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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  • 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

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

Representative Matters
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Allied Aviation Fueling Company of Houston, Inc. v. Cruz, No. 1-22-00083-CV (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2023)

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 o [...]

Technox Engineering & Servs. Pvt., Ltd. v. Sunwoo Co., Ltd., No. 01-22-00006-CV, 2022 WL 17981848 (Tex. App.-Houston [1st Dist.] Dec. 29, 2022, no pet. h.) (mem. op.)

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 jurisdiciton in the Texas courts with respect to claims asserting trade-secret misappropriation, fraudulent transfer, and related theories.

Travis Cnty. Cent. Appraisal Dist. v. Tex. Disposal Sys. Landfill, Inc., No. 03-20-00122-CV, 2022 WL 2236109 (Tex. App.—Austin June 22, 2022, no pet. h.).

Persuaded the Austin Court of Appeals to reverse the trial court’s orders dismissing Travis Central Appraisal District’s lawsuit on pleas to the jurisdiction. As a result, TCAD may proceed with its challenge to the Appraisal Review Board’s $20 million reduction to TCAD’s appraisal of a major commerc [...]

In re ExxonMobil Corporation, No. 20-0849, 2021 WL 5406052 (Tex. Nov. 19, 2021)

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 agai [...]

Perry v. Christian, 2021 WL 1748483, No. 20-20277 (5th Cir. May 3, 2021) (per curiam)

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. 

AIG Europe, Ltd. v. Caterpillar Inc., 831 F. App'x 111 (5th Cir. 2020)

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.

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 [...]