When Kurt Arnold represents someone, he’s all in. He’s won billions for his clients. In fact, he has recovered more than $1 billion in a single year multiple times and shattered records with his historic verdicts and settlements. He has helped clients recover losses after major maritime disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon and the El Faro. For Kurt, no fight is too difficult or complicated. He refuses to take “no” for an answer. When something bad happens, Kurt fights for his clients, no matter what. He never backs down, no matter how big the challenge. Kurt co-founded Arnold & Itkin at 25 and has since won more than a dozen jury verdicts and settlements in excess of $100 million, over 100 jury verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 million, more than 1,000 recoveries exceeding $1 million, and multiple nationwide product recalls. Kurt’s record-setting verdicts include a $117 million recovery, the largest in single-plaintiff personal injury verdict in Louisiana. He holds a record in Hawaii after securing a $42 million verdict. He broke a U.S. record when he obtained a $44 million verdict on behalf of a single-leg amputee. He’s won record-setting individual recoveries for clients of $92.7 million, $87 million, $81 million, $78 million, and $72 million. Kurt has also achieved record settlements for workplace accidents of $357.7 million and $171 million. Other record-setting results earned by Kurt include: • Largest settlement for an individual burned at a worksite in United States history. • Largest settlement for a wrongful death case in United States history. • Largest settlement for a man killed offshore in United States history. • Largest settlement for families injured in a plant explosion in United States history. • Largest settlement for an undocumented worker in United States history. • Largest settlement for a worker injured in Texas oilfield. • Largest jury verdict for a single amputee in the United States. • Largest jury verdicts in multiple states throughout the country. Kurt consistently receives the legal industry’s highest honors. He has been named to the top 50 Elite Trial Lawyer list by National Law Journal and was recognized by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America. He has been named to the Best Lawyers in America® in Admiralty and Maritime Law and Personal Injury Litigation. He was also asked to join one of the most prestigious organizations in the legal profession: The Inner Circle of Advocates. Serious accidents require the best lawyers. When people get hurt or lose someone they love, they call Kurt. To him, every case is personal. He treats his clients like family, fighting hard to get them the result they need to rebuild their lives. Kurt attended the University of Texas, where he graduated with honors at the age of 19. He then attended the University of Texas Law School and graduated in the top 5% of his class. Kurt is licensed to practice in Texas and Pennsylvania, as well as before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and before the U.S. Supreme Court. Kurt lives in Houston with his wife Tara and their children Jaxon and Isla. Kurt and his family attend St. Paul’s Methodist Church and are founders of the Arnold & Itkin Foundation.

Brett Hill is an attorney based in Houston, Texas representing clients in a variety of cases. While dedicating himself to the academic rigors required to obtain his Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law, Brett also dedicated a great deal of his time in the #1 competitive advocacy program in the United States for which he traveled the country competing as one of the program’s top advocates and achieved accolades and numerous advocacy awards. Brett has further honed his advocacy skills representing hundreds of clients through often highly contentious litigation. Brett represents individuals and families who have been injured as a result of the negligence or wrongdoing of another individual or entity. Whether they’ve been injured in an 18-wheeler accident, car wreck, or work-related incident- Brett has, and will continue to advance his client’s best interest in every case. In addition to people, Brett also represents businesses in breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, and tortious interference cases. His representation has included disputes ranging in size from $1,000 to over $100,000,000. Whether you are a business that needs to sue or has been sued, Brett is prepared to offer you an aggressively tailored litigation strategy designed to fit your particular situation. Prior to being an attorney, Brett served four years in the United States Marine Corps, where he earned two meritorious promotions. He grew up in the Sam Houston National Forest, is a Sixth-Generation Texan, and enjoys bowhunting & outdoor sports. He has two awesome sons, two beautiful daughters, and a lovely wife. Call Brett, and he will be happy to meet for a free consultation.

Robin N. Blanchette represents a wide variety of clients and companies who are based locally, nationally, and internationally, and whose industries include retailers (premises liability, general negligence, premises security, products, DTPA), oil and gas (employment, personal injury, OCSLA, DOHSA), construction liability (worksite accidents, contractual indemnity, OSHA), products liability (manufacturing defects, design defects, marketing defects, DTPA, warranty, distribution), property management companies / owners, and restaurants. Robin is admitted to practice in Texas state courts, as well as the United States District Court for the Southern, Northern, Western and Eastern Districts of Texas. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, and Houston Bar Association. Robin was recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, a Thompson Reuters publication, from 2012-2016.

Gregory Howard is a litigation attorney with Germer PLLC. Greg is a proud native Houstonian, with undergraduate and graduate business degrees from Texas A&M University and a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center. Since graduating law school in 2005, Greg has spent the better part of his legal career as a litigator and advocate in such areas as commercial litigation, real estate, personal injury, and insurance defense, while consistently maintaining a broad exposure to many other facets of business law, property, and contracts. As a highly motivated individual, Greg takes great pride in performing high-quality work and appreciates practicing in a dynamic legal environment.

William is a seasoned trial attorney with over 30 years of experience litigating claims involving personal injury, medical malpractice, professional negligence, products liability, motor vehicle collisions, deceptive trade practices, premises liability, property/casualty losses and insurance coverage. William has a strong background defending physicians and hospitals, as well as companies involved with pharmaceuticals and medical devices. He has been involved with various mass tort dockets. In connection therewith, he has specific expertise managing large caseloads and providing liability/damage assessments, budgeting projections and resolution strategies. He has substantial experience with jurisdictional challenges, venue disputes, preemption, large document productions, privilege and confidentiality issues, corporate witness and expert depositions, expert challenges, discovery/summary judgment motions and trial. William has tried cases in Texas and New Mexico, and been involved with various national trial teams and formulation of national litigation strategies.

James A. Tatem is a graduate of the University of Texas where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1989. He received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from South Texas College of Law in 1992. Tatem James A. is admitted to practice before Texas state courts and the United States District Court for the Northern, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. Jim has served as a first-chair trial lawyer in a variety of personal injury and property damage cases as well commercial cases. Jim has extensive experience in products liability, premises liability, toxic torts, superfund and environmental litigation, construction litigation, real estate, civil litigation, class and collective actions, commercial litigation, insurance law, mediation/arbitration, and personal injury defense.

Matt McCracken has more than thirty years of trial, appellate and administrative law experience representing medical, legal, insurance and other professionals as well as product manufacturers, energy companies, telecommunications companies and medical institutions. Matt has defended numerous doctors, nurses and insurance professionals at their respective licensing boards. Matt is a well-known figure at the Texas Medical Board where he guides doctors through the professional disciplinary process and licensure issues. Notably, Matt briefed and argued the seminal case of American Transitional Care v. Palacios; 46 S.W.3d 873 (Tex. 2001) at the Texas Supreme Court. This important decision established minimum standards for preliminary expert reports in medical malpractice cases, and set the standard of appellate review in dismissals of medical malpractice cases under Tex. Rev. Civ. Stat. Ann. Article 4590i §13.01, now Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Chapter 74. This case has been cited by appellate courts over 5,000 times and continues to instruct and inform judges and lawyers across the State of Texas.

Serena D. Harmon is a trial attorney with experience litigating in both state and federal courts. In 1992, Serena earned her law school degree from South Texas College of Law. Prior to attending law school, Serena worked several years working in city government and earned a Master in Science from Carnegie Mellon University. Since law school, Serena has practiced several years as in-house counsel for an insurance company and as a personal injury insurance defense trial attorney. During the course of her career, her practice has focused on family law, small business owners and personal injury litigation. She has extensive experience in representing a variety of clients as a civil and as an insurance defense attorney, Serena is experienced in handling a variety of cases, including personal injury defense, insurance defense, premises liability involving slip and falls, negligent security cases, commercial litigation, and UM/UIM and trucking litigation.

Victoria L. Plante is the founding attorney of Plante Law Firm, P.C. Since 1997, she has represented individuals and small to mid-sized businesses in business formations, transactions, contracts, day-to-day operations as well as in litigation and internal matters related to employment and labor law. She has trained and assisted corporate management in the implementation of policies and procedures related to harassment, discrimination, retaliation, overtime pay, minimum wage, medical leave, and employee and independent contractor designations. Ms. Plante earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Shreveport and a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Arkansas William H. Bowen School of Law. She also holds a Master of Divinity in Missions from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ms. Plante is licensed by the State Bar of Texas. She is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, United States Court of Federal Claims, and United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She has also represented clients in employment and labor lawsuits outside the state of Texas, including California, Louisiana, and New Jersey. For more than two decades, she has successfully tried many cases in federal and state courts as well as administrative bodies like the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Texas Workforce Commission. She has authored several state and federal appellate briefs and has orally argued multiple times before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Federal Circuits. She has also briefed for review legal issues presented to the U.S. Supreme Court. She has also drafted legal memorandum as a U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Jones law clerk for the Eastern District of Arkansas. She is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, the Texas Employment Lawyers Association, and the Labor and Employment and Real Estate sections of the State Bar of Texas. She is legal counsel and a member of the Board of Directors of two 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian Evangelism and Missions organizations. She is an active member of the Missions and Evangelism ministries at her church. She has performed foreign missionary work in Africa and other countries and plans to devote more time to foreign missionary work in the future. Ms. Plante has been a panel speaker or presenter for various community and government based agencies and organizations, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Government Procurement Connections. She has also given several pro bono seminars for employees and union members on employee rights. Throughout her scholastic and professional careers, she has received multiple awards and certificates. In 2009 and 2013, she was named among the successful businesses in Who’s Who in Black Houston.