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Attorney Advertising. This is an independently researched editorial profile, not a paid placement, and nothing on this page is legal advice. See the Publisher Disclosure at the end of this article.
Gerald T. Drought: A Fourth-Generation San Antonio Lawyer, AV-Rated Since 1980
A San Antonio business litigation attorney with genuinely deep local roots is Gerald T. Drought, a fourth-generation lawyer practicing in the city and leading the litigation section of a firm founded in 1963 that carries his family name — a multi-generational lineage this directory has found matched by few other business litigation attorneys in the market. This profile is part of Awesome Attorneys’ coverage of San Antonio commercial litigation options.
At a Glance
| Firm | Martin & Drought, P.C. |
|---|---|
| Attorney | Gerald T. Drought, President and Head of the Litigation Section |
| Office | Bank of America Plaza, 300 Convent Street, 25th Floor, San Antonio, TX 78205 |
| Firm Founded | 1963 (James N. Martin) |
| Licensed Since | 1972 (University of Houston Law Center, J.D. with honors) |
| Board Certification | Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization |
| Recognition | Martindale-Hubbell AV rating continuously since 1980; Super Lawyers, multiple years; Scene in SA Magazine “San Antonio’s Best Attorneys,” 2005 |
| Additional Offices | McAllen, TX; Mexico City (Martin, Drought & Torres) |
| Core Practice Area Reviewed Here | Business & Corporate Litigation |
Origin & Background
Drought earned his J.D. with honors from the University of Houston in 1972, graduating Order of the Barons in Delta Theta Phi, after a BBA in Finance with honors from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a fourth-generation lawyer practicing in San Antonio, and now serves as President of Martin & Drought and head of its litigation section. His Martindale-Hubbell AV rating — the organization’s highest peer-review designation — has held continuously since 1980, a 45-year unbroken streak this directory has found matched by few San Antonio litigators. He is admitted before Texas’s federal district courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, and additional federal appellate courts.
San Antonio Business Litigation Attorney Practice Concentration
As a San Antonio business litigation attorney, Drought has devoted the vast majority of his 50-plus-year practice to complex business and general litigation. Martin & Drought’s broader practice spans banking and finance, bankruptcy, governmental affairs, Mexican law, oil and gas, and real estate — giving the firm’s litigation section access to deep subject-matter resources across industries when a business dispute intersects with a specialized regulatory area. The firm’s Mexico City office, Martin, Drought & Torres, reflects genuine cross-border capability relevant to San Antonio businesses with Mexican operations or counterparties.
Track Record
Drought’s more than five decades of continuous San Antonio litigation practice and unbroken AV rating since 1980 are disclosed as career-tenure and peer-recognition markers rather than specific case outcomes. Business litigation results depend heavily on the specific facts, contract terms, and forum involved in each matter, and past experience does not predict or guarantee a result in any future case.
Client Voice
A client review describes Drought as “always straight forward and direct,” writing that after an unavoidable legal dispute, “there is no doubt in my mind who I would recommend” — closing with a note of genuine warmth uncommon in attorney reviews, wishing the firm continued success “like our State flower, the bluebonnet.” No pattern of negative reviews or bar complaints was found in the sources reviewed.
Beyond the Courtroom
Drought was selected by his peers for inclusion in Super Lawyers’ Best Attorneys in Texas across multiple years (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008) and recognized by Scene in SA Magazine as one of San Antonio’s best attorneys in both civil trial and corporate/securities law in 2005 — a dual-category peer recognition reflecting the breadth of his litigation practice beyond a single narrow specialty.
Recognition
Board certification disclosure: Gerald T. Drought’s Texas Board of Legal Specialization certification in Civil Trial Law was independently confirmed through MoreLaw, Justia, and the State Bar of Texas’s certification listing, which is why “specialist” language is used for him individually in this profile. His Super Lawyers and Scene in SA “Best Attorneys” recognitions reflect peer-nomination-based processes, distinguished here from state licensing certification.
Texas Legal Backdrop
Texas breach of contract claims generally carry a four-year statute of limitations, though the applicable period can vary by claim type. Given Martin & Drought’s stated Mexican law and cross-border practice, business disputes involving Mexican counterparties or operations can implicate international choice-of-law and forum-selection questions layered on top of standard Texas contract principles — a complexity that a purely domestic-focused litigation practice may not have direct experience navigating. Banking and finance-related business disputes, another area of firm-wide practice, often intersect with the Texas Finance Code and federal banking regulations depending on the specific transaction type at issue.
Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Gerald Drought’s clearest differentiator is a rare combination of multi-generational San Antonio legal roots — fourth-generation practice in the city — with TBLS Civil Trial Law board certification and an unbroken 45-year Martindale-Hubbell AV rating, backed by a firm with genuine cross-border Mexican law capability relevant to San Antonio’s international business community.
The honest trade-off is one common to any long-established, senior-litigator-led firm: as President and litigation section head, Drought’s own availability for direct day-to-day case handling versus firm-wide oversight is worth confirming directly, and institutional-client billing structures should be expected for a firm of this history and scale.
Methodology & Sourcing
This profile was compiled from Martin & Drought’s own website (mdtlaw.com), Gerald Drought’s MoreLaw, Justia, Avvo, and Lawyers.com attorney profiles, the firm’s Super Lawyers listing, and its FindLaw and LawCrossing firm profile pages. Board certification was independently confirmed through MoreLaw and Justia’s certification listings. Statutory references were checked against the general Texas statute of limitations for breach of contract claims, general cross-border contract and choice-of-law considerations, and Texas Finance Code provisions relevant to banking disputes as generally published. No case results, credentials, or quotes were invented; the client statement referenced above is drawn from Drought’s public Avvo review page.
Publisher Disclosure & Independence Notice
Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Martin & Drought, P.C. prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placements clearly labeled as such, but no payment of any kind determines inclusion in, or the content of, this editorial profile. This article is for informational purposes only, does not constitute legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship between the reader and Martin & Drought or Awesome Attorneys.