Eight from Houston’s AZA Law Firm Earn Spots on Texas Super Lawyers List

September 5, 2014

HOUSTON – Eight lawyers from the Houston commercial litigation boutique AZA, or AZA, earned selection to the 2014 Texas Super Lawyers list of the state’s top attorneys.

AZA name partners Joseph Ahmad and John Zavitsanos are also listed among the Top 100 lawyers in Texas. They, along with partners Demetrios Anaipakos and Todd Mensing, earned placement among Houston’s Top 100 lawyers as well.

Four other AZA attorneys are recognized on this year’s Texas Super Lawyers list. They are partners Amir Alavi, Sean Gorman, Tim Shelby and of counsel David E. Warden.

Mr. Ahmad, Mr. Zavitsanos and Mr. Warden have been on the list every year since it was first published in 2003.

Each year, Texas Super Lawyers asks attorneys to nominate their peers, and a blue-ribbon panel assists with final selections following a thorough review process. The complete list is published in the October 2014 editions of Texas Monthly and Texas Super Lawyers magazines, and is available online at http://www.superlawyers.com.

All eight of these same AZA lawyers are also recognized in the 2015 edition of The Best Lawyers in America based on their work in commercial litigation and patent litigation.

Mr. Ahmad primarily represents executives in litigation, including trade secret and non-compete cases. He earned the 2015 Lawyer of the Year honor in employment law for the Houston area from The Best Lawyers in America.  He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and has been recognized as one of the country’s leading attorneys by Chambers USA. He has been on the Texas Super Lawyers list every year since it began.

Mr. Zavitsanos has tried more than 75 commercial cases to verdict, including those involving oil and gas, financial services, construction and complex commercial disputes. He has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law since 1997 by both the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He also is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Mr. Zavitsanos is recognized by Chambers USA as one of the top lawyers in the nation. He has been on the Texas Super Lawyers list every year since it began.

Mr. Anaipakos represents plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes complex commercial litigation and intellectual property cases. He has been counsel in several cases involving allegations of damages into the hundreds of millions of dollars. He is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and has earned selection to the Texas Super Lawyers list since 2004.

Mr. Alavi represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation throughout the U.S. He has litigated cases involving hedge fund and investment partnerships, intellectual property, securities fraud, energy trading, and oil and gas interests. He is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has been listed by Texas Super Lawyers since 2005.

Mr. Mensing focuses on complex commercial litigation in a variety of areas, including energy, real estate, construction, trade secrets, breach of contract and business tort cases. He is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. This year, Mr. Mensing was ranked by Chambers USA. He has been on the Texas Super Lawyers list since 2013.

Mr. Gorman provides extensive experience in complex business litigation and arbitration for both plaintiffs and defendants, including cases involving contract, fraud, energy, real estate and intellectual property matters. He is recognized as one of the country’s leading commercial litigators by Chambers USA. He has been on the Texas Super Lawyers list since 2004.

Mr. Shelby focuses on complex commercial litigation, oil and gas-related litigation, trade secret litigation, and professional liability matters. Mr. Shelby was named to the Texas Rising Stars list, a companion to Super Lawyers that highlights younger attorneys, in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. This is his first year on the Texas Super Lawyers list.

Mr. Warden is an internationally recognized expert in patents, intellectual property, business litigation and arbitration. Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Mr. Warden has arbitrated cases under the auspices of the ICC International Court of Arbitration (Paris) and American Arbitration Association (New York). He has earned selection to the Texas Super Lawyers list every year since it began.

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 recognized in Chambers USA 2014 among the best in Texas commercial law and by U.S. News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America as one of the country’s best commercial litigation firms in the 2014 listing of the nation’s leading law firms. National corporate counsel named AZA one of the country’s best in client service among law firms serving the Fortune 1000.