Richard practices in the areas of energy, marine, professional liability, construction and insurance litigation. He is a board certified lawyer with over twenty-five years experience in preparing and trying lawsuits, both in Texas and out of state.

Representative Experience

• Eliminated a death case against an international energy defendant by successfully applying jurisdictional defenses.
  
  
• Obtained zero verdict in defense of 7-figure commercial real estate errors and omissions claim, defeating charges of malpractice, fraud and DTPA (Texas Deceptive Trade Practice Act) violations.
  
  
• Prevailed in arbitration proceeding and shifted multi-million dollar liability away from underwriter in a chemical plant explosion lawsuit.
  
  
• Successfully defended out of town real estate agent against claims by rural county land owner.
  
  
• Obtained a nuisance value settlement for a pipeline anchor manufacturer faced with 8-figure liability claim following gas pipeline rupture.
  

Experience Areas
Richard has litigated cases arising in the following areas:

All aspects of marine and onshore energy production and distribution, including pipeline failures, refinery incidents, chemical plant explosions, and onshore and offshore personal injury and property damage lawsuits

Errors and omission defense, including without limiting claims arising in the following areas: real estate, construction, accounting, law, architecture and engineering, insurance brokerage and policy placement

Admiralty litigation, including cargo, collision, inland marine, Jones Act, Death on the High Seas Act, limitation of liability proceedings, and Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act cases.

Commercial Real Estate Litigation, including subrogation defense and prosecution, mineral and land title defense and prosecution, contractual review and contractual litigation

Insurance coverage disputes arising out of the following types of coverage: General Liability, Business Risk, Marine Liability, Inland Marine Liability and Property, Energy, Property, Real Estate, Law Accounting, Architecture and Engineering, Insurance Agency and Brokerage, and Business Interruption

Memberships
State Bar of Texas
Insurance Practices Section, State Bar of Texas
Defense Research Institute
Admitted to all Texas State and Federal Courts

Board Certified
Consumer and Commercial Law, 1996

Education
University of Texas, B.A. Plan II (Honors)
University of Houston, J.D.

License Dates
State Bar of Texas, 1984
United States District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, 1985-1988
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1988