HOUSTON – On a list dominated by national and international law firms, Houston’s litigation boutique AZA was named by this country’s legal decision makers as one of the top firms they do not want to see on the other side of a lawsuit. 

The 2025 list was compiled by BTI Consulting, a group that annually interviews top legal clients about the most important law firms in the nation. AZA has made BTI lists in the past dozen years for being “Awesome Opponents,” or among the most fearsome, and for being on the “Client Service A Team,” for outstanding customer care.  

According to BTI, this year’s feared law firms list does not reflect just the rising aggressive nature of litigation but litigation that can be substantially more complex with higher stakes than in years past. The list of feared firms is designed to be populated by those who best defend, or in some cases initiate, legal action. 

“We take immense pride in our opponents wishing we weren’t at the other table. Some of our oldest clients, and some of our newest clients, hired us after we beat them in court,” said AZA co-founder John Zavitsanos. 

Here is what two now-AZA clients said about why AZA lawyers make fearsome and awesome opponents:

  • “I had the scary privilege of being across the table from AZA. … I quickly realized that I need to get AZA in my corner because I really didn’t want to be across the table from them ever again.” – General Counsel of a national environmental company 
  • “It was the first and only time I’ve ever hired a law firm that had beaten us in court. … Sometimes, I just need the best trial lawyer in Harris County, and I don’t want to pay for all the overhead that comes with having a law firm with offices around the globe.” – General Counsel of an international drilling company 

AZA, or Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing, 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 2024 as among the best in Texas in commercial law and intellectual property; has been listed by Best Lawyers’ Best Law Firms as one of the country’s best commercial litigation firms for 12 years; has been named Litigation Department of the Year by Texas Lawyer three times; and was previously dubbed a Texas Powerhouse law firm by Law360.