In a year of unprecedented challenges and hardships, Brophy & Devaney (“B&D”) continued to rack up big wins for its clients – in the courtroom, live and virtually, and in the boardroom.
2020 started with a bang! Against substantially better funded adversaries and with the facts and law against them, Joseph F. Brophy (“Brophy”), acting as lead-counsel, successfully represented a local developer against his powerful and wealthy investors. A loss meant near certain bankruptcy for the client. A win, on the other hand, meant a profitable venture. By virtue of talent, hard-work and perseverance, David overcame Goliath and B&D obtained success for its client: bankruptcy was averted, and profits were realized.
That case started a trend of success for B&D’s clients which continued through 2020. B&D, with Brophy as lead trial counsel, won two substantial bench trials in central and south Texas. Brophy won a contractual dispute arising out of a business divorce and obtained a judgment covering nearly all the client’s actual damages, attorney’s fees and interest—virtually a 100 percent total victory of all amounts subject to being awarded.
In a land dispute with the state of Texas, Brophy crushed the state’s paid expert from real estate powerhouse, JLL, on cross examination and obtained an award of nearly 10 times the amount offered by the state – almost an unprecedented exponential award.
Outside the courtroom, Brophy served as shareholders’ lead counsel in connection with one of the larger sales of a private company in Texas in 2020. Brophy worked with one of the nation’s largest law firms and an international investment banking firm to get the company sold in the middle of the pandemic.
“Our work ethic and legal acumen is second to none,” says Brophy of the firm’s success. This results in our clients generally receiving the best possible result in an efficient and cost-effective manner. “We are lucky to work with great clients, who follow our advice and provide us with the cooperation needed to achieve great results—it’s a team effort with the client very much involved. Without the client’s commitment, involvement and cooperation, success at this level is not achievable,” says Brophy. “We are as dedicated to our clients’ success as anyone in the legal industry.”
It is this dedication that has led a wide range of clients—both individuals and businesses, plaintiffs and defendants, companies, partners and shareholders, and employers and employees—to call on Brophy and his firm for assistance in disputes across Texas and throughout the country. Brophy also serves as general counsel for small to midsize businesses, who prefer to outsource their GC needs.
“We look forward to the courthouses fully re-opening and returning to jury trials,” says Brophy. “While trials to the bench and in arbitration are very satisfying, nothing gets the adrenaline pumping quite like jury trials.”
While 2020 was another successful year for B&D, like so many around the world, this past year was not without loss for Brophy, whose father passed due to complications from COVID. “He was a wonderful man. He maintained his family first and his friends and country, second. He was that rare breed that voluntarily joined the US Marine Corps during Vietnam while so many others looked to avoid it, and he would give a friend the shirt off his back. He was loved and is missed.”
*Commercial Litigation, 2013-2021
