litigators Conference, 2002
• Presenter, ?Everything You Wanted to Know About Environmental Justice but Were Afraid to Ask?, Absolute Litigators Conference
• Panelist, Environmental Case Evaluation and Case Evaluation and Investigation, The Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Section on Toxic, Environmental, and Pharmaceutical Torts (STEP), 2003
• ?Challenging Race Discrimination in Environmental Law and Policy-Making?, Tulane Law School, 1992
• ?Trial Lawyers for Public Justice?, TLPJ Foundation, 1996
• ELI Environmental Bootcamp, 1996
• ?National Conference of Black Lawyers?, Environmental Justice Plenary Session, Dallas, Texas, 1996
• ?Border Energy Forum III?, 1996
• ?National Bar Association Conference?, 1996
• ?Mealey?s Toxic Tort Seminar?, 1997
• "Trial Lawyers for Public Justice", TLPJ Foundation, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1997
• Global Warning; Sponsor: Whitehouse Conference, 1998
• Ford Foundation Environmental Justice Strategy Meeting, 2001 - 2003

Representative Cases

• Boston Daniels et. al. v. Board of Commissioners for the City of Kansas City, 693 P2D 1170 (1985)
• NAACP et.al. v. Dynagen et. al., Cause No. 84,951-B
• Barrett v. Atlantic Richfield, Cause No. H-89-3487C
• M.O.S.E.S. v. Gibraltar Chemicals, Cause No. 6:94-C V-708
• Residents Opposed to Pigs and Livestock v. Board of Regents
• Rudy Achee v. Port Drum
• Anniston v. Monsanto
• Anita Mitchell v. Samsung Electronics
• Lillian Hayden. et. al. v. Atochem North America. Inc. Elf Aquitaine. Inc. Elf Atochem North; America Inc. and Pennwalt Corporation Name Changed to Elf Atochem North America, Inc., C.A. No. H-92-1054
• Dorothy Adams. et. al. v. Chevron USA. Inc.. et. al. Brief of Amicus Curiae N.A.A.C.P in Support of Plaintiffs, CA. No H-96-1462
• EPA--Anderson v. T.N.R.C.C.
• Garden Valley Neighborhood Association v. T.N.R.C.C.
• NAACP AGIN. PACE v. City of Corpus Christi and T.N.R.C.C.
• Boston Daniels et. al. v. Board of Commissioners, 693 P2D 1170 (1985)
• Brief: Erika Matthews and Jalisa Matthews v. Molly Cove, Civ. No. C-90-3620 EFL

West Practice Categories

Arbitration, Mediation, Business & Commercial Law, Contracts, Business Organizations, Civil Rights, Sexual Harassment, Class Actions -- Plaintiff, Discrimination, Employment Law -- Employee, Employment Law -- Employer, Environmental Law, Insurance Defense, Insurance Law, Labor Law, Litigation & Appeals, Personal Injury -- Defense, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff, Products Liability Law, Railroad Worker Injury/FELA