Arnold & Porter Opens Office In Houston, Texas With Highly Regarded Complex Litigation Team

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/-- Arnold & Porter LLP announced today that it has opened an office in Houston. The new office will enable the Firm to better serve clients within and outside the region, particularly those whose business needs require national and cross-border regulatory, litigation, and transactional expertise.

Tom Milch, Arnold & Porter's Chairman, said: "We see significant opportunities to build in Houston based on our existing strengths and our experience in the region. We are targeting growth of practices in Houston that help us continue to provide sophisticated service to clients, in the energy sector and elsewhere, in the most cost-effective way possible." 

As part of this initiative, the Firm will be joined by Thad Thano Dameris, Trevor R. Jefferies, Christopher M. Odell, and David J. Weiner. This team of litigators, including two seasoned trial lawyers, has significant experience representing international companies in major litigation, including several high profile mass tort cases. 

Mr. Milch also noted that "Thad Dameris and his team are a tremendous fit for our firm and our clients. They are outstanding litigators with strong practices that complement work we are already doing in the energy, transportation and defense sectors."

Thad Dameris, who will lead Arnold & Porter's Houston office, stated: "We are fortunate to be joining an organization with an exceptional reputation for excellence, remarkable strength and depth in areas of critical importance to our clients, an unwavering commitment to client service, and a steadfast culture of collegiality. Clients will immediately benefit from the combined strengths of our team, including in business and patent litigation, antitrust, environmental, product liability, government contracts and national security, among others."

Thad Dameris brings more than 25 years experience handling complex commercial disputes and transnational litigation, including both jury and non-jury trials across a range of substantive areas. Mr. Dameris' focus has been on energy and transportation litigation, including product liability and mass torts. He graduated with honors from The University of Texas Law School and received his B.B.A. from Southern Methodist University. 

Christopher Odell is also based in Houston.  His practice has been focused on complex litigation, particularly in the energy and aviation industries.  He has both first and second chair jury trial experience in federal and state courts, successfully representing clients in appeals, arbitrations, and internal investigations of alleged corporate misconduct.  A magna cum laude graduate of Tulane University, Mr. Odell was a member of Order of the Coif, and Order of Barristers.  He received a M.A. from New York University and a B.A. from Rice University.  Mr. Odell will be resident in the Houston office. 

David J. Weiner, who will join the Firm's Washington, D.C. office, has significant experience in the areas of class actions in a variety of industries, as well as complex commercial litigation in the federal courts involving constitutional, administrative, contracts, and product liability.  He is a graduate of Stanford Law School, where he was President of the Stanford Law Review and a member of Order of the Coif.  A former Fulbright Scholar, Mr. Weiner received his B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, from Johns Hopkins University. 

Trevor R. Jefferies joins the Firm's Houston office.  His litigation practice focuses in the areas of aviation, healthcare, insurance, and e-discovery.  Mr. Jefferies has tried cases and argued appeals in the Texas courts, and has handled complex litigation in multiple other jurisdictions.  He received his J.D. from the University of Houston where he was a member of the Order of the Coif.

Arnold & Porter LLP is an international law firm of nearly 800 lawyers with offices in Brussels, Denver, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C.  The firm, founded in 1946, maintains more than 26 practice areas spanning a broad spectrum of the law, with a primary focus on litigation, transactional matters, and regulatory issues.

SOURCE Arnold & Porter LLP