Ten AZA Lawyers on Texas Rising Stars List for 2022 

HOUSTON – Ten AZA partners and associates were selected to this year’s Texas Rising Stars list of leading young attorneys, an honor based on peer nominations and independent research.  

Earning recognition for business litigation were firm partners Taylor Freeman and Jason McManis, both on the list for five consecutive years, and associates Cameron Byrd, Nathan Campbell,  Edward Goolsby, Kyle Poelker, and Paul Turkevich. Associate Shahmeer Halepota earned selection for civil litigation for the defense, and associate Kelsi Stayart White was chosen for her appellate expertise. Weining Bai was recognized for his intellectual property practice. 

Texas Rising Stars, a part of Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers, is an exclusive listing of the state’s top lawyers who are age 40 or younger or who have been in practice no longer than 10 years. No more than 2.5 percent of lawyers in the state are chosen for this honor. 

It’s no surprise so many AZA early-career lawyers achieve top honors since they are quickly involved in major litigation once they join the firm. Five of the Rising Stars honorees, Messrs. Freeman, Bai, Byrd, Campbell, Halepota, and Ms. White, were also selected last year by Best Lawyers as “Ones to Watch.” 

The complete 2022 Texas Rising Stars listing can be found in the April issue of Texas Monthly, the Texas Rising Stars edition of Super Lawyers magazine, and online at https://www.superlawyers.com/. 

AZA 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 2021 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 ten years running; has been named Litigation Department of the Year by Texas Lawyer; and was previously dubbed by Law360 a Texas Powerhouse law firm.