Wilka V. Toppins

Justo A. Mendez is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Health Care Law. Justo A., 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 Justo A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jim Hall is a trial lawyer at Kean Miller based in Houston, Texas, representing businesses and organizations in complex civil litigation. He has experience appearing before state and federal trial courts, the United States Courts of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Clients regularly seek his counsel for strategic guidance in high-stakes matters that require careful case management and a practical approach to dispute resolution. Jim serves as national litigation counsel for compan...

Lauren Black is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group with more than a decade of experience handling a diverse array of matters. While her practice is “industry agnostic,” she has represented clients in the energy, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, shipping, technology, and logistics industries. Lauren has achieved favorable results for clients facing all aspects of civil litigation, from a strategic approach to early dispute resolution to a favorable sett...

Kyle Findley is recognized by colleagues and adversaries alike as one of the top trial lawyers in America. His fearless passion and common-sense approach have resulted in juries delivering record-breaking verdicts across the country for his clients that suffer from life changing injuries. Year after year, Kyle has consistently secured seven and eight figure jury verdicts for his clients in the courtroom – with his jury verdicts totaling well over nine-figures from juries in four differe...

Kent Newsome serves as Chair of the firm's Houston Real Estate Practice. He has more than 25 years of experience that includes commercial real estate, real estate development, health care acquisitions and development, financing transactions, and general business law. Kent regularly represents owners and developers of commercial, retail and industrial properties in the acquisition, financing, development, leasing, management and sale of income producing properties, including office buildings, ...

Roger Aksamit serves as the Firm’s Houston Office Leader. In addition, he is a member of the Firm’s Strategic Lateral Hiring Committee and is involved with the Firm’s Diversity & Inclusion initiative. Roger specializes in energy and private equity taxation and counsels public, private equity, and closely held clients in mergers and acquisitions, financing, and joint venture transactions, as well as all other aspects of transactional tax matters and planning. He is Board ...

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.

Some cases are complex because of the mountains of ​evidence at issue; others because of the technical complexity of the industry involved. Either way, John Deis has a knack for distilling his cases down to the core issues and clearly presenting his client’s side to judges and juries. Mr. Deis once spent four days living aboard an oilrig offshore of Libya in order to understand how various equipment worked and the crew's performance. This was key to disproving his opponent’s conte...

Angela Connor, a Partner in Peckar & Abramson’s Houston office, is board certified in construction law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and focuses her practice on business litigation, dispute resolution, and contract negotiation. Known for her sound and practical legal advice, she routinely finds creative solutions to meet her clients’ business needs. Angela represents a wide range of construction industry clients, including general contractors, owners, subcontracto...

Gregory Cokinos is a founder of Cokinos | Young and he has earned a reputation as one of the preeminent lawyers in his field. Gregory’s practice includes all aspects of commercial and industrial construction, including office buildings, high rise condominiums, schools, power plants, processing plants, refineries, pipelines, highway construction, as well as offshore production and drilling platforms. Gregory has extensive experience in real estate transactions and development, having rep...