John Zavitsanos Named Trailblazer by The American Lawyer 

HOUSTON – AZA co-founder John Zavitsanos was named by The American Lawyer magazine as one of the 2022 Trailblazers South for his jury wins in trials seeking fair insurance reimbursements for emergency room doctors around the nation.  

The American Lawyer Trailblazers South is a special supplement spotlighting “a handful of individuals from each practice area that are truly agents of change.” The awards are given out by region. The honorees are featured in the October/November edition of the magazine.  

Mr. Zavitsanos was also recognized by the National Law Journal earlier this year as one of the “Plaintiffs’ Attorneys Trailblazers” nationally. And he was also one of only 10 lawyers named as a “Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar” by Law360 for these groundbreaking healthcare jury wins.  

He has won three jury verdicts for emergency room physicians in Arkansas, Texas and Nevada. The cohesive AZA trial team developed momentum that became especially clear in the third case, a closely watched two-month trial in 2021. A Nevada jury issued a $62 million verdict against the nation’s largest insurer, United Healthcare. With attorneys’ fees, the final judgment reached $72 million.   

“The fight against large insurance companies is continuing for fair pay for emergency room doctors. Our client TeamHealth’s overwhelming determination can help not just these physicians nationally, but all of us who become patients as well,” Mr. Zavitsanos said.  

The CEO of TeamHealth said of the Nevada verdict: “Our win …  will meaningfully impact every front-line physician in America — and that’s no exaggeration.” 

The Arkansas jury awarded $9.4 million against the insurance company sued there. In another case, a Harris County jury awarded $19.1 million.  

Mr. Zavitsanos’ AZA team on these cases includes co-founder Joe Ahmad; partners Jane Langdell Robinson,  Jason McManis and Kevin Leyendecker; and associates Thomas Frashier, Michael Killingsworth and Louis Liao. 

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 is recognized by Chambers USA 2022 among the best in Texas commercial law and intellectual property; by U.S. News – Best Lawyers’ Best Law Firms as one of the country’s best commercial litigation firms for 10 years running; has been named Litigation Department of the Year by Texas Lawyer three times including for 2021; and was previously dubbed by Law360 a Texas Powerhouse law firm.