Acclaimed Patent Trial Lawyer David Warden Joins Houston Complex Commercial Litigation, Intellectual Property Firm AZA

HOUSTON – Intellectual property lawyer David E. Warden has joined the Houston complex commercial litigation and intellectual property firm AZA (AZA) as of counsel.

Mr. Warden, a founding partner of his former firm Yetter Warden & Coleman LLP and formerly a partner with Baker Botts L.L.P., is an internationally recognized expert in patents, intellectual property, business litigation and arbitration. He is a lawyer, engineer, arbitrator, businessman, and an adjunct engineering and economics professor at Rice University.

“We are thrilled to welcome someone with the vast patent and intellectual property experience of David Warden.” says John Zavitsanos, a founding partner of AZA. “He provides a valuable engineering background and has not only tried these cases, but has overseen them as a special master.”

Mr. Warden has been appointed as special master and mediator by federal courts in various patent litigation matters. He is licensed as a patent attorney before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, and has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law since 1989 by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Warden has arbitrated cases under the rules of the ICC International Court of Arbitration (Paris) and American Arbitration Association (New York), in addition to conducting ad hoc arbitrations.

“I have known and worked with the lawyers at AZA for many years and am excited to become formally associated with the firm,” says Mr. Warden. “AZA operates with an ‘unconventional wisdom,’ as we say at Rice University. They are brilliant and passionate lawyers working together with a special camaraderie to achieve the best results for their clients.”

Mr. Warden earned his law degree from University of Virginia after earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Purdue University. He has been an adjunct professor at Rice University since 2006. He speaks French and some basic Mandarin, and is an instrument-rated pilot and a certified scuba diver. Before attending law school, Mr. Warden worked as an engineer and district production engineering supervisor for Exxon Corporation USA.

Mr. Warden’s business activities include serving as Vice President–Corporate Development for Excalibur Almaz, U.S.A. from 2009-2011. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Encore Bancshares Inc. and several other businesses and charities.

AZA, or Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court. In fact, AZA has been hired on many occasions by the same companies the firm has prevailed against at trial. More information about the firm can be found at https://azalaw.com.