Best Lawyers in Texas, United States for Appellate Practice
For over two decades, Kirsten M. Castañeda has briefed and argued state and federal appeals and original proceedings that raise issues critical to businesses and industries across Texas and the nation. In pursuing appellate relief, she never loses sight of the fact that every appeal involves more than just the law. Learning a client’s business and ultimate goals allows Kirsten to craft legal arguments and strategy that serve not only the case at hand, but also the client’s ...
Brian’s practice focuses on complex litigation and appeals. He has litigated and appealed a wide variety of claims for clients in the petroleum, transportation, insurance, and construction industries, including contractual, commercial tort, catastrophic personal injury, and wrongful death claims. As an appellate advocate, Mr. Cathey is frequently engaged to assist clients in the trial court with preparing dispositive motions, jury charges, post-verdict motions, and providing trial assis...
Tom has extensive trial and appellate experience in business cases, including oil and gas, breach of contract, and fiduciary litigation for plaintiffs and defendants. He has significant involvement in probate litigation, representing executors, beneficiaries of estates, and guardians in cases that also involve complex business transactions. Mr. Wright has argued cases in the Texas Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Ninth Circuits, and most of the fourteen int...
Andrew LeGrand is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Appellate Practice and Commercial Litigation. Andrew practices law in Dallas, Texas Best Lawyers has recognized Andrew LeGrand since 2021. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Andrew LeGrand is held by other lawyers.
Charles Siegel leads the appellate and qui tam whistleblower practices at Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel. A veteran litigator, he has argued appeals in nine of the federal circuits, seven state supreme courts, and in numerous intermediate appellate courts around the country. In addition, he has appeared in state or federal trial courts in more than 30 states and in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. An authority on asbestos exposure and qui tam whistleblower litigation and appellate issues...
Steven H. Stodghill is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Entertainment Law - Motion Pictures and Television and Oil and Gas Law. Steven H. practices law in Dallas, Texas Best Lawyers has recognized Steven H. Stodghill since 2018. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Steven H. S...
Katie advises and represents employers, executives and management in the field of employment law. Her experience includes managing complex litigation covering various employment law topics, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), non-compete issues, leaves...
Judge Moore co-leads AZA’s appellate practice group. He has prosecuted more than 100 appeals in state and federal courts. In one day in 2021, Judge Moore argued two governmental-immunity cases back-to-back in the Texas Supreme Court. He won both. The two cases he argued are City of San Antonio v. Armando D. Rioja and City of San Antonio v. Jimmy Maspero . Judge Moore is a go-to lawyer for high-stakes, high-profile, complex litigation. (He recently represented Ben & Jerry’s and...
Cameron Pope is a seasoned appellate specialist and Partner at Hicks Thomas LLP. After beginning his legal career as a federal law clerk, he spent over two decades in the appellate litigation group of a global law firm before joining Hicks Thomas in 2024. Mr. Pope represents clients in high-stakes appeals across a wide array of industries, including healthcare, energy, employment benefits, and toxic torts. His appellate experience is both broad and deep, and he has consistently secured favora...
For over a decade before joining ADJ Rachel Ekery served as staff attorney for Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson at the Supreme Court of Texas. Previously, Ekery was an associate at Baker Botts LLP in Dallas and a shareholder at Scott Hulse PC in El Paso, Texas, where she focused on business litigation and appellate matters. She earned her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from Duke University and her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was an editor of ...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
