Mark W. Coffin

Russ has briefed and argued dozens of appeals, appearing before the Supreme Court of Texas, the Texas intermediate appellate courts, the Fifth and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He has assisted in or handled all phases of litigation in a wide variety of matters, including products liability, catastrophic personal injury, intellectual property, insurance coverage, employment discrimination, and commercial lawsuits. Before joining the firm, Russ s...

Mary Kogut P.C. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law. Mary, who practices law in Houston, Texas, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mary is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John Shely concentrates his practice on managed care trials, including litigation involving providers, ERISA benefits and fiduciary duties, and bad faith insurance practices. He also brings extensive experience in handling a wide range of commercial disputes, both for managed care organizations and for businesses across various other sectors. Mr. Shely is frequently retained to try cases that clients believe are likely to proceed to trial. In several matters, clients have engaged him late in ...

Susan McLerran’s practice encompasses a broad array of family law matters, with a focus on complex divorce proceedings involving marital property characterization, valuation and division, business valuation, taxation, issues related to retirement assets, stock options, restricted stock and employee benefits, and conservatorship, visitation and child support matters, pre-marital and post-marital agreements, and suits regarding modification and enforcement of court orders. Susan’s e...

Forrest M. Smith III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. Forrest M., who practices law in Houston, Texas, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Forrest M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Marie has experience in both trial and appellate matters. In private practice, Marie handles or assists in all phases of litigation for a wide variety of clients involved in products liability, premises liability, personal injury, insurance defense, contract disputes, and commercial lawsuits. She has appeared and handled appeals before the Supreme Court of Texas and various Texas courts of appeals. Marie has taught Appellate Advocacy as an adjunct professor at Thurgood Marshall School of Law....

M. Michelle Carreras is a key member of the Issues and Appeals section of The Lanier Law Firm, handling complex appeals, briefings and research for trial. She has worked on a wide variety of cases, including mass tort, products liability, personal injury, business litigation and sports law litigation. She was a key member of the firm’s Pinnacle bellwether trial team that won a $1 billion combined jury verdict and a $502 million jury verdict in 2016. Those victories were recently ranked ...

Heather Peterson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: General Practice and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Heather, who practices law in Houston, Texas, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Heather is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bret Rycroft is a shareholder with the law firm of Andrews Myers, P.C. Bret represents a wide range of clients in business disputes in state and federal courts across Texas. His goal is to find creative, practical and value-driven solutions to the complex issues his clients face. Bret has successfully represented clients in matters related to breach of contract, business-related tort matters, employment disputes, personal injury claims, construction defect claims, and enforcement of non-compe...

Eileen is a former state trial judge who tries and appeals cases in state and federal courts for both plaintiffs and defendants. She brings a unique perspective to litigation problem-solving, having served during her career as an advocate, judge, arbitrator and mediator. Eileen also has the benefit of having sustained both substantial trial and appellate practices for 30 years. As a result, she not only knows how to try a case to win, but does so with an informed view of how to keep (or rever...