Richard "Racehorse" Haynes
A native of Houston, Texas, Richard Haynes received his college and law degrees from the University of Houston.
Richard Haynes is recognized as one of the top criminal defense lawyers in the nation. His many achievements in the courtroom include such notable cases as the State of Texas v. John Hill, which was the basis for the book Blood and Money by Tommy Thompson and a made-for-TV movie, Prescription Murder.
The trials of T. Cullen Davis, purported to be the wealthiest man ever tried for murder, have been the basis for Texas v. Davis, by Mike Cochran and Blood Will Tell by Gary Cartwright. Davis was accused but successfully defended by Haynes in the alleged attempted murder of his ex-wife, a family aquaintance, and murder of his 12 year old stepdaughter.
Mr. Haynes represented Vicki Daniel, accused of killing her husband, Price Daniel, Jr., the Speaker of the House in Texas. The book Deadly Blessing by Paul Salerno is based on this case.
Haynes could be considered theatrical in his representations in the courtroom. He once defended some Hells Angels who were accused of nailing a man, crucifixion style to a tree in retaliation over a drug deal. Prior to court that morning, he had injected his hand with Xylocaine, and was going to nail his hand to the defense table to demonstrate to the jury that this wasn't that painful a procedure. The judge got wind of it first, so it didn't happen.
The Trial Lawyers by Emily Couric reports on the ten best trial lawyers in America. Richard Haynes is listed among them. He is also listed as a top criminal defense lawyers in The Best Lawyers in America, Fifth
Edition, by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith.
The International Society of Barristers, the American Bar Association, the Texas Bar Association, and the Americanf Judicature Society are among the many legal organizations to which Mr. Haynes belongs. He is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, including the Outstanding Alumni and Law Alumni awards from the University of Houston and the prestigious Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. He is a member of the Permanent Teaching Faculty of the National College for Criminal Defense, a former Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Houston, and serves on the Board of Directors of several community organizations. In September of 1996, Mr. Haynes was inducted as a fellow into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.