Ryan Caughey

 “Ryan is a great advocate. He’s prompt, sharp and has terrific bedside manner.” - Client Quote from Chambers USA 2024

Ryan Caughey, a Susman Godfrey Partner, and member of the firm’s Executive Committee, is a first-chair trial lawyer who has consistently been recognized as one of America’s leading litigators.

Ryan has recovered more than $1 billion for his clients. For example, in 2023, Ryan was part of a team that successfully obtained a nearly $160 million arbitration award for Black Knight—while simultaneously defeating a $60 million counterclaim—following a two-month trade secret-antitrust arbitral hearing.

Not long before that, Ryan was co-lead trial lawyer representing Linde Engineering in a 5-week jury trial that resulted in a more-than $42 million judgment for his client, in addition to more than $22 million in pretrial recoveries. Ryan’s team also defeated more than $40 million in counterclaims.

On the defense side, Ryan has represented clients facing billions of dollars of potential exposure. His wins have been reported in The Wall Street Journal, the Houston Chronicle, Texas Lawyer, Law360, and other leading publications.

Ryan’s client list is wide-ranging. While he regularly represents some of the world’s largest companies—such as Chevron, Walmart, and Live Nation—he has also won courtroom victories and valuable settlements for small businesses and individuals. Ryan typically represents his clients on a fixed fee, contingency fee, or other alternative fee arrangement.

Ryan has particular experience in the areas of antitrust and competition, technology and trade secrets, construction, oil and gas, and business and partnership disputes. Ryan also handles federal and state appeals.

Ryan joined Susman Godfrey after starting his career at Gibson Dunn in Washington, D.C. and clerking for the Honorable Timothy Tymkovich on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School, where he was Managing Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy. Ryan received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University.

Updated Oct 2025

• The Dial Corp. et al v. News Corp. et al. Represented a certified class of consumer-packaged goods manufacturers, including Dial Corporation and Kraft Heinz Foods, pursuing monopolization claims against News Corporation and affiliated entities. The class alleged that News Corp. had overcharged them for advertising. Ryan and his team secured class certification, defeated a Rule 23(f) appeal, defeated summary judgment. The case settled on the first day of trial producing a net recovery to class members of $187.5 million.
  
  
• Paltalk v. Cisco. Won a $65.7 million jury verdict after a four-day trial on behalf of Paltalk Holdings, a global communications software innovator, in a patent infringement lawsuit against Cisco Systems in the Western District of Texas. The win was covered by Bloomberg Law, Law360, Reuters, and USA Herald, among others.
  
  
• Brand et al v. Promega et al. Secured more than $300 million—one of the largest shareholder oppression recoveries in U.S. history—for minority shareholders in Promega Corp., on claims related to control, governance, liquidity, and valuation. At the conclusion of the month-long trial, the judge stated that she was “strongly leaning to find oppression here.” Ryan and his team successfully resolved the case, while the court was preparing its final judgment, with Promega acquiring his clients’ shares for a very substantial premium over the pre-suit redemption price and the valuation Promega argued at trial.
  
  
• Linde Engineering North America v. Arrow Field Services et al. Secured a $42 million judgment as co-lead trial lawyer to Linde Engineering in a construction dispute regarding a North Dakota gas plant. The judgment followed a five-week jury trial and was in addition to more than $20 million in pretrial recoveries.
  
  
• City of Houston v. Willis Towers Watson. Secured significant result for the City of Houston in complex, federal-court professional liability dispute against its pension actuarial firm, Willis Towers Watson. After summary judgment was fully briefed, the team negotiated a favorable settlement for the City, which resulted in a net payment to the City of approximately $29 million.

• Arbitration
• Class action
• Commercial
• Commercial disputes
• Competition/antitrust
• Dispute resolution
• Energy and construction
• Environmental
• Intellectual property
• Securities
• Professional Negligence, Personal Injury, Corporate Governance

• J.D. - Harvard Law School    
• A.B. - Princeton University    
• Law Clerk to the Honorable Timothy M. Tymkovich - United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit

• Texas    
• Colorado    
• District of Columbia