Attorney Robert C. Hilliard has been practicing law in Texas for 40 years, gaining national recognition for his work on some of the country’s most high-profile cases. Mr. Hilliard received his certification from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law in 1990 and Civil Trial Law in 1992. He was awarded the 2021 Corpus Christi Bar Association’s Lawyer of the Year Award, and, in 2023, was named a Super Lawyer for the 20th time. In 2024, Hilliard was recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2024 "Lawyer of the Year" for Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs in the Corpus Christi Area. His firm represents clients in mass tort litigation, social justice cases, personal injury, product liability, commercial and business litigation, and wrongful death matters.
Born and raised in Newton, Texas, Mr. Hilliard was the youngest of three children. His father, Delmar Shelley Hilliard, was an Air Force A-1 Skyraider fighter pilot who flew 175 missions in Vietnam and later became the Newton County attorney for 25 years. His mother, Bobbye Clifton Hilliard, was an artist, newspaper reporter, homemaker, and office manager for her husband’s law office.
Mr. Hilliard attended St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, on a tennis scholarship and graduated in 1980 summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English literature. A four-year letterman in tennis, he won numerous awards and championships, including the Athlete of the Year (1979-1980) and was inducted into the St. Edward’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
He then attended St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio, where he served as the associate editor of the St. Mary’s Law Journal. Upon receiving his Juris Doctorate (JD) degree in 1983, Mr. Hilliard began his legal career at the Law Offices of Guy Allison in Corpus Christi. In 1985, Hilliard founded The Law Offices of Robert C. Hilliard. Jacobo Muñoz became partner shortly thereafter, and the firm became Hilliard Muñoz until 2010, when Rudy Gonzales joined. The law firm then became Hilliard Muñoz Gonzales, LLP, based in Corpus Christi, Texas.
In 2012, Mr. Hilliard and his lifelong best friend, college roommate, and teammate Steve Shadowen, decided they wanted to finally fulfill the dream that begin in the 1970s. While attending St. Edward’s University, they would talk about practicing law together and starting a firm that would make a difference: focusing on civil rights litigation and social justice. Hilliard & Shadowen LLP in Austin, Texas, has become one of the nation’s premier anti-trust boutique lawfirms. In 2017, the firm Hilliard Muñoz Gonzales LLP became Hilliard Martinez Gonzales LLP when founding partner Jacobo Muñoz retired, and Honorable John B. Martinez became a managing partner.
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