HOUSTON – The complex commercial litigation and intellectual property law firm Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is being recognized for winning three of the top 10 verdicts in Texas during 2011.

The firm helped secure the state’s second-largest IP verdict, which also ranked as the third largest verdict overall in Texas Lawyer’s listing of the 2011 Top Texas Verdicts to be published this month. The firm also won the state’s second largest intentional tort verdict and fourth largest defense verdict last year.

“These results shine a bright light on the versatility of our courtroom-ready lawyers,” says John Zavitsanos, a founding partner of AZA, which recently bolstered its ranks to 25 lawyers based on new hires from big law firms. The firm has added eight skilled attorneys since 2010.

AZA attorneys Demetrios Anaipakos, Amir Alavi and Steven Mitby helped win the state’s third-largest jury verdict in 2011 for Versata Software Inc. in a patent infringement case involving pricing technology. Jurors in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas unanimously awarded Versata $260 million in lost profits and $85 million in reasonable royalties after finding that SAP America Inc. continued to infringe the Versata patent after an SAP “design around” that was ineffective. The total award in Versata Software Inc., et al. v. SAP America Inc., et al., No. 07-CV-00153, was slightly less than $392 million after adjustments to the verdict amount and the addition of prejudgment interest.

Just one week earlier, on May 6, 2011, Mr. Zavitsanos, Todd Mensing and Kinan Romman secured a nearly $1.1 million verdict for the son of Fort Bend County Chief Deputy Sheriff Craig Brady in a libel case against a local newspaper and reporter. In Wade Brady v. LeaAnne Klentzman and Carter Publications d/b/a The West Fort Bend Star, No. 03-CV-129531, a Fort Bend jury found that The Fort Bend Star and reporter LeaAnne Klentzman libeled Wade Brady in a Jan. 15, 2003, article by making false allegations about his behavior and falsely claiming that Brady’s father covered for him when he was charged with a crime.

In October 2011, Mr. Zavitsanos and Elizabeth Pannill Fletcher secured a defense verdict for Mistras Group Inc. (NYSE: MG) following a trade secret case that included an award of $750,000 in attorneys’ fees. Mistras, a New Jersey-based company that assesses the safety of large corporate and infrastructure components such as refineries and bridges, was wrongly accused by Texas-based Sentinel Integrity Solutions of interfering with an employment agreement and obtaining confidential information when it hired a former Sentinel employee. A Harris County District Court jury cleared Mistras and its employees in Sentinel Integrity Solutions Inc. v. Mistras Group Inc., et al., No. 2010-11229.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court. In fact, AZA has been hired on many occasions by the same companies the firm has prevailed against at trial.

The complex commercial litigation and intellectual property law firm Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, won the verdict on behalf of Fort Bend County, continuing the firm’s track record of successfully representing government entities.

AZA attorneys John Zavitsanos and Monica Uddin defended the county against the federal lawsuit filed by William Butera, a former sheriff’s department employee who claimed his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated when he was fired in 2010. Mr. Butera alleged that his termination resulted from his actions as president of the Fort Bend County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, and statements he made in testimony at the Texas Legislature.

“We were hired less than a month before trial, as often happens for us,” says Mr. Zavitsanos, a founding partner in AZA and an honoree in the Texas Super Lawyers list of the state’s Top 100 attorneys for five years running. “The evidence in this case was convincing, and the jury came back in only 90 minutes with a finding in favor of our client, Fort Bend County.”

The Houston federal court case is William Butera v. Fort Bend County, Texas, No. 4:11-CV-887. The final, take-nothing judgment was entered by U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court. In fact, AZA has been hired on many occasions by the same companies the firm has prevailed against at trial.

The claim alleges the companies are infringing U.S. Patent Nos. 6,979,210 and 7,090,515, which apply to thumb-drive storage technology.

Marshall, Texas-based Anu IP is represented by Demetrios Anaipakos, Amir Alavi and Steven Mitby, partners in the Houston complex commercial litigation and intellectual property law firm AZA.

The lawsuits, filed April 17, 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, were featured in the Law360 article, “Toshiba, Samsung, Others Targeted In Thumb Drive IP Blitz.”

The ’210 and ’515 patents cover technology used in USB thumb drive memory-storage devices that contain retractable USB connectors.

On April 18, 2012, AZA also filed a related a complaint before the United States International Trade Commission seeking a Section 337 investigation. In the complaint, In the Matter of Certain Electronic Devices Having a Retractable USB Connector, Anu IP alleges that the defendants import and sell products infringing the ’210 and ’515 patents.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court.

In addition to Mr. Gorman, who was the managing partner of Dewey & LeBoeuf’s Houston office, joining AZA are Jamie Alan Aycock, Chris Lacy and Lauren Reeder.

“We are excited to add four premier business trial lawyers to our growing arsenal at AZA,” says John Zavitsanos, a founding partner at AZA. “Their expertise and experience is on par with the top attorneys in the country.”

Commenting on his move, Mr. Gorman said, “AZA is an exceptional, exciting and entrepreneurial platform for the trial of business disputes.  It provides the type of environment in which trial lawyers thrive, and will be the leading business and intellectual property litigation boutique of this generation. I look forward to adding to its continued success and enhancing its already strong reputation as the trial boutique of choice for high-stakes business disputes.”

Mr. Gorman handles significant, complicated and high-value U.S. and international business disputes.  He provides extensive experience in complex business litigation and arbitration matters, including contract, fraud, energy, real estate and intellectual property matters on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. He has represented clients based in the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East in a variety of industries, including energy, chemical, petrochemical, steel, communications, oil field services, medical products, software, accounting, financial services, construction, real estate and manufacturing.

Mr. Aycock, a graduate of Harvard Law School, handles complex commercial litigation, including contract disputes, fraud and business torts. A former briefing attorney to Justice Nathan L. Hecht of the Supreme Court of Texas, he also has substantial experience in disputes involving federal preemption, administrative law and regulation of communications companies.

Mr. Lacy focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation and arbitration. He has successfully represented clients as lead counsel in trial and appellate courts and served on litigation teams in multibillion-dollar cases. A summa cum laude graduate of University of Houston Law Center, Mr. Lacy’s clients have included companies in the energy, financial services, real estate, telecommunications, construction and healthcare industries.

Ms. Reeder, a graduate of Harvard Law School, handles complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters.  Her experience includes work in securing the combined dismissal of a patent infringement claim and a $9 million counterclaim victory, the representation of an energy company in arbitration involving state and federal environmental regulations, and the representation of patent holders in enforcement actions.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court.  For more information on the firm, visit http://www.azalaw.com.

In a blog entry titled “Another Dewey & LeBoeuf Partner Exits: Houston Managing Partner Heads for Litigation Boutique,” reporter Jennifer Smith notes that Mr. Gorman left the large, respected Wall Street firm, not because he was upset with its management, but because he wanted to move to a platform more conducive to taking cases to trial and offering clients not only competitive hourly fees but a full range of fee arrangements. He brought three associates with him to AZA.

The blog post details Mr. Gorman’s decision to join AZA:

“His decision to leave Dewey was not linked to recent reports of financial trouble at the firm, Gorman said in an interview Saturday. He wanted to be part of a smaller practice where lawyers spend more time tackling challenging cases at trial. Gorman said his time at Dewey & LeBoeuf was ‘among the most enjoyable years of my law practice’ and praised firm chairman Steven Davis’ leadership.

My decision to leave Dewey & LeBoeuf was a decision to leave big law, not to leave because of any financial strain,’ Gorman said. ‘If Dewey was still making the huge profits it made in 2007, before the recession, I still would have made the decision to go.’”

The story has also been covered by ABA Journal News in a story called “Another Dewey Leader to Depart, Says Desire to Leave BigLaw, Not Firm Finances, Prompted His Exit.”

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court. In fact, AZA has been hired on many occasions by the same companies the firm has prevailed against at trial.

The verdict in Versata Software Inc., et al. v. SAP America Inc., et al., 07-CV-00153, also ranks as the nation’s fifth-largest intellectual property verdict in 2011.

An industry leader in front-office enterprise software, Versata sued SAP America Inc. (NYSE: SAP) and its German-based parent company SAP AG over infringement of a patent related to pricing technology.

In a verdict issued May 13, 2011, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas unanimously awarded Versata $260 million in lost profits and $85 million in reasonable royalties after finding that SAP continued to infringe the Versata patent and that SAP’s “design around” was ineffective. The total award came in at slightly less than $392 million after the court made adjustments to the verdict amount and added prejudgment interest.

Versata won an earlier verdict against SAP in 2009, but U.S. District Judge Charles Everingham IV set aside that verdict and ordered a new trial on damages. The company brought in AZA attorneys Demetrios Anaipakos, Amir Alavi and Steven Mitby shortly before the second trial to develop Versata’s lost profits claim, which was not presented in the first trial.

“This case is a terrific example of the trial skills and expertise at the firm,” says John Zavitsanos, a founding partner in AZA. “We were hired on the eve of trial, and Demetrios, Amir and Steve came through in a big way for our client.”

The VerdictSearch Top 100 Verdicts of 2011 is included as a special section in The National Law Journal.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court. In fact, AZA has been hired on many occasions by the same companies the firm has prevailed against at trial.

“We are a hard-driving litigation boutique and we’re thrilled to have so many of our bright young lawyers recognized among the best in the state,” says John Zavitsanos, one of the founding partners of AZA. All four lawyers represent both plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation.

The Texas Rising Stars list appears in the April 2012 issues of Texas Monthly magazine and Texas Rising Stars, a publication from Thomson Reuters Legal.

Ms. Fletcher, a fourth-generation Texas trial lawyer, has experience in complex civil litigation, including antitrust, securities, employment, trademark, trade secrets, and commercial contract and tort disputes. She has represented companies and individuals in class actions, shareholder derivative cases, and other civil litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts as well as arbitration proceedings. She attended the School of Law at The College of William & Mary, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the William and Mary Law Review.

Mr. Mitby is an AZA partner who represents clients in intellectual property and complex commercial litigation cases. He was first named to the Texas Rising Stars list in 2011. A cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School, he represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex litigation matters, including patent infringement cases, insurance coverage disputes, securities class actions, products liability claims, construction litigation, oil & gas litigation, trademark infringement disputes, internal corporate investigations, and appeals.

Mr. Romman focuses on complex commercial litigation matters, including business contract disputes, oil & gas litigation, high-stakes employment litigation and technology-centered cases. A former software engineer, he represents tech clients and others in high-value shareholder disputes and qui tam cases. Mr. Romman is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Houston Law Center and regularly appears on behalf of individuals and businesses in state and federal court, as well as in international proceedings.

Mr. Shelby, who was first named to the Texas Rising Stars list in 2008, routinely handles energy litigation, securities litigation, professional liability matters, and real estate disputes. He also has experience representing a large electric and gas utility in a wide variety of commercial, environmental, property-damage, and personal-injury disputes. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Mr. Shelby also served as a Teaching Fellow in Harvard’s Department of Economics and earned a Masters of Public Service and Administration from the Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court. In fact, AZA has been hired on many occasions by the same companies the firm has prevailed against at trial.

AZA partners Amir Alavi and Steven Mitby are defending a Wisconsin company that has been accused of patent infringement in a case involving the technology used in fluid-control nozzles.

Working with co-counsel James Boyle of Boyle Frederickson in Milwaukee, Mr. Alavi and Mr. Mitby convinced the court that the case should be heard in Wisconsin rather than Texas. Patent defendants traditionally fare better in their home states compared to other jurisdictions.

Lawyers at AZA have extensive experience helping companies in patent and intellectual property cases, including important pre-discovery matters like those recently handled by Mr. Alavi and Mr. Mitby, as well as jury trials and appeals.

AZA’s intellectual property stable includes Mr. Alavi, Mr. Mitby, Demetrios Anaipakos, and David Warden. Mr. Anaipakos and Mr. Alavi are Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Together, they worked alongside Mr. Mitby to help secure a $391 million patent verdict for a firm client in 2011. Mr. Warden, who’s also Board Certified in Civil Trial Law, is licensed as a patent attorney before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and has been appointed by federal courts as a special master and mediator in patent litigation.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction, and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court. In fact, AZA has been hired on many occasions by the same companies the firm has prevailed against at trial.

Mr. Warden, a founding partner of his former firm Yetter Warden & Coleman LLP and formerly a partner with Baker Botts L.L.P., is an internationally recognized expert in patents, intellectual property, business litigation and arbitration. He is a lawyer, engineer, arbitrator, businessman, and an adjunct engineering and economics professor at Rice University.

“We are thrilled to welcome someone with the vast patent and intellectual property experience of David Warden.” says John Zavitsanos, a founding partner of AZA. “He provides a valuable engineering background and has not only tried these cases, but has overseen them as a special master.”

Mr. Warden has been appointed as special master and mediator by federal courts in various patent litigation matters. He is licensed as a patent attorney before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, and has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law since 1989 by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Warden has arbitrated cases under the rules of the ICC International Court of Arbitration (Paris) and American Arbitration Association (New York), in addition to conducting ad hoc arbitrations.

“I have known and worked with the lawyers at AZA for many years and am excited to become formally associated with the firm,” says Mr. Warden. “AZA operates with an ‘unconventional wisdom,’ as we say at Rice University. They are brilliant and passionate lawyers working together with a special camaraderie to achieve the best results for their clients.”

Mr. Warden earned his law degree from University of Virginia after earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Purdue University. He has been an adjunct professor at Rice University since 2006. He speaks French and some basic Mandarin, and is an instrument-rated pilot and a certified scuba diver. Before attending law school, Mr. Warden worked as an engineer and district production engineering supervisor for Exxon Corporation USA.

Mr. Warden’s business activities include serving as Vice President–Corporate Development for Excalibur Almaz, U.S.A. from 2009-2011. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Encore Bancshares Inc. and several other businesses and charities.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction, and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court. In fact, AZA has been hired on many occasions by the same companies the firm has prevailed against at trial. More information about the firm can be found at http://www.azalaw.com.

Diane Guillerman joins the firm with more than 12 years of experience in litigation and appellate matters, including prior work as a chambers attorney for then-Texas 14th Court of Appeals Justice Eva Guzman.

Reed Smith has clerked for two federal judges, including one on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals; helped write solicitor general briefs in support of Texas law; and served as editor of the law review at the University of Virginia School of Law.

“We’re very pleased to add these two exceptional attorneys to our team of skilled trial lawyers,” says John Zavitsanos, a founding partner of AZA.

Ms. Guillerman has extensive experience in pretrial preparation and electronic discovery in complex commercial litigation cases involving FERC, securities matters, contractual interference and breach of contract. In addition to her appellate and litigation credentials, Ms. Guillerman has mediated cases at the Dispute Resolution Center of Harris County for two years. She is a member of the College of the State Bar, and she was also recently appointed by the mayor to serve on Houston’s Independent Police Oversight Board. Before attending the University of Houston Law Center, Ms. Guillerman worked as a Division Order Analyst at Scurlock Permian Corp.

Mr. Smith co-authored the State of Texas’ successful brief in the 2010 case of Croft v. Perry, a challenge to the words “under God” in the state’s pledge of allegiance. As a clerk in the Office of Solicitor General – part of the Texas Office of the Attorney General – he worked on several other cases including Rangra v. Brown, a challenge to open meetings laws that resulted in a dismissal on behalf of the state. Mr. Smith also clerked for 5^th Circuit Judge Catharina Haynes and U.S. MagistrateJudge Paul D. Stickney of Dallas, as well as serving as an intern for 5^th Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod.

Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., or AZA, is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true courtroom lawyers with a formidable track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy, intellectual property, securities fraud, construction, and business dispute cases. AZA is one of only 32 firms in the U.S. to be recognized as “awesome opponents” in a nationwide poll of corporate general counsel who were asked to name the law firms they hope their companies never have to face in court. In fact, AZA has been hired on many occasions by the same companies the firm has prevailed against at trial. More information about the firm can be found at http://www.azalaw.com.