Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing

Managing Partner: John Zavitsanos

Number of partners: 8

Number of lawyers: 50

Languages: Arabic (some), Bengali, Cantonese, English, Farsi, French, Greek, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu/Hindi

Firm Overview:

AZA is home to true courtroom lawyers who provide a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation and intellectual property disputes. Often called in to court on the eve of trial, among other areas AZA focuses on energy, patents, business disputes, trade secrets, non-competes and corporate investigations. This lean boutique offers efficient, top grade legal advice. AZA was named First-Tier in Commercial Litigation in Houston by US News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America. In US surveys of corporate counsel, AZA has been cited both for being an ‘awesome opponent’ in court and for excellent client service.

Main Areas of Practice:

Complex Commercial Litigation:

Clients call AZA when the stakes are high. AZA’s eight partners have tried hundreds of cases, most of them commercial matters representing Fortune 1,000 companies, including extensive work in the energy industry. The firm handles all types of commercial cases, from breach of contract, warranty, indemnity, construction, real estate and business tort lawsuits to shareholder oppression, partnership and fiduciary litigation. Many AZA clients are former adversaries. Nine firm lawyers have been named among the top attorneys in the nation by US News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America. Five firm partners are Board-Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. AZA is regularly hired on the eve of trial.

One Example: An oilfield supplier facing more than $35 million in exposure hired AZA shortly before trial. After getting the case continued, AZA filed a counterclaim. Nine months later, AZA’s opponent ended up paying the firm’s client a multimillion-dollar cash settlement.

Key Clients: AZA commercial litigation clients include Plains All American Pipeline in all types of energy related commercial litigation; CITGO in a variety of energy litigation; Air Liquide in all types of commercial litigation.

Contact: John Zavitsanos

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Tim Shelby

Email: [email protected]

Intellectual Property:

‘This Houston trial boutique dazzles in patent infringement cases across the United States and beyond,’ wrote IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals in ranking AZA among the best Texas patent litigation firms for the third year in a row.

AZA lawyers have experienced great success representing clients in IP and IP-related cases throughout the world, including Europe, Asia and the Middle East. They regularly handle patent infringement, trademark, copyright and trade secret cases. Languages spoken by IP team members include Arabic (some), Cantonese, Farsi, French, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu/Hindi.

AZA patent lawyers have experience in numerous industry sectors including energy, technology, chemistry, biochemistry, telecom, hardware and software, and transportation. They have had success representing both plaintiffs and defendants in IP cases.

AZA’s IP stable includes experienced trial lawyers and lawyers with technical backgrounds in chemistry, electrical engineering, software and biochemistry. The AZA IP team has more than 15 lawyers. Included are three-board certified trial lawyers and several lawyers licensed as patent attorneys before the US Patent and Trademark Office and several with extensive Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) experience.

Contact: Jason McManis

Email: [email protected]

Trade Secrets/ Covenant Not to Compete:

AZA is nationally recognized in covenant not to compete and trade secret litigation through work for numerous energy, technology and financial companies. AZA secured a unanimous defense verdict in a high profile, $30 million trade secret lawsuit in Houston after being called in on the eve of trial.

Key Clients: AZA trade secret/covenant not to compete clients include Mistras Group, successful defense in trade secrets case; and A&B Valve and Supply (A&B), successful defense in nationally publicized case filed by National Oilwell Varco, which then hired AZA to represent the company in two trade secret cases.

Contact: Joseph Ahmad

Email: [email protected]

Contact: Todd Mensing

Email: [email protected]

Clients:

AAA Life Insurance Company; Airgas; Altus Healthcare; Aon Risk Services; American Automobile Association; Anadarko; Apache Corp.; Brown & Root; Chevron; Chevron Phillips Chemical Company; CITGO; Contango; Cornerstone; Cosentino; DNOW; Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church; Enterprise Products Partners; Francesca’s; Genuine Parts Company; GreyStar Corporation; Group 1 Automotive Inc.; Halliburton; Holloman; Houston Rockets; Huntsman; KBR; Key Energy; Landry's; LoJack; Lyondell Chemical Company; The Lancaster Hotel; Mi-Jack Products Inc.; Mistras Inc.; MJMC Inc.; Millennium Interests; Motion Industries Inc.; National Oilwell Varco; Nevada Gold & Casinos Inc.; NAPA Auto Parts; NiSource; NuStar; Penspen; PEMEX; Plains All American Pipeline L.P.; Port of Houston Authority; Ramex Inc.; Space X, TechnipFMC; Transocean; US Energy Corp.; Valero; W&T Offshore; Westlake; ZT Wealth.