AZA Partner Shahmeer Halepota Selected as One of Texas Lawyer’s On the Rise Award Winners 

HOUSTON – AZA partner Shahmeer Halepota was named to Texas Lawyer’s 2025 Texas Legal Awards list of the best young lawyers in the state.  

The On the Rise award recognizes Texas’ most promising lawyers under the age of 40, with only 21 attorneys being recognized with the award statewide. The legal news magazine seeks lawyers who have wielded influence and are innovators in their practice areas in Texas and beyond. 

Texas Lawyer says it honored lawyers with robust books of business, who demonstrate strong leadership qualities, show expertise in litigation and commit themselves to charitable and professional volunteer work. 

“It’s an honor to be selected amongst such an incredible group of talent.  This recognition is a testament to my colleagues, whose tireless hard work is responsible for the results we secure for our clients,” said Mr. Halepota.   

The judges considered his work for high-profile clients from Ben & Jerry’s to the Republic of South Sudan. He’s also recently secured a favorable settlement for a UFC champion against an NFT company, won a $80 million partnership arbitration, helped get a “first of its kind” social media influencer copyright litigation dropped against his client and convinced a California court to remove the secrecy veil from Meta employee arbitration agreements. 

This is not the first time Mr. Halepota’s growing leadership and success has been noted in the last eight months. He also received these honors: 

• The Best Lawyers in America honored him with its Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch award. 

• Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers put him on its list of Texas Rising Stars. 

• Lawdragon honored him as one of the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America. 

• The South Asian Bar Association of North America listed him as one of only five attorneys to receive the international honor of its 2025 Rising Star Award. 

• The Asian Pacific Interest Section of the State Bar of Texas gave him the 2025 Best Lawyers Under 40 award. 

The Texas Legal Awards ceremony is September 25 at the Dallas Arts District Mansion.  

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, healthcare, intellectual property and business dispute cases. AZA was recognized again by Chambers USA 2025 as among the best in Texas in commercial law and intellectual property; the firm has been listed by Best Lawyers’ Best Law Firms as one of the country’s best commercial litigation firms for 13 years; has been named Litigation Department of the Year by Texas Lawyer three times; and was previously dubbed a Texas Powerhouse law firm by Law360.