Archive for 2021
AZA Victorious in $75 Million Nationally Watched TeamHealth Trial Against Insurance Giant United Healthcare
LAS VEGAS – In a closely watched trial, a Nevada jury handed AZA client TeamHealth yet another trial victory on behalf of underpaid emergency room doctors, this time with a $62.65 million jury award against United Healthcare, the largest insurer in the nation. With attorneys’ fees, the award came to more than $75 million. The seven-week trial put several Las Vegas area […]
AZA Forces OFSI’s Competitor To Give Up In Multi-Round Trade Secret Litigation
Houston – AZA recently brought an end to a complex battle that a competitor waged against its client OFS International LLC (OFSI), which is primarily a manufacturer of proprietary threadings for casing pipe and tools used in oil wells. In this legal battle spanning across three cases in federal, state, and bankruptcy courts, OFSI’s former affiliate-turned competitor, IPSCO Tubulars, Inc. and its subsidiary Ultra Premium Services, LLC (collectively, IPSCO), claimed OFSI misappropriated trade secrets […]
AZA Named to Best Law Firms List for 10th Year by US News – Best Lawyers
HOUSTON – For the 10th year in a row, commercial litigation and intellectual property firm AZA is being recognized among the nation’s Best Law Firms in 2022 by U.S. News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America. “AZA is my go-to firm for serious litigation that we either expect to go to trial or intend to take to […]
AZA and Name Partners Earn Honors in Benchmark Litigation’s 2022 Guide
HOUSTON – AZA and firm partners Joe Ahmad and John Zavitsanos earned recognition as Litigation Stars for the seventh year in a row from peer-review guide Benchmark Litigation, which honors preeminent litigation practitioners across the U.S. Benchmark makes its selections based on extensive interviews with trial lawyers, dispute resolution specialists and their clients as well as analysis of significant cases and firm developments. The guide for […]
National and International Media Cover Discrimination Lawsuit Filed by AZA Client Dr. Hasan Gokal, Improperly Accused of Stealing COVID-19 Vaccine
HOUSTON – Dr. Hasan Gokal’s discrimination lawsuit against Harris County has received local, national, and even international media attention. AZA’s client Dr. Gokal had been through hell since a late December 2020 evening when he worked heroically to get some about-to-be-expired COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of people who needed it. But his employer, Harris County Public […]
Ten AZA Lawyers Make Super Lawyers List; Four Rank among Top 100
HOUSTON – Ten AZA lawyers have earned recognition for 2021 by Texas Super Lawyers, and four have made the Top 100 list. AZA co-founders Joe Ahmad and John Zavitsanos are once again being honored among the top 100 lawyers in Texas for their noteworthy trial skills. Mr. Zavitsanos was chosen for his business litigation work and Mr. Ahmad was selected for his expertise in labor and employment law. Name partners Amir Alavi and Demetrios Anaipakos made the top 100 […]
AZA Ranked Among Houston’s 25 Largest Law Firms for 2021
HOUSTON – AZA, which specializes in complex commercial litigation and intellectual property law, has made the ranks of the 25 largest law firms in Houston for 2021. The annual list by the Houston Business Journal is based on law firm surveys at the start of the year. AZA also ranked No. 6 among Houston’s largest intellectual property law firms. AZA’s strong showing among major […]
Three AZA Partners Make Lawdragon’s 500 Top Plaintiff Financial Lawyers List
HOUSTON – Three AZA partners have earned the distinction of being named to Lawdragon’s list of 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America for 2021. Founding lawyer John Zavitsanos and firm partners Demetrios Anaipakos and Amir Alavi were honored for their representation of plaintiffs in commercial litigation and intellectual property cases. Mr. Zavitsanos and Mr. Alavi were also recognized for their securities litigation work. In announcing the 2021 list, Lawdragon’s editors […]
Twelve AZA Lawyers Ranked among US Best for Commercial, Intellectual Property, Personal Injury Litigation and Appellate Law for 2022
HOUSTON – A dozen lawyers with AZA are being recognized in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, the nation’s oldest peer review guide to leading lawyers. AZA partners Joe Ahmad, John Zavitsanos, Demetrios Anaipakos, Amir Alavi, Todd Mensing, Sammy Ford IV, and Tim Shelby were all rated for commercial litigation along with Of Counsel Shawn Bates. Mr. Ford also earned honors for his work in personal injury litigation on behalf of both plaintiffs and […]
Twelve Young AZA Lawyers Ranked among Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for 2022
HOUSTON – A dozen lawyers with AZA are being recognized in the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America as among the top young attorneys in the U.S. Twelve firm lawyers earned the special distinction as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, which recognizes leading lawyers in practice less than 10 years. Those honorees are Weining Bai, Cameron Byrd, Nathan Campbell, Justin Chen, Taylor Freeman, Shahmeer Halepota, Louis Liao, Kyril Talanov, Monica Uddin, Jordan Warshauer, Kelsi Stayart White and Patrick Yarborough. Messrs. […]
Vault’s 2022 Career Guide Puts AZA among Top 15 Midsize Firms in US, Top 5 in Texas
HOUSTON – AZA is ranked by the go-to career guide Vault among the nation’s top 15 midsize law firms to work for and among the top 5 midsize firms in Texas, based on surveys of law firm associates. The trial firm ranked No. 4 overall among Texas firms its size and for job satisfaction, and […]
AZA’s John Zavitsanos Interviewed on NPR About Office Opening During the Pandemic
HOUSTON – AZA co-founding partner John Zavitsanos was interviewed by NPR’s Morning Edition host A Martinez about AZA’s office opening and vaccination mandate policies in “Houston-Based Law Firm Insists That Employees Return To The Office.” Mr. Zavitsanos was interviewed about AZA’s reopening early during the pandemic and why he finds Zoom calls and working from home don’t work as well for his […]
AZA Selected as a National Elite Trial Law Firm 2021 Award Winner
NEW YORK CITY – Trial law firm AZA is being honored as a National Elite Trial Law Firm for the stunning federal jury verdict secured for a group of ER doctors being grossly underpaid by national managed care company Centene (NYSE: CNC). The firm and lead lawyer John Zavitsanos were honored in the insurance liability […]
AZA’s 2020 Success Featured in New York Times Essay
This essay originally ran here in the New York Times as a guest essay on July 26, 2021 My Office Reopened at the Height of the Pandemic. We’ve Thrived. By John Zavitsanos This March, my partners and I paid special bonuses to all employees at my law firm in the heart of Houston. Unlike at […]
AZA Named a Top Texas Patent Trial Firm for Seventh Year in a Row by Prestigious International IP Guide
HOUSTON – AZA, for the seventh consecutive year, has been named a top-level Texas patent litigation firm by London-based intellectual property publisher IAM. AZA was rated top-tier, or gold level, with only five other Texas firms, three of them international Big Law firms. Three AZA partners were also recommended by IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2021. The new guide said of […]
Most brutal cross examination I’ve witnessed in my 24-year...
