Ryan Pitts represents clients in complex litigation matters, focusing on appellate advocacy. He began his legal career with clerkships at the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Ryan draws on these experiences to advocate for his clients using the clear, concise, and well-reasoned arguments that judges find persuasive, whether at critical trial moments or on appeal.

During law school, Ryan earned both a JD and a Master of Laws in International and Comparative law, while also serving as an editor of the Duke Law Journal. From his study of the world’s legal systems, Ryan knows how to approach his clients’ legal problems from different, and often unexplored, angles.

Ryan was selected as a member of the Houston Young Lawyers Association’s Leadership Academy for 2018–2019. He currently serves on the Houston Young Lawyer’s Association’s Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Federal Bar Association, Houston Bar Association, and Texas Supreme Court Historical Society.

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  • Successfully defended a jury verdict in favor of a construction business against sufficiency challenges to the liability and damages findings on appeal, which involved the failure to pay by a property owner who alleged defects in the work, while also vindicating the business’s right to prejudgment interest and to foreclose on the property through cross-appeal points. (Opinion)
  • Won a very significant permissive appeal that vindicated a premises owner’s right to immunity under Texas’s workers’ compensation laws against scores of personal-injury claims arising from an explosion, and which should stand as an important precedent for employers and premise owners across the state of Texas for years to come. (Press Release | Media Coverage by Law360)
  • Having obtained over $4 million on summary judgment for a consulting firm that was owed a commission for its role in promoting the sale of its former client, a Haynes Boone team successfully defended that judgment on appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. (Published Opinion | Media Coverage by Texas Lawbook)
  • After being hired post-verdict to handle the appeal of the largest actual damages award for an injured worker in Texas history, we persuaded the trial court to grant a historic $117 million remittitur, reducing the plaintiffs' award  from $353 million to $235 million. Then, after the filing of our opening appellate brief, we obtained a mediated settlement for a fraction of the original verdict. 
  • Convinced the First Court of Appeals in Houston to affirm the trial court's order holding one of the defendants, a company based in India, subject to personal jurisdiction in the Texas courts with respect to claims asserting trade-secret misappropriation, fraudulent transfer, and related theories.
  • Persuaded the Texas Supreme Court to affirm a favorable decision from the Austin Court of Appeals for Travis Central Appraisal District. In doing so, the Texas Supreme Court articulated holdings of importance to the Texas property-tax framework and the authority of Texas appraisal districts, which included that trial courts have broad jurisdiction to hear appeals from appraisal districts by trial de novo and that appraisal districts may present evidence of fair-market value whenever the property’s appraised value is at issue in those proceedings (overruling a prior intermediate court of appeals decision to the contrary). The result of these holdings will be to enhance the accuracy and fairness of property appraisals statewide.
  • Persuaded the Texas Supreme Court to grant mandamus relief enabling the client to obtain discovery from third-party medical providers regarding amounts and rates paid or incurred by patients who were similarly-situated to plaintiffs. This discovery was sought in connection with client's defense against plaintiffs' multi-million-dollar damage claims for past medical expenses. 
  • Convinced the Fifth Circuit to affirm the district court's dismissal of a complaint, which made broad allegations regarding acreage and mineral rights, for failure to state a claim. 
  • Persuaded Fifth Circuit to affirm a take-nothing summary judgment in favor of fracking engine manufacturer in products liability action seeking $15 million in damages arising from fire at a wellsite.
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, Member
  • Houston Bar Association, Appellate Practice Section, Council Member, 2023 – present
  • Houston Young Lawyers Foundation, Fellow, Class 2020
  • Houston Young Lawyers Association, Board of Directors, 2020-2021
  • Houston Young Lawyers Association, Leadership Academy, 2018–2019
  • Ranked in The Legal 500 U.S., Legalease Ltd., in Energy, 2024
  • Named a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star in Appellate, Thomson Reuters, 2024

Education

J.D., Duke University School of Law, 2017, cum laude; Editorial Board, Duke Law Journal

LL.M., in International and Comparative Law, Duke University School of Law, 2017

B.A., University of Kentucky, 2014, summa cum laude

Clerkships

Law Clerk to the Honorable Lee H. Rosenthal, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, August 2018 - August 2019

Law Clerk to the Honorable Gerald B. Tjoflat, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, August 2017 - August 2018

Admissions

Texas

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

Energy and Electric Power
Alert
ERCOT Winter Storm Uri Repricing Decision from Third Court of Appeals
March 17, 2023

The Third Court of Appeals issued a ruling on March 17, 2023 in Luminant Energy Co. LLC v. Public Utility Commission of Texas, No. 03-21-00098-CV, that may require the resettlement of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. (“ERCOT”) market for the majority of hours during Winter Storm Uri. A motion for rehearing en banc or petition to the Texas Supreme Court is expected, which will preven [...]