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John P. Zelbst

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Practice Areas

  • Personal Injury
  • Medical Malpractice
  • Federal Practice
  • Civil Trial
  • Criminal Law
  • Trial Practice
  • Wrongful Termination
  • Products Liability
  • Premises Liability
  • Torts
  • Vehicle Collisions
  • Insurance Disputes

Biography

John P. Zelbst has been a trial lawyer since 1980. Throughout the years his practice has grown nationwide. With the assistance of local counsel, Mr. Zelbst has handled and tried cases all over America. Mr. Zelbst' legal career has focused solely on representing people who have been injured, wronged, falsely accused and mistreated.

Bar Affiliations: He has been a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association since receiving his law degree from the University of Tulsa in 1980. Mr. Zelbst is licensed to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States; the Court of Federal Claims; the 5th& 10th Circuit Courts; Federal Courts for the Western, Eastern and Northern Districts of Oklahoma, the Eastern and Western Districts of Arkansas; the Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, District of Colorado and Eastern District of Missouri.

Member: Mr. Zelbst is a member of the Comanche County Bar Association; the Oklahoma Association for Justice (formerly the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association), and served as its President in 2000. He is also a member of the American Association for Justice, formerly the American Trial Lawyers Association. Mr. Zelbst is one of the 73 prestigious attorneys of the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, (ABOTA). Since 2006, he has been awarded the title of Oklahoma Super Lawyer and is a member of the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, Martindale Hubbell and is also Mr. Zelbst holds the highest rating by the nation's most prestigious rating service. Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Since 1999, he has learned from and with Gerry Spence, including teaching Mr. Spence's methods to other trial lawyers. He is currently the President of Gerry Spence Method, which is based at Thunderhead Ranch in DuBois, Wyoming.

John was selected for inclusion in the Best Attorney Network for personal injuries, John Zelbst has been referred to as a "gun slinger from the old west fighting in an alley that time has all but forgotten. Today's court rooms are sterile and dead. More like mausoleums and morgues. John brings life, thunder and justice back into these quiet cold rooms."

Listen to John being interviewed on Americans Best Lawyers and you will see what these professionals were talking about.

Awards: Selected multiple times by the readers of the Lawton Constitution as the Best Lawyer of the Year. Oklahoma Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division for the years 1994 and 1995 for participation in the Student Training and Employment Program (STEP). Oklahoma Bar Association Courageous Advocacy Award 1989.

Civic and Community: Mr. Zelbst is also civic minded. He cares deeply about his community. In an effort to provide service to the community he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Lawton, Oklahoma. He is also a member of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association; a voluntary firefighter for the Meers Volunteer Fire Department, member of the National Alumni of The University of Tulsa, College of Law. In 2010 appointed by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma to the Wildlife Commission for a term of eight years and reappointed in 2018 to another eight year term.

Reported Cases: Mr. Zelbst and his associates have obtained many large settlements and verdicts on behalf of their injured clients. Including the largest known truck accident personal injury verdict in the state of Oklahoma-24 million dollars, Henderson v. Petro Energy Transport Co. et al., DC Jackson County CJ-95-64.

Education

  • University of Tulsa College of Law, Tulsa, Oklahoma
    • J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence - 1980
  • Cameron University, Lawton, Oklahoma
    • B.A., Bachelor of Arts - 1976

Bar Admission

  • Oklahoma, 1980
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Oklahoma, 1981
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Oklahoma, 1985
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1980
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1980
  • U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 1980
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Oklahoma, 1980
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Arkansas, 1980
  • U.S. District Court Western District of Arkansas, 1980
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, 1980
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas, 1980
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • U.S. District Court District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court Eastern District of Missouri, 2017

Professional Associations

  • Oklahoma Bar Association, 1980 to 1994
  • Association of Trial Lawyers of America, 1985 to 1994
  • Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association, 1981 to 1994
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 1989 to 1994
  • Comanche County Bar Association, Member
  • Oklahoma Association for Justice (formerly the Oklahoma Trial Lawyers Association), Member
  • Oklahoma Association for Justice, President, 2000
  • American Association for Justice (formerly the American Trial Lawyers Association), Member
  • American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), 2006
  • Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, Martindale Hubbell, Member
  • National Alumni of The University of Tulsa, College of Law, Member

Current Employment Position

  • Partner

Honors

  • Oklahoma Bar Association Courageous Advocacy Award, 1989
  • Oklahoma Super Lawyer
  • Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Best Attorney Network for personal injuries
  • Best Lawyer of the Year, Lawton Constitution
  • Student Training and Employment Program (STEP), Oklahoma Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, 1994 - 1995

Representative Cases

  • Henderson v. Petro Energy Transport Co. et al., DC Jackson County CJ-95-64

References

  • City National Bank & Trust Company

Pro-Bono Activities

  • Board of Trustees, Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Lawton, Oklahoma
  • Member, Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association
  • Appointed by the Governor of the State of Oklahoma to the Wildlife Commission, 2010, and reappointed in 2018 to another eight year term.