USA Guide 2026 : Texas
Ranked Individuals
Provided by Wright Close Barger & Guzman, LLP
Appeals
WCBG has handled some of the most important appellate cases in Texas over the past two decades. The firm regularly argues in the Texas Supreme Court, the various Texas Courts of Appeals, and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. We have also handled appellate cases in various other states, including Oregon, California, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Mississippi.
Attention to the appeal must start in the trial court, preferably before the trial begins. While the trial lawyer focuses on winning the jury verdict, the appellate lawyer has an eye towards the appeal. WCBG appellate lawyers remain focused by taking responsibility for matters including pretrial motions, mandamus petitions and interlocutory appeals, research on special legal and evidentiary issues, and the critical work on the court’s jury charge. We do all of this, in addition to handling post-verdict motions and the appeal itself.
Seventeen of our attorneys clerked for state or federal appellate courts. Eleven of our lawyers - Tom Wright, Jessica Barger, Russ Hollenbeck, Brian Cathey, Brad Snead, Marie Jamison, Natasha Taylor, Jim Marrow, Rachel Stinson, Heidi Gumienny, and Kelley Morris are Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Two of our partners served on appellate courts - Eva Guzman (Texas Supreme Court and 14th Court of Appeals) and Wanda Fowler (14th Court of Appeals) for a total of 35 years and add their judicial perspective to all of our cases.
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Wright Close Barger & Guzman is a respected litigation boutique with a strong track record before state and federal appeals courts. The firm offers expertise in a wide range of claims, including personal injury, insurance, intellectual property and product liability.
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Wright Close Barger & Guzman continued to represent Hain Celestial Group in defending a major products liability verdict in its favor, with review granted in the US Supreme Court following an adverse appellate decision.
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Wright Close Barger & Guzman is authoritative, thorough and gets great results. Its lawyers are strong oral advocates and the work they do is impeccable.
Wright Close Barger & Guzman's appellate group is excellent. The firm has a deep bench that provides excellent customer service and approaches matters with intelligence and logic. It has the ability to hone in on the important issues, simplify the legalese and provide an honest assessment of the issues.
Wright Close Barger & Guzman's breadth and depth of knowledge of the law, opponents and the venues it represents us in are key strengths. It is always responsive, whether it's a quick question or complex multiparty litigation.
Wright Close Barger & Guzman's lawyers are specialists in appeals and strong advocates. Their communications are excellent.
Across the board, Wright Close Barger & Guzman's ability to create briefs that are effective in arguing the appellate issues, its excellent oral advocacy skills in court and its knowledge of the law in Texas and the judges are of great depth and value. Its lawyers also provide phenomenal communications and responsiveness and are very receptive to our needs.
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Eva is fantastic. She has unmatched knowledge and is very personable and responsive.
Eva is very good. She is smart and has very good judicial instincts.
Eva is smart and pragmatic. She brings significant value to the firm.
Eva provides timely and valuable insight and judgment. She is also responsive and committed to the work.
Eva is wonderful. As a former Justice, she brings unique insight to the matters at hand.
Jessica Barger is an experienced litigator who frequently appears in appellate courts at the state and federal levels, including the Supreme Court of Texas.
Jessica is a real fighter for her clients. She is very persuasive with judges and juries, she's a creative and persistent advocate.
Communication is Jessica's key strength. She can write and speak well, but the latter is definitely a key strength. She has an engaging way of communicating that draws people in, she is very effective at this.
Jessica is personable, thorough and the consummate professional. She is easy to talk to but is also aggressive in the way she moves cases forward. I trust her strategies implicitly and she is very competent and successful in what she does.
Jessica is a go-to for us as she continues to deliver positive results. She is very capable of handling complex matters and is extremely responsive.
Thomas is extraordinarily talented.
Thomas has been there and done it before. He gets it right and understands both the courts and his opponents incredibly well.
Thomas is knowledgeable, pragmatic and level-headed. He is an excellent resource to discuss complex legal and coverage issues with.
Thomas is a brilliant lawyer with a calm demeanor and excellent judgment. He knows which issues are important and he knows how to marshal his best arguments to prevail.
Thomas has a big-picture view of appellate work and where a case has been and needs to go. He is the captain of the ship and gives it direction. He is proactive with communications, keeps us up to date on cases and is also very responsive.
Wanda is a strong advocate.
Wanda is very bright and brings good judgment and insight, with a strong background as a Court of Appeals judge.
Raffi Melkonian is well regarded for his experience in appellate matters before the Fifth Circuit and the Texas Supreme Court, having also briefed and argued in the Supreme Court.
Raffi is very precise and extremely up to date on appellate law. He is very responsive and proactive with communications, keeping us abreast of developments on cases.
Raffi provides us with great written briefs as we seek to make our arguments.
Raffi is incredibly talented and a great oral advocate.
Litigation: Appellate
Litigation: Appellate
Litigation: Appellate
Litigation: Appellate
Litigation: Appellate
Provided by Wright Close Barger & Guzman, LLP
Jessica Zavadil Barger
Brian Cathey
Howard C. Close
Raffi Melkonian
Kenneth J. Fair
R. Russell Hollenbeck
Eva Guzman
View profile of Eva GuzmanJessica Barger
View profile of Jessica BargerWanda McKee Fowler
View profile of Wanda McKee FowlerThomas Wright
View profile of Thomas WrightRaffi Melkonian
View profile of Raffi Melkonian
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