The Susman Godfrey Difference: Susman Godfrey is America’s premier litigation boutique. Our talented group of lawyers handle high-stakes litigation for plaintiffs and defendants nationwide. With over 170 trial lawyers in four offices from coast to coast, we handle the most challenging cases throughout the country. We offer a broad range of creative, flexible fee structures which align our and our clients’ interests. Traditional hourly billing accounts for a small percentage of our work. Because we often share risk with our clients, we are committed to their success. At Susman Godfrey, we approach each case as if it is headed for trial. Everything that we do is designed to prepare our attorneys to persuade a jury. When you are represented by Susman Godfrey, the opposing party will know that you are willing to take the case all the way to a verdict if necessary—this fact alone can make a good settlement possible.
We’re Number 1: Susman Godfrey has a longstanding reputation as one of the premier firms of trial lawyers in the US. We have been named the nation’s best litigation boutique by Vault 13 years in a row (every year since they started ranking). Benchmark Litigation named us Trial Firm of the Year in 2022 and Commercial Litigation Firm of the Year in 2023. The American Lawyer named us Boutique Litigation Firm of the Year in 2019. Our lawyers are regularly recognized by legal media and researchers as leaders in their field.
Unique Perspective: Susman Godfrey represents both plaintiffs and defendants. We thrive on variety, flexibility, and creativity. Clients appreciate the insights that our broad experience brings. Our dual perspective informs not just our trial tactics, but also our approach to settlement negotiations and mediation presentations. We are successful in court because we understand our opponent’s case as well as our own.
Unparalleled Talent: Susman Godfrey prides itself on a talent pool as deep as any firm in the country. Clerking for a judge in the federal court system is considered to be the best training for a young trial attorney. Over 95% of our lawyers served in these highly sought-after clerkships after law school. Ten of our trial lawyers have clerked at the highest level—for Justices of the United States Supreme Court.
A Record of Winning: No matter the practice area or side of the courtroom, our lawyers are adept at becoming experts on the relevant subject matter, committing to the client’s ultimate goal, and working tirelessly to exceed expectations. Major victories include:
Updated Sep 2023
Smyser Kaplan & Veselka, LLP (“SKV”) is a diverse and growing litigation boutique based in Houston, Texas with nationally-recognized civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense practices.
With its Houston roots, SKV has tried and won numerous energy cases over the years. But our practice is broader than that. We handle civil matters of all sorts, including intellectual property, healthcare, securities, and general commercial cases. We also have a flourishing white-collar practice, with a third of our attorneys specializing in the area. Our work spans all stages of a case and types of forums. We negotiate favorable resolutions to disputes before they go to court. We go to trial. We arbitrate. We mediate. We handle appeals. And we do so in jurisdictions across the country.
While building our firm, we’ve stayed true to a single principle: People drive success. That’s why we’ve put together a first-class team. The vast majority of our lawyers began their careers as law clerks, and since then, they’ve seen just about everything. So it’s a rare day when we confront a legal issue for the first time.
Experience, though, is just one piston in the engine that powers our firm. Another is our junior attorneys’ vigor. We hire promising young lawyers out of clerkships or early in their careers, and we treat them as future partners. That means they take depositions, draft dispositive motions and appellate merits briefs, and present oral arguments. The results speak for themselves: our associates provide terrific outcomes for our clients.
As SKV has grown, we’ve developed into one of the nation’s premiere litigation boutiques, and our commitment to excellence has not gone unnoticed. In recent years, SKV has:
Racking up awards has never been our goal, but we appreciate the high praise. What matters most is delivering exceptional results for our clients while maintaining the family-like culture that brought us together in the first place. And as these decorations suggest, over the past 25 years and counting, we’ve done just that.
Updated Sep 2023
Hicks Thomas LLP is one of Houston’s premier litigation boutiques and is led by experienced senior trial lawyers whose talents rival those in the litigation departments of any of Houston’s global law firms. The firm handles client matters across the country. With a commitment to client service, Hicks Thomas offers superior value to clients facing the significant costs and uncertainty inherent in complex litigation.
Here are some things that the firm’s clients typically say:
Hicks Thomas lawyers have extensive experience representing clients in and out of the courtroom in a broad range of industries and litigation practice areas. Clients hire the lawyers at Hicks Thomas not only for their broad range of subject-matter expertise but also, and more especially, for their strategic insights in managing disputes from prelitigation advice through trial and appeal. Senior management hires Hicks Thomas for its track record and dedication to delivering results. In-house litigation managers want to work with Hicks Thomas because they know they will have the benefit of top-notch trial lawyers who are collaborative, are easy to work with, and will understand how to succeed both in court and for the business.
The firm’s lawyers are widely recognized as part of the upper echelon of the trial bar. Several of the firm’s attorneys are Board Certified in specialties such as Civil Trial Law, Civil Appellate Law, and Personal Injury Trial Law. The firm is also consistently recognized as a top law firm by publications such as Chambers USA, U.S. News – Best Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, Benchmark Litigation, and Super Lawyers.
Hicks Thomas’ track record of success has made it a go-to firm for clients facing complex litigation challenges. Founded in 1997, Hicks Thomas celebrates its 25th year of operation this year and has offices in Houston, Austin, Beaumont, and Amarillo, Texas, and Sacramento, California.
Updated Sep 2023
Alavi Anaipakos is home to a seasoned team of trial lawyers who efficiently handle high-stakes litigation against some of the country’s largest law firms. Alavi Anaipakos’ attorneys have more than 150 years of combined experience representing clients in U.S. courts and other legal jurisdictions worldwide. The firm represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex patent, trade secret, and patent infringement disputes and significant commercial litigation matters.
The firm’s lawyers have a long track record of helping intellectual property clients prevail against some of the largest companies in the world. Firm attorneys have won cases against Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Motorola, LG Electronics, Qualcomm, and Samsung, as well as global smartphone giants such as Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Alavi Anaipakos also has handled multifront litigation on behalf of companies in Germany, China, Japan, England, Brazil, Dubai, and other international venues.
Alavi Anaipakos is additionally called on to develop global strategies to protect and monetize clients’ intellectual property interests worldwide. Chambers USA ranked the firm in Band 4 for Intellectual Property among Texas-based law firms in 2022, only weeks after firm founders Amir Alavi and Demetrios Anaipakos launched Alavi & Anaipakos with nine lawyers in late May 2022.
Alavi Anaipakos also is home to seasoned commercial litigation attorneys who have handled an array of complex business disputes for both plaintiffs and defendants. The firm represents clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 100 companies in a wide variety of industries. The firm’s attorneys have earned well-deserved respect in the legal industry for their trial skills and ability to solve complex problems on favorable terms before trial.
Alavi Anaipakos’ attorneys are known for exceptional results driven by front-line experience and success in hearings and trials. Notably:
Updated Sep 2023