Splawn Law Offices was established in 1971 by Johnny Splawn. Mr. Splawn brought to the new firm 20 years of plaintiffs’ personal injury trial, having practiced in the firms of Huff and Splawn and Splawn, Maner and Nelson. The firm became Splawn and Simpson when John Simpson became a shareholder in 1979. He became sole shareholder in 1983, although Mr. Splawn practiced actively with the firm until his death in February of 1988. Mr. Splawn's last jury trial in December, 1987 resulted in a judgment for his client, Swain Rogers.

Mr. Simpson began work at the firm in 1973 as a law clerk while attending Texas Tech University School of Law. He passed the bar examination in 1974 and became board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1979. Tom Pitts joined the firm in 1985 after graduating from the Texas Tech University School of Law with honors.

Until 1988, the firm concentrated its practice in the area of plaintiffs’ personal injury matters, representing injured persons in civil trial courts throughout West Texas. The firm developed a reputation for conservative, persuasive and honest representation of its clients and was noted for its preparation and aggressive approach to the prosecution of its cases.

In 1988, Splawn and Simpson began to diversify its practice and accepted employment in a variety of civil trial matters including defense of employer-liability cases, defense of medical negligence cases, and casualty insurance matters. The firm also expanded into practice areas of employer-employee labor issues and advising employers before state and federal agencies.

In 1989, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2003, the attorneys participated in political-consulting work before the Texas Legislature.

Mr. Simpson and Mr. Pitts began mediating civil cases on a voluntary basis in 1993, and their mediation practice has now expanded into a significant portion of the firm's business base. The attorneys have mediated over 800 civil cases since 1993 on a fee basis. Mr. Simpson currently mediates 10 to 15 civil cases per month. Cases mediated by the two attorneys involve labor-management relations, medical negligence, product liability, environmental law, and matrimonial law.

The firm continues to handle civil trial matters that involve personal injury or tort issues from both sides of the docket, including the defense of accounting, medical, and legal negligence cases. The firm also accepts employment in plaintiff personal injury matters and casualty insurance cases, as well as practices in the areas of probate, family, and administrative law.