
Litigation: General Commercial
USA Guide 2026 : Texas: Dallas, Fort Worth & Surrounds
Rankings

Ranked Individuals
Ranked Individuals
About
Provided by Vinson & Elkins LLP
V&E’s trial lawyers and appellate specialists work together to handle litigation and appeals in a broad range of areas, including energy litigation, securities litigation, white collar crime, construction disputes, media and commercial speech cases, lawyer defense, intellectual property, bankruptcy, tax, business torts, condemnation, and regulatory matters.
Our team has substantial experience with multi-district and complex class actions, jury and bench trials and appeals of these proceedings in state and federal venues across the country, all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, with particular strength in Texas courts. We also represent clients before administrative agencies and in arbitration and mediation. Many of our lawyers hold clerkships, affording us familiarity with relevant procedures and precedents of the courts and sharpened skills in briefing and oral argument.
Our clients come from a diverse array of industries, including but not limited to, traditional and renewable energy, infrastructure, life sciences, technology, automotive, financial services, chemicals, industrials, and mining.
https://www.velaw.com/practices/lawyer-defense/
https://www.velaw.com/practices/appellate/
Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Work Highlights
Provided by Chambers
Vinson & Elkins continued to represent Oncor in 132 cases involving approximately 17,445 plaintiffs related to power outages throughout Texas during Winter Storm Uri.
Strengths
Provided by Chambers
Vinson & Elkins is very responsive and communicative. Its attorneys ask us questions to get to understand our business and are quick to learn our industry. They partner well with the client in a way that not all lawyers do - this is a key strength for them. The lead partners are really good, and it has a strong bench on the whole.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAVinson & Elkins communicates extremely well; it is timely, clear and doesn't inundate us. The firm also has a very deep bench that works seamlessly together. The team definitely has the ability to handle complex matters and is plugged into our business.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAVinson & Elkins is client service-oriented, on top of things and we never have to chase it to get back to us. The team always seems ahead of the curve and works really hard to anticipate cases and issues.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAVinson & Elkins brings a lot of horsepower to bear. The team is thoughtful, capable and has a lot of resources to handle big litigation. The firm has a superb understanding of business angles and provides excellent communications and client service.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAVinson & Elkins' lawyers are practical commercial advisers. There's no question that they give advice in the best interest of the client. They are seasoned litigators with experience in various industries. The firm has a broad bench and there's never a doubt about its responsiveness.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Notable Practitioners
Provided by Chambers
Band 1 
Band 1 
Michael Holmes
Michael Holmes has an impressive securities litigation practice and is often sought out to handle merger challenges in the Delaware courts. Michael is a really strong practitioner.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAThe size of Michael's practice and his expertise are market-leading.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAMichael is practical and has good business sense.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Band 1 
Band 1 
Patrick W Mizell
Patrick Mizell is a leading commercial litigator with impressive capability in handling disputes in the energy sector.
Patrick is a go-to person in this space. He is really charming, and judges love having him in front of them because they know he won't mislead them.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAPatrick is an expert attorney.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAPatrick is amiable, capable and understands how to read a lawsuit and its tempo. He is an excellent senior lawyer who structures projects well.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Band 2 
Band 2 
Christopher Popov
Christopher Popov is based in the Houston office and is the head of Vinson & Elkins' complex commercial litigation offering. He is respected for his trial experience.
Christopher is our go-to call for any complex litigation and we all enjoy working with him. He is a super-responsive and very smart lawyer. He is very good at distilling various quirks and is a great communicator.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAChristopher's knowledge of the law is so good and you can see the judge really listens to him.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Band 2 
Band 2 
Craig E Zieminski
Craig Zieminski has an impressive and wide-ranging securities litigation practice, including expertise in merger challenges. He has experience advising clients in the energy, finance and real estate sectors, among others. Craig is a very sharp litigator and aggressive without being off-putting. He is really dogged and always seems to get answers, no matter how difficult the matter. He always understands the strategy behind the case and is a pleasure to work with.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSACraig is highly technical and has good financial chops. He can take complex financial concepts and information and put them into usable form for a case.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSACraig knows all of the cases and is very comfortable in securities class actions.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSACraig is great and strong on Delaware-related cases.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Band 2 
Band 2 
Marisa Secco Giles
Austin-based Marisa Secco Giles' broad practice covers commercial and securities litigation, with expertise handling contract, fraud and merger-related disputes. Marisa is knowledgeable, responsive and respectful of the priorities of the business.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAMarisa is strong from a client service standpoint, and in her ability to achieve results for us in a really complex area.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAMarisa is excellent. She is smart, hard-working and thorough. When you give her a case, it's in safe hands.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Band 3 
Band 3 
Matthew Moran
Matthew Moran has a strong track record in commercial litigation, with noted strength in bankruptcy and professional liability claims. Matt is responsive and very smart. He possesses great judgment and does an excellent job. I can't say enough good things about him.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAMatt has a lot of experience and is very good to work with. He is detail-oriented and thoughtful in his approach.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAMatt is very responsive and really invested in the relationship with us. He is a terrific lawyer.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAMatt is exceptional. He is really smart and is the epitome of professionalism. He is my first call for a commercial litigation issue.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAMatt is very good at juggling multiple facets of litigation. He has great knowledge, he's very good at the work he does and he responds to us quickly.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Band 5 
Band 5 
Quentin Smith
Quentin Smith is a go-to litigator for energy sector clients seeking strong representation in a wide array of matters, including contract, warranty and trade secrets-related disputes. Quentin is a really good, creative advocate.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAQuentin is excellent in his customer relations and his understanding of how to effectively resolve matters.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Band 5 
Band 5 
Stephanie Noble
Stephanie Noble is well regarded for her expertise in handling commercial disputes and has noteworthy strength in energy-related litigation.
Stephanie is an expert attorney who is extremely competent in her areas of expertise.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAStephanie is phenomenal. She is able to quickly get into the weeds on complex issues. She is also phenomenal when it comes to interacting with witnesses, trial preparation and arguing in the courtroom. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about her.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Up and Coming 
Up and Coming 
Jeffrey Crough
Jeffrey Crough is noted for his proficiency in securities litigation. He is experienced acting for companies and their directors and officers. Jeffrey is very smart and really understands the nuances of statutory and common law. He is strong on oral argument and understands the strengths and weaknesses of the case.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAJeffrey is a practical, smart litigator and is always super-deep into every factual and legal detail of a case. The strategies he proposes are always right. He is super-smart and drives solutions.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Up and Coming 
Up and Coming 
Meredith Lyons
Meredith Lyons represents clients at trial and in appeals, in both state and federal courts. She has expertise in M&A litigation, securities suits and a wide variety of other commercial disputes.
Meredith is smart and a quick thinker. She has great client relationship skills and has a very bright future as a leader ahead of her.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSAMeredith is able to do anything for the client and does it really well. Depositions are a real strength of hers - she is able to break down a witness very well and excels at building a case.
Litigation: General Commercial respondentUSA
Up and Coming 
Up and Coming 
Michelle Arishita
Michelle Arishita represents clients in range of complex commercial litigation matters, including contractual and construction-related disputes.
Ranked Individuals at Vinson & Elkins LLP (11)
Members
Provided by Vinson & Elkins LLP

Michael Holmes
View profile of Michael Holmes
Jeffrey Crough
View profile of Jeffrey Crough
Quentin Smith
View profile of Quentin Smith
Craig E Zieminski
View profile of Craig E Zieminski
Stephanie Noble
View profile of Stephanie Noble
Meredith Lyons
View profile of Meredith Lyons
Patrick W Mizell
View profile of Patrick W Mizell
Christopher Popov
View profile of Christopher Popov
Matthew Moran
View profile of Matthew Moran
Marisa Secco Giles
View profile of Marisa Secco Giles
Michelle Arishita
View profile of Michelle Arishita
What success is built on
Chambers is the leading data and intelligence partner for the legal sector.