|   | | Law Firm in Houston, Texas | |
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| | Address | | 711 Louisiana Street, Suite 500 | | Houston, Texas 77002 | | (Ft. Bend, Harris & Montgomery Cos.) | | | |
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(Main Office)
| Royston, Rayzor, Vickery & Williams, L.L.P. practices in the following areas of law:
Admiralty Law, Appellate Practice, Aviation, Business Litigation, Commercial Law, Construction, Corporate, Energy, Environmental, Federal Court Practice, Insurance Coverage, Insurance Defense, Intellectual Property, International and Maritime Transactions, Labor and Employment, Maritime Law, Mediation and Arbitration, Patent, Products Liability, Trademark and Copyright, Transportation, Trial, Insurance, Industrial Accidents, Major Marine Casualty, Oil Spills. | | Year Established: 1892 | | Firm Size: 49 | Languages:
English, Spanish and German. | Representative Clients:
A.O. Smith Corp.; Britannia Steam Ship Insurance Assn., Ltd.; Chevron Chemical Company; Citgo Petroleum Corp.; CNA; Diamond Offshore Drilling, Inc.; Lexington Ins. Co.; London Steam Ship Owners' Mutual Ins. Assn., Ltd.; Marine Drilling Companies, Inc.; Oceaneering International, Inc.; Provident Life & Accident; Steamship Mutual Underwriting Assn., Ltd.; The St. Paul Companies; The United Kingdom Mutual Steam Ship Assurance Assn., Ltd.; Transportacion Maritima Mexicana, S.A. de C.V.; Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling, Inc.; Wells Fargo Bank (Texas) National Association; West of England Steam Ship Owners' Protection & Indemnity Assn., Ltd. |
Other Office Locations of Royston, Rayzor, Vickery & Williams, L.L.P.
Brownsville, Texas, U.S.A.
Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S.A.
Galveston, Texas, U.S.A.
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.
| | PARTNERS | | James Patrick Cooney (Partner) born Texarkana, Arkansas, February 22, 1944; admitted to bar, 1969, Texas; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: University of Notre Dame (A.B., cum laude, 1966; J.D., 1969). Editorial Associate, Notre Dame Lawyer, 1968-1969. Law Clerk to Hon. Lewis Morgan, Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1969-1971. Associate Editor, American Maritime Cases. Listed in: "The Best Lawyers in America in Maritime Law," 1995—; Marquis "Who's Who In America,"; Marquis "Who's Who In American Law." Member: State Bar of Texas; American Bar Association; Maritime Law Association of the United States (Chairman, Uniformity of Maritime Law Committee, 1998-2002; Director, 2001-2004); Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute (Chairman, 1993). Practice Areas: ERISA; Admiralty and Maritime Law; Maritime Accidents; Diving and Offshore Injuries; Marine Cargo; Marine Environmental Law; Marine Oil Spills; Marine Pollution; Maritime Contracts; Maritime Regulation; Ship Sales and Mortgages. Email: James Patrick Cooney | | John M. Elsley (Partner) born Houston, Texas, June 12, 1952; admitted to bar, 1979, Texas. Education: University of Houston (B.S., with honors, 1975; J.D., with honors, 1979). Phi Delta Phi; Order of the Barons. Editor, Houston Law Review, 1978-1979. Member: State Bar of Texas; Maritime Law Association of the United States; Houston Maritime Arbitrators Association. Practice Areas: Admiralty Law; Charter Parties; Diving and Offshore Injuries; Inland Marine Insurance; Inland Marine Law; International Maritime Law; Marine Cargo; Marine Insurance; Marine Insurance Defense; Marine Law; Marine Pollution; Maritime Commercial Law; Maritime Contracts; Maritime Law; Maritime Liens; Maritime Negligence; Maritime Personal Injury. Email: John M. Elsley | | David R. Walker (Partner) born Austin, Texas, November 21, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, Texas. Education: Rice University (B.A., 1977); University of Texas (J.D., with honors, 1980). Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; The College of the State Bar of Texas; Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit; Maritime Law Association of the United States; Texas-Mexico Bar Association. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Business Litigation; Civil Litigation; Federal Court Practice; Personal Injury; Transportation Law; Trial Practice; International Insurance; Catastrophic Injury; Construction Litigation; International Transportation Law. Email: David R. Walker | | John F. Unger (Partner) born Houston, Texas, June 5, 1956; admitted to bar, 1981, Texas, U.S. District Court, Southern, Western and Eastern Districts of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Texas (B.J., with honors, 1978); University of Houston (J.D., magna cum laude, 1981). Editor, Houston Journal of International Law, 1980-1981. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Texas Association of Defense Counsel; Defense Research Institute; Maritime Law Association of the United States (Maritime Personnel Committee; Proctor Member); Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Personal Injury Defense; Insurance Coverage; Charter Parties; Federal Court Practice; State Court Practice; Products Liability; Seizures; Toxic Torts; Transportation Law; Trial Practice; Chemical Explosions. Email: John F. Unger | | C. Scott Kinzel (Partner) born Bremerton, Washington, October 31, 1961; admitted to bar, 1987, California; 1993, Texas; U.S. Court of International Trade; U.S. District Court, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas; U.S. District Court, Northern District of California; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Ninth Circuits. Education: Texas A&M University at Galveston (B.S., summa cum laude, 1984); University of Texas School of Law (J.D., with honors, 1987). Member, 1985-1986 and Executive Editor, 1986-1987, Texas International Law Journal. Member: Houston, Federal and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California; State Bar of Texas; Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor Member); Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute (Houston Port Director, 1998-1999; Editorial Board, 1994-1998); Houston Maritime Arbitrators Association. Practice Areas: Trial Practice; Complex Business Litigation; Maritime Law; Transportation; Construction Litigation; International Trade; Insurance Coverage Defense; Toxic Torts. Email: C. Scott Kinzel | | Marcus R. Tucker (Partner) born Galveston, Texas, April 14, 1965; admitted to bar, 1990, Texas. Education: Baylor University (B.B.A., 1987); University of Texas (J.D., 1990). Phi Delta Phi. Member: Federal Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; Trucking Industry Defense Association. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Charter Parties; Diving and Offshore Injuries; Marine Cargo; Marine Insurance; Marine Insurance Defense; Marine Law; Maritime Contracts; Maritime Negligence; Maritime Personal Injury; Litigation; Construction Contracts; Construction Defects; Construction Liability; Energy Contracts; Insurance; Casualty Insurance; Commercial Insurance; General Liability; Insurance Bad Faith; Insurance Contracts; Insurance Coverage; Insurance Litigation; Property Damage; Property Insurance; Risk Management; Uninsured and Underinsured Motorists; Motor Vehicle Accidents; Personal Injury Defense; Premises Liability; Products Liability. Email: Marcus R. Tucker | | Chester J. Makowski (Partner) born El Paso, Texas, April 3, 1963; admitted to bar, 1991, Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Sixth Circuits; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of St. Thomas (B.A., magna cum laude, 1984); University of Houston (J.D., magna cum laude, 1991). Order of The Coif; Order of The Barons. Briefing Attorney to Chief Justice Thomas R. Phillips of The Supreme Court of Texas, 1991-1992. Member: State Bar of Texas. Languages: Polish and Spanish. Practice Areas: Appellate Law; Insurance Coverage; Captive Insurance; Commercial Insurance; Excess Coverage; Aviation Insurance; Marine Insurance. Email: Chester J. Makowski | | Scott R. Breitenwischer (Partner) born Baytown, Texas, June 11, 1959; admitted to bar, 1989, Texas; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: University of Texas, Austin (B.J., 1982); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1987). Phi Alpha Delta. Member: Houston Bar Association; Hidalgo County Bar Association; Fifth Circuit and Federal Bar Associations; The Association of Trial Lawyers of America; U.S. Mexico Bar Association. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Business Litigation; Insurance Defense; Products Liability. Email: Scott R. Breitenwischer | | James M. Thompson (Partner) born Houston, Texas, March 14, 1974; admitted to bar, 1999, Texas; 2000, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.B.A., 1996); South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1999). Phi Delta Phi. Member: State Bar of Texas; American Bar Association. Practice Areas: Personal Injury Defense; Asbestos Litigation; Business Litigation; Commercial Litigation. Email: James M. Thompson | | OF COUNSEL | | Edward D. Vickery (Of Counsel) born Fort Worth, Texas, May 1, 1922; admitted to bar, 1948, Texas. Education: University of Texas (B.A., 1945; J.D., with honors, 1948). Phi Delta Phi. Member, Board of Editors, Texas Law Review, 1947-1948. Listed in "The Best Lawyers in America in Maritime Law," 1995—. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor Member); American Judicature Society. Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers; International Academy of Trial Lawyers; International Association of Defense Counsel. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Appellate Practice; Federal Court Practice; Insurance Coverage; International Law; Products Liability. Email: Edward D. Vickery | | Gus A. Schill, Jr. (Of Counsel) born Houston, Texas, November 12, 1932; admitted to bar, 1958, Texas. Education: Rice University (B.A., 1955); University of Texas (J.D., with honors, 1958). Phi Delta Phi. Author: "Old Wine Into New Bottles and Old Wine Into New Bottles revisited," 18 Houston Journal of International Law 817; "Available Forums and Recoverable Damages in Offshore Personal Injury Litigation," 16 Houston Law Review 1; "Recent Developments Regarding Maritime Contribution and Indemnity," 51 Louisiana Law Review 975; "Moragne-Gaudet" Three If By Sea?, 13 Houston Law Review 917. Adjunct Instructor of Admiralty Law, University of Texas, 1979 and 1980; Adjunct Professor, Admiralty Law and Conflict of Laws, University of Houston Law Center, 1981—. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor Member); Southeastern Admiralty Law Institute. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; General Litigation; Maritime. Email: Gus A. Schill, Jr. | | William M. Jensen (Of Counsel) born Grand Junction, Colorado, October 8, 1940; admitted to bar, 1969, Colorado; 1970, Texas, U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits and U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Colorado (B.A., 1962; J.D., 1969). Phi Alpha Delta. Law Clerk to Hon. Joe Ingraham, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1969-1971. Member: Houston, Colorado and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Texas Association of Defense Counsel; Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor Member); Houston Maritime Arbitrators Association. Practice Areas: Charter Parties; Marine Cargo; Maritime Law; Maritime Liens; Arbitration; Customs Fines; Customs Seizures; Collective Bargaining; Labor Arbitration; Management Labor Law; Defense Litigation; Federal Litigation. Email: William M. Jensen | | Marilyn Tanner Hebinck (Of Counsel) born St. Louis, Missouri, October 20, 1935; admitted to bar, 1980, Texas. Education: University of St. Thomas (B.A., magna cum laude, 1957); Georgetown University School of Foreign Service; University of Houston (J.D., with honors, 1980). Delta Epsilon Sigma; Phi Delta Phi. The Advocates, First Place ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition, 1979. Law Clerk to Hon. Norman W. Black, U.S. District Court Judge, Southern District of Texas, 1980-1983. Member: Houston, Federal (President, Houston Chapter, 1984-1985) and American (Member, Section on Litigation) Bar Associations; Defense Research Institute (DRI); Maritime Law Association of the United States; Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit. Practice Areas: Insurance Bad Faith; Insurance Fraud; Insurance Litigation; Customs Fines; Life and Health Insurance; Disability Insurance. Email: Marilyn Tanner Hebinck | | Kenneth D. Kuykendall (Of Counsel) born Grand Saline, Texas, October 25, 1937; admitted to bar, 1968, Texas. Education: Baylor University (B.A., 1960); University of Texas (LL.B., 1968). Phi Delta Phi. Adjunct Professor, Admiralty Law, South Texas College of Law, 1972-1976. Member: State Bar of Texas; Texas Association of Defense Counsel; Maritime Law Association of the United States (Proctor Member). Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Maritime Personal Injury; Maritime Products Liability; Seamens Claims; Boat Manufacturing Liability; Carriage of Goods by Sea; Diving and Offshore Injuries; International Maritime Law; Jones Act; Marine Cargo; Marine Law; Marine Liability; Maritime Accidents; Maritime Contracts; Civil Litigation; Insurance Defense. Email: Kenneth D. Kuykendall | | Robert H. Etnyre, Jr. (Of Counsel) born Toledo, Ohio, February 24, 1950; admitted to bar, 1978, Texas; U.S. District Court, Southern, Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth and Eleventh Circuits; U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Trinity University (B.A., 1972); University of Texas (M.A., 1975); University of Houston (J.D., with honors, 1978). Articles Editor, Houston Law Review, 1977-1978. Member: Houston (Litigation and Appellate Sections) and American (Tort and Insurance Practice Section) Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas (Litigation and Insurance Sections); Defense Research Institute (Insurance Law Committee); The Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Trial Practice; Appellate Practice; Insurance Coverage. Email: Robert H. Etnyre, Jr. | | Nathan Wesely (Of Counsel) born Osceola, Nebraska, August 5, 1958; admitted to bar, 1986, Texas; 1997, Louisiana; U.S. District Court, Southern, Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas and U.S. District Court, Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; U.S. Supreme Court; registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Education: University of Nebraska (B.S.I.E., 1980); University of Texas (M.B.A., 1985; J.D., 1986). Member: Houston, Louisiana State and American (Labor and Employment Sections) Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas (Labor and Employment and Litigation Sections); (Board Certified, Labor and Employment Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization). Practice Areas: Labor and Employment; Construction Labor Law; Employment Litigation; Employer Intentional Torts; Employment Practices Liability Insurance; Wrongful Termination Defense; OSHA; ERISA; Intellectual Property Litigation; Trial Practice. Email: Nathan Wesely | | ASSOCIATES | | Nicholas A. Parma (Associate) born New Braunfels, Texas, April 28, 1965; admitted to bar, 1998, Texas; 2002, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas; U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.A., 1995; J.D., 1998). Briefing Attorney to Justice Linda Yanez, Texas State Court of Appeals, Thirteenth District (2000-2001). Co-Author, "Nonsubscriber Law Update," Advanced Personal Injury Law Course, 2004. Member: State Bar of Texas. Practice Areas: Appellate Practice; Insurance Defense; Insurance Coverage; Products Liability; Environmental Tort; Toxic Tort; Employment Law. Email: Nicholas A. Parma | | Jessica A. Putonti (Associate) born Millinocket, Maine, October 19, 1974; admitted to bar, 2003, Texas; 2004, U.S. District Court, Southern, Eastern, Western and Northern Districts of Texas. Education: University of Connecticut (B.S., Molecular and Cell Biology, 1997; J.D., 2003). Phi Alpha Delta. Member, Connecticut Moot Court Board. Member, Connecticut Insurance Law Journal. Court Appointed Special Advocate, Child Advocates, Inc. Member: Houston, Federal and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Houston Young Lawyers Association; Association of Women Attorneys; Defense Research Institute; Women's International Shipping and Trading Association. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation; Toxic Torts; Admiralty and Maritime Law; Insurance Coverage Defense; Insurance Defense; Bankruptcy; Real Estate. Email: Jessica A. Putonti | | Shelley A. Grahmann (Associate) born Houston, Texas April 11, 1981; admitted to bar, 2005, Texas; U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: University of St. Thomas (B.A., summa cum laude, 2002); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., cum laude, 2005). Order of the Barristers. Research Editor, Houston Law Review. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Women's International Shipping and Trading Association. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Commercial Litigation; Appellate Practice; Insurance Litigation. Email: Shelley A. Grahmann | | Rachel de Cordova (Associate) born January 28, 1969; admitted to bar, 2006, Texas. Education: New York University (B.F.A., 1991); University of Texas School of Law (J.D., with honors, 2006). Member: Houston Bar Association; State Bar of Texas; Women's International Shipping and Trading Association. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Insurance Defense. Email: Rachel de Cordova | | Jay T. Huffman (Associate) born Dallas, Texas, November 14, 1975; admitted to bar, 2007, Texas. Education: United States Military Academy (B.S., 1998); Baylor University School of Law (J.D., 2007). Order of the Barristers. Member: State Bar of Texas. [U.S. Army Officer, 1998-2003]. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Maritime Personal Injury; Litigation. Email: Jay T. Huffman | | Lauren G. Wygant (Associate) born Houston, Texas, October 4, 1981; admitted to bar, 2007, Texas. Education: University of Texas at Houston (B.A., History Honors Program, 2004); University of Houston Law Center (J.D., 2007). Member, Houston Mariner's Club. Member: State Bar of Texas; American Bar Association; Garland Walker Inn of Court; Women's International Shipping and Trading Association. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Business Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Insurance Defense. Email: Lauren G. Wygant | | Kristin E. Kruse (Associate) born Houston, Texas, December 29, 1978; admitted to bar, 2006, Texas. Education: Texas A & M University (B.A., magna cum laude, 2001); University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Southern Methodist University (J.D., 2006). Briefing Attorney for Justice Charles W. Seymore, Texas, Fourteenth Court of Appeals, 2006-2007. Associate Managing Editor, Southern Methodist University Law Review. Member, Southern Methodist University Barristers. Member: Houston and American Bar Associations; State Bar of Texas; Houston Young Lawyers Association; Women's International Shipping and Trading Association. Languages: German. Practice Areas: Admiralty and Maritime Law; Business Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Appellate Practice. Email: Kristin E. Kruse | | Barbara A. Clark (Associate) born New Orleans, Louisiana, January 9, 1952; admitted to bar, 1979, Texas. Education: Wellesley College (B.A., 1974); University of Texas (J.D., with honors, 1979). Wellesley College Scholar. Member: State Bar of Texas. Languages: Russian, Spanish, French. Practice Areas: Appellate Practice; Admiralty and Maritime Law; Business Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Insurance Coverage. Email: Barbara A. Clark | | Richard A. Branca (Associate) born Bronx, New York, October 12, 1973; admitted to bar, 2003, New York and New Jersey; U. S. District Court, Southern, Eastern, Northern and Western Districts of New York, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey and U.S. Court of International Trade. (Not admitted in Texas). Education: Queens College of the City University of New York (B.A., 1996); Fordham University (M.B.A., 2002; J.D., 2002). Practice Areas: Maritime Law; Transportation. Email: Richard A. Branca | | Christine D. Rhodes (Associate) born Houston, Texas, November 7, 1982; admitted to bar, 2007, Texas; 2008, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.A., Government, 2004; J.D., with honors, 2007). Member: Houston Bar Association; State Bar of Texas Houston Young Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Insurance Defense; Maritime Law; Commercial Litigation. Email: Christine D. Rhodes | Other Office Addresses: Links to Other Offices
Brownsville, Texas Office: 55 Cove Circle, 78521. Telephone: 956-542-4377. Cable Address: "Padre" Telex: 767-817. Telecopier: 956-542-4370.
Corpus Christi, Texas Office: Frost Bank Plaza, 802 N. Carancahua, Suite 1300, 78470. Telephone: 361-884-8808. Cable Address: "CC PORT" Telex: 6866625. Telecopier: 361-884-7261.
Galveston, Texas Office: 205 Cotton Exchange Building, 2102 Mechanic Street, 77550-1692. Telephone: 409-763-1623. Cable Address: "Houport" Telex: 6869017. Telecopier: 409-763-3853.
San Antonio, Texas Office: The Forum, 8000 IH 10 West, Suite 624, 78230. Telephone: 210-525-7942. Fax: 210-525-7943.
| (For Biographical Data on Other Personnel see Professional Biographies at Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Galveston and Lubbock, Texas) | | Maintains an office in more than one location. |
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