 IN THIS NEWSLETTER  The Power AZA Has from Trying AZA went to trial 20 times in 2023, which amplifies the firm’s power both inside the courthouse and on the courthouse steps. And there are two more trials scheduled in December. Included in the 20 were a $153 million win against a large insurance company, a $41 million win in an oil and gas trespass case, a $32.5 million award in a Midtown construction case and a $2.4 million win for a client who did not pay a penny to the party that sued it for $30 million. Other firms do not get anything like this experience, and it benefits all of AZA’s clients. Why hire “litigators” who have not tried a case to verdict in years, as opposed to a real trial firm that is in We know juries, and we know some interesting things about post-COVID juries. All our lawyers go to trial. We get the newly licensed lawyers into court as quickly as possible. And that, given our trial docket, is very soon. Don’t want to go to trial? How better to avoid it and properly value a settlement than to have true road-tested trial lawyers advise you? “We are trial lawyers, and we thrive in the courthouse. This year we beat back claims against our clients and won lawsuits we filed for them. This record of accomplishment creates power for our clients before a jury and a “We are always ready to start that trial. Always,” Zavitsanos said. AZA’s Terrific Newest Hires Impressive credentials, valuable experience, superb clerkships and general chutzpah abound in AZA’s 11 newest lawyer hires. Many came to AZA from prestigious global and boutique firms. Whether practicing for more than two decades, or fresh out of law school, this crop of attorneys has what it takes to win the AZA way.  Barbara DePeña – A trial and appellate lawyer, Ms. DePeña came to AZA from another high-ranking firm. This UT Law graduate clerked for federal and state judges as well. Read more here.
Paul Galante – With decades of complex commercial litigation experience across many industries, Mr. Galante brings imposing skills along with his penchant for pro bono work. Read more here.   Carl Gustafson – A second-career trial lawyer, Mr. Gustafson came to AZA from a global law firm. He is a former federal law clerk and a COO of a tech company. Read more here. Chris Hackerman – With 26 years of significant litigation experience in both plaintiff and defense matters, Mr. Hackerman comes to AZA with a wide variety of experience. Read more here.  Enes Ovcina – A former shareholder at a prominent national firm, Mr. Ovcina is a registered patent lawyer with experience in high-stakes intellectual property disputes. Read more here.   Angela Peterson Karina Sanchez-Peralta – A trial lawyer and former pediatric emergency room nurse, Ms. Sanchez-Peralta is a magna cum laude graduate of the UH Law Center. Read more here.   Jarmonique Smith – A commercial litigator, Ms. Smith joined AZA from a leading global firm. Her experience included disputes in the energy, healthcare and education industries. Read more here. Michael Dylan Thompson – A trial lawyer, Mr. Thompson joins AZA from a leading global firm where he focused on employment, equity incentives, and other compensation issues. Read more here.   Cody Watson – A trial lawyer and recent graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Watson has a Associate Kelsi Stayart White – Trial Attorney Turned Appellate Winner Judge Daryl Moore told Kelsi Stayart White that he could stand to work another four months without her while she was on maternity leave, but only if he knew she was coming back. Or else he’d quit. He was joking, kind of.  Kelsi has become so valuable, Judge Moore said, she is (as another associate described her) like the “plug and play” devices that are intended to work perfectly when first used. “She’s been through trial work, she’s now great at appellate work, she is so versatile she can take on any role,” Judge Moore said. He said she is a rock star lawyer, legally mature beyond her years and despite being in her early 30s, she has an old soul that can read people, read a room and navigate any situation. AZA’s Amazing Appellate  AZA has become well known for its videos. Now it’s also well known for its successfully launched appellate practice. Texas Lawyer honored AZA’s appellate practice by putting it on its Watch List. In its first year, AZA’s appellate team won a remarkably high nine cases. The AZA team won in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Texas Supreme Court and in the intermediate Texas appellate courts. Legal Ease? The Connections game has become all the rage. Here there are four groups of legal words with something in common, and there are four words in each group. Pick the ones that go together and hit Submit to see if you are right. Sometimes a word could go into two groups but is only used here for one group.  Cascades of Accolades  It was another big year of awards for AZA. The firm was honored by Chambers USA for the 10th year in a row and by Best Law Firms for the 12th year in a row. Twenty-six AZA lawyers, more than half of all the attorneys in the litigation boutique, were honored in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, the nation’s oldest peer review guide to leading lawyers. Lawdragon listed 15 awards for AZA lawyers and Benchmark Litigation named the firm and three lawyers. The IP practice was honored by London-based intellectual property publisher IAM and Texas Lawyer honored the firm for diversity and its great startup appellate practice. AZA Earns Prestigious Chambers USA Rankings for the 10th Year in a Row AZA Named for 12th Year to List of Best Law Firms Twenty-Six AZA Lawyers Honored as Best Lawyers and Ones to Watch Texas Lawyer Honors AZA on Watch List for Diversity and Appellate Practice Ten AZA Lawyers Make 2023 Super Lawyers List; Two are Top in Texas Thirteen AZA Attorneys Earn Texas Rising Stars Honor Nine AZA Lawyers Named 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Three AZA Lawyers Named to Lawdragon’s Next Generation of 500 Leading Lawyers in America John Zavitsanos Named Again to Lawdragon’s 500 Top Plaintiff Financial Lawyers List Joe Ahmad Named a Lawdragon Leading Corporate Employment Lawyer Todd Mensing Named to Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Lawyers in Environmental Law Jason McManis Recognized for Intellectual Property Litigation Prowess by Benchmark Litigation AZA Again Named a Top Texas Patent Trial Firm by Prestigious International IP Guide      |
