- Restraining Order
- Corporate LawA major portion of AZA’s practice is dedicated to commercial litigation. We have litigated and tried numerous breach of contract and business tort cases, corporate governance matters, officer and director disputes, shareholder claims, accounting malpractice cases, class action suits, and partnership cases. AZA also represents a variety of national companies in intellectual property matters. Our commercial clients include some of the most prominent companies, business leaders and families in the country, in matters in which eight and nine figure damages are at stake. Some of our current business clients are our former adversaries.
- Business Disputes
- Trade Secrets
- Intellectual Property
- Employment ContractAZA also assists executives and officers with the preparation and negotiation of their employment agreements, and regularly litigates and tries employment cases for executives. In addition, we assist executives with negotiations for severance packages. Because the firm represents many multi-national companies with the preparation of their executive employment agreements for their officers and executives, we are uniquely qualified to assist executives with their compensation packages and agreements.
- Employment LitigationJoseph Ahmad, one of AZA’s founding partners, is nationally recognized for his knowledge and experience in executive employment law. He’s frequently quoted by national media outlets on executive employment issues. His executive employment blog is Legal Issues in the Executive Suite.
- Non-compete AgreementAssociate Kelsi Stayart White is also in the appellate group. She focuses on dispositive motions and appeals in state and federal court in all areas of commercial litigation. She has handled cases involving contracts, trade secrets, insurance, noncompete agreements, employment disputes, and secured lending. Since joining AZA in 2016, Ms. White has gained substantial trial experience, including trying multiple cases to juries and the bench in both state and federal court, handling an international arbitration, and seeking and defending temporary restraining orders and temporary injunctions. Because of that experience, she brings a trial lawyer’s practical perspective and communication skills to high-stakes motions and appellate briefs. Ms. White was named to the 2021 list of “Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch” for commercial litigation. She is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. She served as a law clerk for Judge Leslie H. Southwick, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. During law school, Ms. White served as associate editor of the
- Severance AgreementAZA is known for assisting company executives and officers in preparing and negotiating their employment agreements as well as handling courtroom litigation for executives involved in legal disputes with their employers. The firm also assists executives in negotiations over severance packages. Our work in preparing executive employment agreements for many multi-national companies makes our firm uniquely qualified to assist executives in these negotiations.
- Real Estate LitigationWe represent property owners, engineers, developers, and contractors in a variety of construction-related matters. Our construction matters usually involve large-scale industrial or municipal projects. For instance, we represent one of the nation’s largest pipeline companies in its construction-related disputes. This includes a case against a major oil company in connection with the construction of a $75 million dollar pipeline system in the Gulf of Mexico. We also represent property owners in real estate matters, including business disputes, condemnation actions, and also in the negotiation of real estate transactions. Our real estate clients include large companies as well as prominent Houston families.
- Real Estate Transactions
- Estate Planning
- BankruptcyAZA took over a case from a nationally respected Houston firm with extremely experienced lawyers and devised a new winning strategy for a large energy company in a $93 million real estate contamination suit. AZA reframed the dispute by developing an inventive argument based on contractual analysis and complex federal bankruptcy law.