David Norman Getz is a practicing lawyer in the state of Texas handling personal injury matters,

Brant Stogner grew up in El Campo, Texas – a small town about an hour southwest of Houston. In high school, Brant excelled at both athletics and academics. Brant graduated in the top ten percent of his high school class; in sports, Brant and the Ricebirds won six district championships in football and baseball during his three years starting on varsity. Brant earned all-district honors all three years in both sports while also participating in theater and the National Honor Society. Despite a knee injury and subsequent knee surgery in his senior year of high school, Brant accepted a full scholarship to the University of Houston to play linebacker for the Cougars under former head coach Kim Helton. In college, Brant’s academic success continued. In his freshman year at the University of Houston, Brant earned the 1997 Conference USA Academic Excellence Award, earning the highest grade point average (GPA) of all football players in the conference. After playing two seasons, and having three surgeries in as many years, Brant decided to hang up his football cleats and transfer to Texas A&M University to complete his business degree. In College Station, Brant’s scholastic accolades continued to mount. Brant was a member of numerous honor societies and graduated in the top ten percent of his class with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. After graduation from Texas A&M University, Brant moved back to Houston to attend law school at South Texas College of Law Houston. In law school, Brant quickly became a member of the law school’s nationally ranked mock trial and moot court program under Dean T. Gerald Treece. Following just his third semester in law school, Brant won the Intramural Summer Academy Mock Trial Competition and received the Best Speaker Award. Ultimately, Brant competed as a varsity advocate in 15 mock trial and moot court competitions across the country. In addition to numerous individual speaker awards, Brant won a state tournament championship, a regional moot court tournament championship, two regional mock trial tournament championships, and, ultimately, a National Championship in mock trial at the ATLA National Trial Competition in his final semester of law school. Brant graduated law school in May of 2006 in the top fifteen percent of his law school class, was admitted into the Order of Barristers, and received the 2006 Dean’s Outstanding Student Advocate Award. Following graduation from law school and after taking the bar exam, Brant accepted an associate position at Houston law firm, Hays, McConn, Rice & Pickering (now named LeClair Ryan) while waiting for bar results. In November of 2006, Brant received his license to practice law from the State Bar of Texas while working at Hays McConn. As a licensed attorney, Brant continued to work with multiple partners on a wide range of cases in civil litigation, representing primarily defendants in personal injury and business disputes. Brant worked as a lawyer during the day and as a law professor at night while he coached South Texas College of Law Houston mock trial teams for his alma mater. After learning the ropes at Hays McConn for nearly two years, Brant accepted an associate position with Abraham Watkins in August of 2008. Brant has been with Abraham Watkins ever since and is now a firm partner with his name in the firm’s name. At Abraham Watkins, Brant has continued to consistently try cases to verdict. Brant tried twelve cases to verdict in his first three years at the firm. Today, he exclusively represents plaintiffs. Brant’s practice focuses on catastrophic personal injury matters, including gas explosions, commercial auto and 18 wheeler cases, refinery and petrochemical explosions, product defect cases, commercial business disputes. Since joining the firm, Brant has helped hundreds of his clients obtain compensation for their injuries and damages caused by others. Brant is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law. He received this certification within his first five years of legal practice, which is the soonest an attorney can become board certified in Texas. In 2009, Brant received the largest verdict (over $20 million) in Texas for workplace safety and injuries and was listed in Verdict Search’s Top Texas Verdicts of 2009. Brant is a board member of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association and is a founding member of the South Texas College of Law Houston Young Alumni Council. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the South Texas College of Law Houston Alumni Association and served as President in 2019. Brant was named to the Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star list from 2011 to 2013. He was named to H Texas Magazine’s “Houston’s Top Lawyers 2013” list and has been named to Houstonia Magazine’s “Top Lawyers” list since 2013. Despite being only thirty-four years old, Brant was selected to the Texas Super Lawyers list in 2013. He has been named to the Texas Super Lawyers list every year since 2013 and the Top 100: Texas Super Lawyers and Top 100: Houston Super Lawyers lists since 2019. In 2014, Brant was also added to the Top 40 Texas Attorneys Under 40 list by the National Trial Lawyers Association and received the award each year until he turned 40 years old. Brant has also been named to the Nation’s Top One Percent list by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel since 2015. Brant was also nominated for and inducted into the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) as a member in 2015 and was the youngest inductee in the 2015 class. In 2016, South Texas College of Law Houston honored Brant with the inaugural Young Alumni Award. He was the first recipient to receive this award from South Texas College of Law Houston. Brant met his wife, Jennifer O’Brien Stogner, in law school and she was one of his mock trial partners when they won the ATLA Regional Championship in Dallas, Texas and the National Championship in Miami, Florida. Brant and Jennifer have two boys, Ryker and Beckett Stogner, and one girl, Holland Stogner. Brant and Jennifer’s partnership continues as Jennifer joined the firm in 2018 as Of Counsel.

Karen R. Bennett, managing principal with the firm, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988 from the University of Texas at Arlington. She received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Texas Tech University. Karen has handled a docket of personal injury and civil litigation files since the beginning of her practice. She is also the principal in charge of the firm’s Family Law Department. She has litigated cases in the discovery phase and trial of several complex cases including those involving class actions and prescription drugs. She is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Texas, Texas state courts, the United States District Court for the Eastern, Northern and Southern Districts of Texas, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. She is a member of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, State Bar of Texas, Texas Women Lawyers, Jefferson County Bar Association along with Family Law Section, Eastern District of Texas Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, American Board of Trial Advocates, and Houston Chapter of American Board of Trial Advocates. She also has served on the Board of Directors for the Jefferson County Bar Association and has been a member of the College of the State Bar of Texas and Mickey Mehaffy Inns of Court. She has served on the Board of the Jefferson County Bar Association Auxiliary and is a past President. She has also served on the Board of the Junior League of Beaumont. She was recognized as a “Texas Super Lawyer”, a Thompson Reuters publication, in 2013-2024. Karen has been active in many local volunteer organizations in the community.

Chris A. Blackerby is a successful trial lawyer with 30 years of experience in a wide range of matters focusing principally on product liability and personal injury litigation as well as commercial and patent litigation. He has tried complex cases throughout Texas and elsewhere totaling over $2 billion in controversy. After graduating law school, Chris served as a Briefing Attorney to the Honorable James R. Nowlin in the United States District Court, Western District of Texas. After a successful practice at a large law firm in Austin, Chris joined Germer in 2008. Chris is a “Texas Super Lawyer” and is rated an AV Preeminent Attorney by Martindale-Hubbell. Chris routinely handles complex product liability lawsuits for manufacturers. His clients include tire, automotive, agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers. He has defended cases involving tires, air bags, seatbelts, roof/vehicle structures, rollovers, fires, seats and seat backs and general crashworthiness.

Michael Bridwell has been practicing litigation work in a variety of matters since graduating from the University of Texas School of Law in 1985. He represents a number of clients and companies in Texas and beyond in products liability, premises liability, personal injury defense, toxic tort and trucking matters.

Thomas M. Bullion III graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin in 1978 with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. After working for several years as an engineer, he went to law school at the Southern Methodist University School of Law in Dallas, Texas and graduated in 1984. Tom graduated Order of the Coif, was Chief Counsel of the Moot Court Board, and a member of the Barristers. Tom has been AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell since 1990. After practicing at another Austin firm, he joined Germer in early 2008. Tom is licensed to practice in the Supreme Court of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and all United States district courts in Texas. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the State Bar of Texas, Austin Bar Association. Tom has been recognized by “The Best Lawyers in America”, by BL Rankings, publication, since 2001 and a “Texas Super Lawyer”, a Thompson Reuters publication, from 2003-2007 and 2009-2023. Tom practices in the areas of products liability and personal injury.

Larry L. Germer is a trial lawyer who has defended clients in major cases in all areas of litigation. He graduated from the University of Texas in 1963 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1966, he received his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, graduating in the top 5% of his class. He has been recognized as a “Texas Super Lawyer”, a Thompson Reuters publication, annually since 2003. Larry is admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of Texas, Texas state courts, the United States District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. For over 50 years, Larry has handled a heavy civil docket defending corporations and insurance companies in all types of cases, including significant personal injury suits and major commercial cases involving contract, antitrust, class action and public utility issues. He has been active in insurance coverage lawsuits and has published an article dealing with conflicts problems in the insured/insurance company relationship. In recent years, he has been involved in major patent litigation. Larry is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a member of the Jefferson County Bar Association. Larry has served on the Commission for Lawyer Discipline, a twelve-member board responsible for the grievance process for the State Bar of Texas. As a long-term member of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Larry has served on the board as an officer of that organization. He is a past Director of the State Bar of Texas and has served on its Executive Committee. He has served on the Board of the American Board of Trial Advocates and was a Board member and Treasurer of the Texas Young Lawyers Association. He was appointed as a member of a Pattern Jury Charge Committee and the State Rules Committee and has served on a number of other bar-related committees and projects.

Lance has probably sued and deposed more attorneys than any other single lawyer in Texas. Lance’s career into legal malpractice began more than 20 years ago. During law school, Lance served as Editor-in-Chief of the law review and had the distinction of interning for the Texas Supreme Court and the First Court of Appeals. After graduating from law school with honors, Lance served as Briefing Attorney for the First Court of Appeals. The First Court of Appeals has jurisdiction to review cases from the state district and county courts from 14 counties in and around Harris County. There, Lance reviewed appeals and prepared draft and final opinions with the justices assigned to the cases. These cases encompassed every aspect of Texas State law including legal malpractice. Lance had the opportunity to review trial court error, as well as errors made by lawyers handling cases at the trial court level. Subsequently, Lance left the Court of Appeals to enter private practice in Houston, Texas, where he concentrates solely on plaintiffs’ legal malpractice cases. Lance has personally handled and worked on well over 2,000 legal malpractice cases and has handled numerous appeals involving legal malpractice issues. Lance has represented clients from all over the nation, including Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Virginia and, of course, Texas. Lance has spoken at a number of legal seminars and writes articles involving various aspects of legal malpractice and legal ethics. Though not every case is a multi-million dollar legal malpractice case, Lance has handled many such cases and maintains a consistent record of success, some of which are located here https://kassab.law/news/. Lance is a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys in Legal Professional Liability. Professional liability falls within the umbrella of Legal Malpractice. The Diplomate designation is about competence, character and commitment; three terms that define professionalism and exemplify the high standards the ABPLA sets for all of it Diplomates. Lance has been given an “AV” rating from his peers and the judiciary on Martindale-Hubbell, which means he was deemed as having the highest ethical standards and preeminent legal ability. Lance is also a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which are two of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States. Membership is limited to attorney’s who have won a million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements. There are over 5,000 members throughout the country. Fewer than 1% of U.S. lawyers are members. Lance is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is licensed to practice before all Texas state courts and various federal courts, including the United State District Courts for the Southern, Eastern and Western Districts of Texas, the United State Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court.

David was born in Houston and raised in the Northwest. After high school, David enlisted in the military with the Army National Guard. Prior to his junior year of college, David was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait in Operation Iraqi Freedom III with Task Force Liberty of the 42nd Infantry Division. While deployed, David completed eighteen college credits and was able to sustain a 4.0-grade point average during this period, ultimately earning him academic honors for his personal scholarly endeavor as well as an Army Achievement Medal for his logistical support in the war. After returning state-side and completing his undergrad, David returned to Texas and was admitted into South Texas College of Law Houston. While attending law school, David clerked full-time at The Kassab Law Firm, gaining extensive experience in civil litigation, while focusing almost exclusively in legal malpractice, attorney breach of fiduciary duty claims and legal ethics. During his third year of law school, David obtained his Temporary Trial Card and argued several motions and hearings in court while under the supervision of an attorney. After graduating law school and passing the Texas Bar Exam in 2010, David continued his employment with The Kassab Law Firm as a licensed attorney. Here, David combines his prior military experience with his formal legal and business training, allowing him to work efficiently and effectively under pressure, all in an effort to better serve our clients. While clerking for the Kassab Law firm and since his licensure, David has assisted in the resolution of several high-dollar legal malpractice cases, and has successfully litigated these legal malpractice cases to their resolution against some of Texas’ largest and most prestigious law firms. David has handled legal malpractice cases in Texas State and Federal Courts and has arbitrated cases before the American Arbitration Association. David is licensed to practice law in all Texas courts as well as the federal courts for the Southern and Western Districts of Texas. David is also licensed to practice law in the State of Missouri. David belongs to several professional organizations and is a member of the Texas Bar Association, the Missouri Bar Association, the American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, and Houston Young Lawyers Association. David is a published author in the American Bar Association’s Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct, writing on the effects and impact of mandatory legal malpractice insurance link: https://www.bna.com/avoiding-accountability-rise-n57982093773/.

Valerie is Southeast Texas born and raised and is a proud alumni of All Saints Episcopal School (c/o 2000), West Brook High School (c/o 2004), Rice University (c/o 2008), and Tulane University Law School School (c/o 2014). Before law school, she spent one year teaching English in rural France. She subsequently served two years as a Teach For America Corps Member in Northern California, where she taught seventh grade English as part of Teach For America’s mission to make excellent education equitable for all children and fought for an uncompromising belief in every child. Valerie’s advocacy skills also carry into her volunteer efforts in the Southeast Texas community, where she has served on the Boards of Directors of the Junior League of Beaumont, the Michelle M. Mehaffy Inn of Court, the Jefferson County Young Lawyers Association, and the Foundation for Southeast Texas.