Martin Conn

Martin A. Conn

President and Shareholder Member, Executive Committee

(804) 864-4804
(804) 421-6251 (fax)
mconn@moranreevesconn.com

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Areas of Practice:

  • Products Liability
  • Personal Injury
  • Toxic Torts
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Premises Liability

Martin A. Conn is the firm’s president, managing day-to-day business, in addition to maintaining a robust complex litigation practice. Marty concentrates his practice on product liability defense, toxic tort and asbestos defense, both locally and in a national coordination capacity, and commercial/business litigation representing local and foreign corporate and individual clients.

Marty specializes in defending product designers, manufacturers and sellers against serious personal injury claims arising out of alleged product defects. He has defended automotive and truck manufacturers and part suppliers, including most of the major tire manufacturers, bicycle and motorcycle manufacturers, agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers, and manufacturers of a variety of industrial and consumer products.

Complementing his product liability specialty, Marty has represented both product manufacturers and premises owners in the ever evolving toxic tort and asbestos litigation in Virginia and throughout the country. He serves as national trial and discovery counsel for a multi-national heavy equipment manufacturer, and further represents product manufacturers and sellers in the automotive parts and friction industries, as well as other industrial product manufacturers.

In addition to successfully defending clients in Virginia, Marty is licensed in Maryland. Moreover, he has represented corporate defendants in both state and federal courts throughout the country, having appeared in over half of the states from coast to coast.

Marty is an AV-rated litigator who frequently has been recognized for his accomplishments and integrity by his peers by being named consistently “Legal Elite” in Virginia Business magazine and in Virginia Super Lawyers for Personal Injury Defense: Products. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Commercial Litigation (Defendants), Personal Injury Litigation (Defendants), and Product Liability Litigation (Defendants), and has been recognized as a “Leader in the Law” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Marty was ranked in 2024 by Chambers USA for his work in products liability defense.

Marty is an active member of PLAC, serving on its board of directors and on the Amicus Brief Case Selection Committee. He has held various positions over the years with the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys (“VADA”), including chair of the Product Liability Committee, board member, and as the Virginia DRI state representative.

Outside of his law practice, Marty has served on the board of Richmond Little League since 2011, and as president of the board from 2017 to 2019. During his presidency, Richmond Little League has expanded to offer girls’ softball, as well as bringing three new fields on line for the kids, and Marty coaches several teams each year. Marty is also a board member at Willow Oaks Country Club, serving for the past six years as its membership chairman. Marty has been elected president of the board of independent radio station WNRN, and he recently entered the Congregation Beth Ahabah Leadership Program. When he is not working or coaching youth sports, Marty enjoys playing golf, spending time at home, and traveling with his wife and three children.


  • Virginia, 1995
  • Maryland, 2009
  • U.S. District Court Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia
  • Product Liability Advisory Council, Board of Directors, 2019 – present
  • Defense Research Institute
  • Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys
    • Board of Directors, 2010 – 2017
    • Chair, Product Liability Section, 2004 – 2005
    • DRI State Representative, 2014 – 2017
  • Bar Association of the County of Henrico
    • Board of Directors, 2009 – 2014
  • Bar Association of the City of Richmond
  • J.D., with distinction, Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995
    Law Review: Emory Law Journal
  • B.S., University of Virginia, McIntire School of Commerce, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1992
  • Ranked in Chambers USA, 2024 – 2025
  • The Best Lawyers in America, 2018 – present
  • Virginia Lawyers Weekly Leaders in the Law, 2018
  • Virginia Business Legal Elite, 2018 – 2021
  • Virginia Super Lawyers (Personal Injury Defense: Products), 2011 – present
  • Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2010
  • Martindale Hubbell, AV-rated
  • Colbert v. Norcold  (2016).  Obtained summary judgment for a  manufacturer of recreational vehicle refrigerators. Case finding was that “Fireman’s Rule” applies to product liability claims under Virginia law.  Successfully argued plaintiff’s appeal to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. https://valawyersweekly.com/2017/04/11/recovery-barred-under-firemans-rule/
  • Johnson v. Southern States (2014). Demurrer sustained and upheld on appeal to the Virginia Supreme Court dismissing novel spoliation of evidence claim regarding the loss of the space heater at issue. https://valawyersweekly.com/2016/02/18/judge-rejects-action-for-spoliation-of-evidence/
  • Jacqueline K. Downing v. UCS, Inc. (U.S. Dist. E.D. Va., 2013)
  • Errol P. Hoilett, et al. v. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, et al., (Newport News Circuit Court, 2010)
  • Massey v. Rudimex, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1882 (U. S. Dist. E.D. Va., 2006)
  • Payne v. Bolton, Jury verdict (Albemarle County Circuit Court, 2005)
  • Ault v. Pilot Corporation, Jury verdict (Caroline County Circuit Court, 2004)
  • Anderson v. Schwartz, No. 22609/97 (Supreme Court Queens County, NY, 1998)
  • The Future of the Defense Bar: Growing the Next Generation of Defense Attorneys, VADA Annual Meeting, 2022
  • Moderator, Town Hall Discussion, PLAC Amicus Program, 2022
  • 2021 Year in Review: Hot Topics, Developments, and Emerging Issues, PLAC Amicus Program, 2022
  • Productivity and Pandemic Practice, VADA Webinar Panel, 2022
  • Expert War Stories and Tips on Effective Cross Examination of Engineering Experts, panelist at the VADA virtual CLE workshop, 2020
  • Faculty Instructor for Young Lawyers, VADA Deposition Workshop, 2014
  • Current Supreme Court Issues and Resulting Motions Practice, Moderator for Judicial Panel at the VADA 40th Anniversary Meeting, Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, 2008
  • Overcoming Evidentiary Hurdles: Admissible and Effective Use of Accident Reconstruction and Biomechanical Evidence, presented to the Products Liability Section at the VADA Annual Meeting, Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, October 4, 2002
  • Alternative Fee Arrangements, Brussels Bar Journal, May 2008
  • Admissible and Effective Uses of Accident Reconstruction and Biomechanical Evidence, Journal of Civil Litigation, Vol. XIV, No. 4, 2003
  • McGuireWoods, Associate, 1995 – 2001