Mr. Campbell is a commercial trial lawyer who has averaged one trial or arbitration victory per year in the first five years of his practice:

• In 2020, Mr. Campbell cross-examined two key witnesses, directly examined a third, and delivered closing arguments in an international commercial arbitration over a commodity trading dispute. In addition to awarding his client damages, the arbitration award quoted Mr. Campbell’s cross-examination of the opposing party’s principal when disposing of an entire counterclaim in favor of Mr. Campbell’s client.
• In 2019, Mr. Campbell was lead counsel in a successful bench trial on attorney’s fees and declaratory judgment in a tech start-up investor dispute. The Court found that the firm’s client was entitled to preferred stock rather than common stock, as the defendant was arguing.
• In 2018, the firm’s client was awarded damages after the respondent ordered specialty-manufactured goods used in oil field services and did not pay for them.
• In 2016, Mr. Campbell was on the trial team for a janitorial contractor who hired AZA to end a nearly 10-year-old case against a union that lied about the cleaning company and caused the company to lose business. AZA stopped the stalling, got the case to trial, and obtained a jury verdict that, with interest added, totaled $7.8 million for the firm’s client. The case made national news.
• In 2015, National Oilwell Varco was sued for $120 million by eight former employees claiming they were treated differently because of their race. Mr. Campbell joined the trial team after the client offered a substantial settlement that was refused. The client won a take-nothing verdict in a hard-fought case where plaintiffs were represented by a high-profile civil rights lawyer.

Mr. Campbell has built on the lessons he has learned from trial when managing cases for his clients at all other stages of litigation—from pre-suit demand, through discovery, dispositive motion practice, appeals, and collections. While commercial litigation is Mr. Campbell’s focus, he has gained experience in oil and gas, construction, and employment law. Representative successes include:

• In 2021, the Supreme Court of Texas affirmed the Second Court of Appeals’ judgment enforcing an arbitration provision, which paved the way for the firm’s client to proceed against its counterparty to recover in excess of $15 million under an indemnity provision. Mr. Campbell helped draft the appellate briefing.
• In 2021, Mr. Campbell successfully settled a case for a commercial property owner and management company on a seven-figure premises liability lawsuit.
• In 2020 and 2018, Mr. Campbell successfully defended motions for summary judgment on two separate eight-figure claims, in which he primarily drafted the briefing and argued the defense at the summary judgment hearings. One case involved executives seeking compensation and benefits from their current employer. The second involved a mixed-use property developer seeking damages against a contractor and a surety on an over $60 million project.
• In 2019, he successfully argued and defended summary judgment for briefing on land-use restrictions where he was the primary author. Following the summary judgment hearing, the judge unexpectedly indicated that he wanted to conduct a bench trial on the case in five days. Mr. Campbell led the trial preparation efforts and showed up ready to try the case on the fifth day. The opposing party caved in a settlement favorable to Mr. Campbell’s client before opening statements. The result was the preservation of a century-old deed restriction that has helped maintain the aesthetic and charm of a Montrose neighborhood from a developer threatening to sue neighbors and the civic association who were attempting to enforce the restrictions. This matter was handled on a pro bono basis.
• In 2017, Mr. Campbell successfully excluded an opposing party’s expert after deposing the expert, drafting the motion to exclude, and arguing the motion in court. The case was a construction dispute between a property owner whose building flooded following rain and the engineer who designed the building.

Mr. Campbell was named to the 2021 and 2022 lists of “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” for commercial litigation. This is a national peer review award developed by Best Lawyers in America to target associates for their outstanding professional excellence early in their careers. He was also named on the 2021 and 2022 Texas Rising Stars lists for his excellence in business litigation. Rising Stars, which is compiled by Thomson Reuters’ Texas Super Lawyers, honors leading attorneys age 40 and younger and those who have been in practice no more than 10 years. He is also a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow.

A Harvard Law grad, Mr. Campbell was an article editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Technology in law school and volunteered as a student attorney at the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project.

Prior to law school, Mr. Campbell served as a paralegal in the Boston office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, where he assisted in False Claims Act investigations and litigation.

Mr. Campbell is also a graduate of the College of Holy Cross and completed intensive post-graduate Mandarin language training at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan.

EDUCATION

• Harvard Law School, J.D., May 2015
  • Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, Article Editor
  • Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project, Student Attorney
• College of the Holy Cross, B.A. summa cum laude, May 2008
  • Political Science and Chinese Language and Civilization,
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Rev. George King, S.J., and Richard Keenan Prize for Proficiency in Political Science
• National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
  • Huayu Enrichment Scholar at the International Chinese Language Program, Fall 2008 – Spring 2009
  • Awarded Republic of China Ministry of Education Huayu Enrichment Scholarship to pursue intensive Mandarin language training

BAR ADMISSIONS

• State Bar of Texas
• U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of Texas
• U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

HONORS AND AWARDS

• 2021 and 2022 lists of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
• 2021 and 2022 list of Texas Rising Star honors as presented by Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters Business
• Texas Bar Foundation Fellow

IN THE NEWS

• AZA Beats Frivolous Anti-SLAPP Appeal in Construction Case
• Ten AZA Lawyers on Texas Rising Stars List for 2022
• Twelve Young AZA Lawyers Ranked among Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for 2022   
• AZA Prevails for Apache Corp. at the Supreme Court of Texas  
• Eleven AZA Lawyers Make the 2021 Texas Rising Stars List  
• Three More AZA Lawyers Elected Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation  
• Eleven AZA Associates Make US List of ‘Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch’  for 2021 
• US Supreme Court Won’t Overturn NOV Win in $120M Discrimination Suit
• AZA Wins $9M Jury Verdict in Texas Patent Infringement Case Against Motorola
• WSJ: Texas Union Fights to Stay in Bankruptcy after Losing Defamation Case
• AZA Lawyer Zavitsanos Tells Newspaper How Social Media Aids in Jury Selection
• Houston Janitorial Service Wins $7.8 Million from Union Over Disparagement
• AZA Secures Victory for National Oilwell Varco in $120 million Discrimination Lawsuit
• 9 Reasons We Are Even Stronger