HOUSTON – Twenty-six AZA lawyers, more than half of all the attorneys in the litigation boutique, were honored in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, the nation’s oldest peer review guide to leading lawyers.
Thirteen AZA lawyers were named Best Lawyers and another 13 were named as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, an honor for lawyers who have been practicing for fewer than 10 years.
“We have an incredible stable of trial lawyers at AZA, and it’s terrific to have our peers recognize that through this prestigious award,” said John Zavitsanos.
AZA lawyers were cited for their excellence in the following practice areas: commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, appellate practice, patent law, personal injury litigation, intellectual property law, employment law for management, construction litigation, antitrust litigation, mass tort/class action and arbitration.
AZA lawyers named as Best Lawyers are:
- Joe Ahmad for commercial litigation and employment law – management
- Shawn Bates for commercial litigation
- Sammy Ford IV for commercial litigation, personal injury litigation – defendants and personal injury litigation – plaintiffs
- Jason McManis for intellectual property litigation
- Todd Mensing for commercial litigation and construction litigation
- Daryl Moore for commercial litigation, appellate practice and arbitration
- Jane Langdell Robinson for appellate practice
- Kevin Leyendecker for commercial litigation
- Tim Shelby for commercial litigation
- JoAnn Storey for appellate practice
- Monica Uddin for commercial litigation
- David Warden for intellectual property litigation and patent law
- John Zavitsanos for commercial litigation
Firm co-founders Messrs. Ahmad and Zavitsanos have been named Best Lawyers for decades, since 2003 for Mr. Ahmad and 2006 for Mr. Zavitsanos.
The AZA lawyers named as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch are:
- Weining Bai for commercial litigation and intellectual property litigation
- Cameron Byrd for commercial litigation
- Nathan Campbell for commercial litigation
- Barbara DePeña for commercial litigation
- Shahmeer Halepota for commercial litigation
- Justin Kenney for commercial litigation, antitrust litigation, mass tort litigation/class action – defendants
- Michael Killingsworth for commercial litigation and intellectual property litigation
- Louis Liao for intellectual property litigation and intellectual property law
- DJ Ringquist for commercial litigation
- Ian Marshall Sander for commercial litigation
- Harrison Scheer for commercial litigation
- Jordan Warshauer for commercial litigation
- Kelsi Stayart White for commercial litigation
Best Lawyers states its methodology “is based entirely on peer review. Our process is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.” You can read more about the awards at www.bestlawyers.com.
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 2023 as among the best in Texas in commercial law and intellectual property; has been listed by U.S. News – Best Lawyers’ Best Law Firms as one of the country’s best commercial litigation firms for 11 years running; has been named Litigation Department of the Year by Texas Lawyer three times, including for 2021; and was previously dubbed a Texas Powerhouse law firm by Law360.