Paul H. Cannon

Award-Winning Attorney.

Paul Cannon earned his law degree and passed the bar in 1995. He immediately began his practice in personal injury trial law with Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. His dedication and hard work earned him Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law in 2005. Among his awards are “Top Lawyer” by H Texas Magazine in 2020, recognition as a “Super Lawyer” by Thompson Reuters for the seventh consecutive year in 2023, and recognition as a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” by the National Trial Lawyers Association, 2020-2023. The top two lawyer rating websites rate him a 10/10 by AVVO and a 5/5 AV Rating by  Martindale Hubble.

Paul Cannon is Creative, Energetic, and Compassionate.

“I think that a lot of what drives me to do this kind of work is compassion,” Paul says. “I’ve always been good at listening to people, listening to their complaints, and developing a plan to address their problems. I have a knack for listening to people and not just acknowledging what they have to say but really hearing them and understanding the problems that lie beneath the surface.”

Paul CannonPaul believes that his involvement with church mission groups has helped him develop a compassionate spirit. As a missions leader for his Sunday school class at Second Baptist Church, he volunteered with the Angels of Light project, providing meals and Bibles to less fortunate families. He organized a project that prepared and delivered over 300 sack lunches to the homeless in downtown Houston, coordinated a project to take the children of the Star of Hope Single Mom’s Shelter to a hockey game, and organized a team to strip and repaint an elderly wheelchair-bound Houstonian’s home. At Metropolitan Baptist Church, he coordinated a project that involved having the entire Metropolitan Baptist Church’s nursery create Mother’s Day Cards (about 300) that he and his family then delivered and distributed to Houston nursing home residents. He also led groups to do volunteer work including land clearing, building restoration, and fund-raising for the Home of Hope, Texas, a mission that assists the victims of human trafficking.

Paul believes that there is a mission aspect to his work as an attorney, as well.

“There are people who need help, and part of what we do here is to help those people. People who have been injured don’t know where to turn, where to go. My job is to step in and help them put their lives back together.”

Unlike some lawyers who are primarily concerned about the financial aspect of the case, Cannon takes the time to talk with clients and develop a relationship so that he can understand all the ways a case has impacted their lives.

“This enables me to turn around and present their case to the jury in a way that they can fully understand,” he explains. “It’s not all about money. Part of my client’s life has been stripped away. It’s about putting their life back together.”

Board-certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas State Board of Legal Specialization, Paul genuinely enjoys the process of litigating cases before a jury.

The Importance of Giving Back Your Time

Click here for Meet Houston Misisons & Local Missions PodcastPaul believes that giving one’s time to help others is a calling that we all should answer.  Paul started a Vlog entitled Meet Houston Missions and an accompanying podcast entitled the Simmons and Fletcher Local Missions Podcast. On the show, he interviews local mission leaders about their mission and promotes them. The show is done free of charge for local mission leaders as a way of giving back. “People want to be a part of something bigger, many of them just don’t know how to find the right something,” says Paul.  He hopes that his show will provide people the opportunity to connect with the right place to volunteer.

As another way of giving back his time, he has acted as a mentor to several college students, law students, and young lawyers in their journey to become successful lawyers. For his efforts, he was awarded the Outstanding Mentor Award by the Houston Young Lawyer’s Association in 2020.  “Of all the awards I have received, this one has the most meaning to me,” says Paul.

Inspired to do Personal Injury Trial Law

Top 100 Lawyers seal

“The only thing I ever wanted to do was trial law. I turned down an opportunity to do appellate work because I wanted to do trial work. Contract law has no heart or soul. This is riskier, but the reward is a lot higher, too. When you win a case for someone whose life has been turned upside down–it’s a good feeling. It is what inspires me to strive to be the best personal injury lawyer  I can be.”

Paul Cannon received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Texas and attended South Texas College of Law, where he received his degree in 1995. While in school, he was an active member of the Phi Delta Phi Honorary Legal Fraternity, the Student Bar Association Student Concerns Committee, and the Houston Young Lawyer’s Association Environmental Committee.

Paul and his wife were married in 2001 and are proud parents of two children. They currently attend Fairfield Baptist Church in Cypress, Texas.

Texas Music Involvement

In addition, to building his practice as an attorney, Paul has been involved as a drummer and manager in the Texas music scene during his career. In 1990, he was a co-founder of the Band Skellington. The band broke up when Paul left for law school in 1992. The singer, Britt Daniel, went on to become the frontman and mastermind behind Spoon–one of the biggest alternative/indie bands to come out of Austin, Texas.  Paul also played with a Houston-based alternative music band The Abyss from 2009-2011.  He has also advised musicians on contracts and promotion.

Certifications:

  • Personal Injury Trial Law, State Bar of Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 2005
  • Mediation Certified in Compliance with Tex.Civ.Prac.&Rem.Code 1504.052, Spring 1994

Honors and Awards:

lead counsel rated attorney paul cannon

  • ‘Super Lawyer’ Thomson Reuters, 2017-present
  • ‘Lead Counsel Rated’ Thomson Reuters, 2018-present
  • ‘Top 25 Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers’ National Trial Lawyers Association, 2018-present
  • ‘Top 100 Trial Lawyer’ National Trial Lawyers Association, 2017-present
  • ‘Top Lawyer’ Houstonia Magazine, 2013-2015,
  • National Association of Distinguished Counsel 2017-present
  • ‘Outstanding Mentor Award’ Houston Young Lawyer’s Association, 2020.
  • ‘Top Lawyer’ H Texas Magazine, 2013, 2019
  • Preeminent 5.0/5.0 AV Peer Review Rating – Martindale-Hubbell, 2017-2020
  • ’10 Best Attorney’ American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys, 2018
  • 10/10 Avvo.com Rating
  • National Registry of Who’s Who – American Biographical Publications, Inc., 2001- present
  • Phi Delta Phi Honorary Legal Fraternity, 1995
  • South Texas College of Law Deans List, 1994

Associations:

Top 25 Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers

  • Houston Trial Lawyers Association, 2009-present
  • Christian Trial Lawyers Association, 2009-present
  • Houston Northwest Bar Association, 2014-present
  • American Association for Justice 2021
  • National Association of Distinguished Counsel, 2018
  • Texas Trial Lawyers Association, 2007-2009
  • American Bar Association, 1995-1997
  • South Texas College of Law Alumni Association, 1995-present
  • Student Bar Association Student Concerns Committee, 1993-1994
  • Houston Young Lawyers Association Environmental Committee, 1993

Equire Elite BadgeSpeaking Engagements:

  • Esquire Elite Podcast, August 2023, Featured Expert, How Insurance Companies Manipulate Car Wreck Cases to Deprive You of Damages.
  • Lockdown Law Podcast, Dec. 2020. Interview with Personal Injury Attorney Paul Cannon Regarding Dog Bite Law.
  • Faculty Speaker, Dog Bite Cases: Investigating & Litigating, LawPracticeCle.com, Nov. 2020
  • Guest Speaker, Business Technology Podcast, Awesome IT Way, Oct. 2020
  • Faculty Speaker, Car Accident Law Fundamentals, LawPracticeCle.com, Nov. 2019
  • Faculty Speaker, Dog Bite Cases: Investigating & Litigating, LawPracticeCle.com, Oct. 2018
  • Faculty Speaker, Dog Bite Cases: Strategies for Plaintiff’s Litigation, MyLawCLE.com 2015
  • Faculty Speaker, Dog Bite Victim Representation, Strafford Webinars, 2013

Other Activities:

  • U15 Boys Soccer Team Parent Manager, Dynamos Soccer Club 2020-2021
  • U14 Boys Soccer Team Parent Manager, Dynamos Soccer Club 2019-2020
  • U13 Boys Soccer Team Parent Manager, Dynamos Soccer Club 2018-2019
  • U14 Girls Soccer Team Manager,  Dynamos Soccer Club 2017-2018
  • U12 Boys Soccer Team Parent Manager, Dynamos Soccer Club 2017-2018
  • U13 Girls Soccer Team Manager,  Dynamos Soccer Club 2016-2017
  • U11 Boys Soccer Team Parent Manager, Dynamos Soccer Club 2016-2017
  • U12 Girls Soccer Team Assistant Parent Manager, Dynamos Soccer Club 2015-2016
  • U10 Boys Soccer Team Parent Manager, Dynamos Academy 2015-2016
  • Connections Bible Study Co-Leader, Fairfield Baptist Church 2014-2015
  • U11 Girls Soccer Team Assistant Parent Manager, Dynamos Soccer Club 2014-2015
  • U10 Girls Soccer Team Parent Manager, Dynamos Academy, 2013-2014
  • U7 Boys Soccer Coach, Cy-Fair Soccer Club, 2012-2013
  • Pundit, PolicyMic 2012-2013
  • Certified to Take Court Appointments as an Attorney Ad Litem 2007-2009

Bar Admissions:

  • Texas, 1995
  • U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas, 1996

Education:

  • South Texas College of Law, Houston, Texas, 1995
    Juris Doctorate
    Honors: Student Bar Association Student Concerns Committee (1993-1994)
    Honors: Houston Young Lawyer’s Association Environmental Committee (1993)
  • The University of Texas, Austin, Texas
    Bachelor of Arts
    Major: Philosophy

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