Gwen E. Richard
Member
Gwen is a trial attorney with more than 30 years of experience representing companies and individuals in state and federal courts. She has tried dozens of cases to verdict and earned Board Certification from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law. Gwen is distinguished by her robust case assessments and risk evaluations, her nimble approach to trial strategy, and her ability to get up to speed quickly on complex issues. She thrives in a courtroom, and her deliberate, authentic style of advocacy has proven compelling for both judges and juries. Gwen’s defense clients benefit from the strategic insight she honed during two decades as a go-to plaintiffs’ attorney on challenging matters.
- Business Litigation
- General Liability
- Catastrophic Injury/Death Litigation
- Presenter, “The Use and Impact of Bellwether Trials in Multidistrict Litigation,”
- State of Texas 33rd Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law Seminar (2017)
- Presenter, “Sensitive Legal Issues in Higher Education—Title IX”, Louisiana Higher Education Group (December 2016)
- Presenter, Masters in Trial, American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), Mississippi, 2010; Houston, Texas, 2010; South Carolina, 2010; Louisiana, 2013; Germany, 2014; Dallas, Texas, 2018
- Frequent Lecturer and Author for CLE Programs for Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, and the Houston Bar Association
- Music in Context Chamber Orchestra Board Member, President
- AIDS Foundation Houston, Former Board Member
- Girls, Inc., Former Board Member
- Houston Adventure Play Association, Former Board Member
Texas
United States District Courts: Southern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas
United States Court of Appeals: Fifth Circuit
University of London, Kings College, LLM, International Business Law, 1989
University of Houston Law Center, JD, 1988
Rice University, BA, 1985
Instructor for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Education on many topics, including:
- Trial advocacy (basic and advanced),
- Grand jury secrecy
- Closing argument
- Evidence in white collar cases
- Immunity and the Fifth Amendment
- Trial preparation and case management in complex cases
- Effective writing for advocates
- Recent Supreme Court developments
- Money laundering,
- Criminal discovery
- Designed and implemented a comprehensive year-long training program on federal criminal law and discovery for paralegals and legal secretaries in the Southern District of Texas.
- American Board of Trial Advocates: Houston Chapter President (2017), Former National Board Representative and Houston Chapter Representative to the Foundation
- Houston Bar Foundation, Fellow; Former Vice Chair of the Board
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Houston Bar Association
- Houston Trial Lawyers Association, Former President
- Houston Trial Lawyers Foundation, Former President
- Rated an AV® Preeminent lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, representing recognition of the highest level of professional excellence
- Earned “Superb” 10.0-Rating from AVVO
- Recognized as a SuperLawyer by Texas Lawyer annually since 2006
- Selected as a Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in Houston, Texas by Super Lawyers, annually since 2006
- Listed among The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation—Defendants, 2016 – 2023
- Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1997
