Big Spring, TX

Derek H. Potts

Mr. Potts is nationally known for his leadership of mass litigations involving environmental disasters such as Hurricane Harvey, the Texas Freeze and Hurricane Ida. He also has been leading complex litigations on behalf of people injured by dangerous medical devices and pharmaceuticals for over a decade and is regularly appointed by judges to lead these mass cases and multi district litigations. As a member of the PSC, he was one of the leaders of the litigation on behalf of all plaintiffs and was one of the lead trial counsel in the first bellwether jury trial that resulted in a finding of defective design of the medical device. Mr. Potts successfully resolved class actions in 2022 in Texas against a power company and a natural gas company for overcharging thousands of Texas businesses related to the Texas freeze. In 2023, Mr. Potts successfully settled a class action with Live Nation and other defendants related to the Astroworld concert disaster. Throughout his career, Mr. Potts has been lead counsel in jury trials representing catastrophically injured clients. Examples of some of his jury verdicts include the $3.0 million verdict in Novogradac vs. Shirshekan, a nursing home negligence case tried in Platte County Missouri Circuit Court which was appealed and sustained by the Missouri Supreme Court and Millard v. Gard, M.D. a medical malpractice case tried in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas which resulted in a $12.1 million verdict for a minor injured due to medical malpractice. Mr. Potts began pursuing cases for women injured by transvaginal mesh products in 2009. He was one of a handful of plaintiffs’ lawyers from around the country who spearheaded the establishment of what would become the largest medical device MDL consolidation in history. He would be appointed by the Judge overseeing the litigation as one of 8 members of the Plaintiffs’ Steering Executive Committee and Plaintiffs’ Co Lead Counsel of 3 transvaginal mesh MDLs. He and his partners in the litigation would ultimately resolve over $1,000,000,000 in transvaginal mesh settlements. Mr. Potts has also been involved in numerous mass pharmaceutical litigations including being appointed the Plaintiffs’ Liaison Counsel of the Los Angeles Country Superior Court’s consolidation related to the drug, Xarelto. Mr. Potts has also been involved in multiple class actions including being class counsel for the states of New York, New Jersey, and Arkansas in the In Re ATT Mobility MDL which resulted in over $1,000,000,000 in settlements nationwide relating to the improper charging of sales tax. Mr. Potts also spearheaded a series of state court consolidations against General Motors related to its ignition switch auto defect in certain model cars. Mr. Potts successfully resolved thousands of personal injury and wrongful death cases with General Motors through his state court consolidations. After Hurricane Harvey hit Houston in August 2017, Mr. Potts spearheaded litigation against the United States Army Corp of Engineers related to its intentional release of water during the storm which flooded tens of thousands of homes and businesses in the City. Mr. Potts was appointed as Plaintiffs’ Class Counsel by the United States Court of Claims to lead the prosecution of the case. In 2020, Mr. Potts spearheaded the formation of the In Re Generali Travel Insurance MDL and was appointed Plaintiffs’ Class Counsel to represent the thousands of individuals who were improperly denied their travel insurance benefits as a result of Covid-19 related travel restrictions. In 2021, Mr. Potts filed a $1 Billion Class Action against the electricity retailer Griddy related to its overcharging of Texas customers during Winter Storm Uri.

J. Ryan Fowler

Ryan is a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College, an intensive three-week program designed to help lawyers refine their trial skills. Ryan has tried multiple cases to verdict including personal injury, contracts, products and first party insurance disputes. He also handles a myriad of energy billing disputes wherein he represents businesses, commercial property owners, and homeowners. Ryan believes that every client’s case deserves to be handled with personal attention and should be meticulously prepared as if it is going to trial. He prides himself on being able to try any case in any venue at any time. Ryan is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and Board Certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. In his free time, Ryan enjoys spending time with his wife and three children.

Daniel Meyer

Empathy and rigor are the pillars to Daniel’s practice. A direct approach and wealth of experience allow Daniel to create attainable legal goals for his clients that align with their needs and desire for justice. He understands most clients come to him on their worst days and eases their burden by providing guidance through each step of the case. Daniel aims to exceed his client’s expectations and he thrives in helping trauma survivors get back on their feet to change their lives for the better. Daniel is known for his ability to simplify and distill complex legal information into central components to yield favorable results. As an appellate lawyer, Daniel was lead counsel and brief writer responsible for successfully reversing adverse district court decisions in Louisiana’s First, Fourth, and Fifth Circuits Courts, and the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court, and has affirmed favorable decisions in every circuit court in Louisiana and other states. His commitment to his clients has resulted in several achievements, including multiple seven-figure judgments and settlements for his clients. In 2017 to 2020, Daniel was named a Louisiana Super Lawyers’ Rising Star and continues to hold a place on several Trial Lawyers’ honors lists. In addition to litigation, Daniel is highly passionate about his pro bono practice. At his previous firm, Daniel founded and chaired a summer internship program and a pro bono group representing indigent plaintiffs and older convicts seeking a second chance. Recently, he secured parole for a client doing life in prison after 38 years on incarceration, after successfully representing him in a clemency hearing in 2020. Daniel is also a regional board member of the Louisiana Association for Justice and member of the Plaintiff Employment Lawyers of Louisiana. Prior to working in the private sector, Daniel served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Laurie A. White in the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, where he managed over 50 jury trials. His time in the criminal court gave him a unique perspective of the decision-making processes of judges and juries that he uses to successfully advocate as a plaintiff litigator. Additionally, Daniel certified and settled several class action lawsuits in Louisiana and Florida and has significant experience in plaintiff litigation focused on employment and construction matters.

Hans H. van Zanten

Hans spent seven years at two prominent plaintiff’s firms in the Kansas City area. Hans handled all types of injury, death and insurance coverage claims, including motor vehicle collisions, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, shootings, electrocutions, construction accidents, premises liability, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, architectural malpractice and product liability claims. Hans also successfully litigated insurance coverage disputes, particularly issues related to offset and anti-stacking in UM/UIM claims. Within this time frame, Hans spent two years litigating mass torts related to defective pharmaceuticals and medical devices on a national level. This included conducting key expert depositions and discovery beneficial to numerous cases within the federal Multi-District Litigation setting. Hans co-founded his current firm, Van Zanten & Onik, LLC, in 2014. Hans is not an employee of the Potts Law Firm, LLP, but serves as local counsel for Missouri and Kansas cases. Hans is a proud member of the Board of Governors of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys. Hans has been recognized as Best of the Bar by the Kansas City Business Journal. He has also been selected to Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers - Rising Star (2010-2013) and to Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyers from 2014 to present.

Sterling Burleson

Sterling received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas, and his J.D. from the Baylor University School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in all State Courts in Texas, and in the Federal Courts of the Northern, Western, and Southern Districts of Texas. He is a Fellow of the Society of Legal Scholars of the Texas Bar College. He served on the board of the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section of the State Bar of Texas for many years. Sterling’s practice serves a wide-surrounding area including Sweetwater, Big Spring, Snyder, Midland/Odessa, Abilene, and San Angelo. Sterling previously served on the Board of Directors of the Mitchell County Hospital District, and as President of his local Rotary Club. He and his wife Andrea enjoy serving the First Methodist Church of Colorado City. When not working, Sterling enjoys hiking and visiting the best BBQ joints in Texas.

Joe Gabel

Joe is a 7th generation Texan, who graduated from St. Edward’s University in Austin receiving a bachelor’s degree in communications. After graduating college, he ran a successful small business for several years before pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a trial attorney by graduating with a Juris Doctor degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston. At Potts, Joe handles civil litigation cases across the Texas. His practice primarily focuses on motor vehicle accident personal injuries. Joe has the privilege of fighting on behalf of individuals who have been seriously victimized and is dedicated to seeking justice for his clients. He is an active member in the Houston Bar Association. In his free time, he enjoys spending time at his family’s ranch with his wife and two young sons.

Riley Burnett

Riley Burnett is a nationally recognized trial attorney with extensive multi-state experience. The focus of Riley’s practice is mass torts, including pharmaceutical, medical device, toxic torts and mass disaster litigation. Riley has represented clients in pharmaceutical cases nationwide, such as Paxil, Fen-Phen, Avandia, DePuy ASR, DePuy Pinnacle, Vioxx, and Zoloft. Riley currently fights for our clients suffering from dangerous drugs and devices such as Xarelto, hernia mesh, transvaginal mesh (TVM), IVC Filters, Zofran and Risperdal. Riley also works on the Plaintiff Steering Committees for MDL 2187 In Re: C.R. Bard, Inc., MDL 2327 In Re: Ethicon, Inc., MDL 2325 In Re: American Medical Systems, and MDL 2326 In Re: Boston Scientific Corp., where he also works on the national investigation against these pharmaceutical device manufacturers. Riley fights for our clients harmed by mass disasters and other manufacturing defects as well. While in this fight, Riley has held many leadership positions. He served as Plaintiffs’ Co-Liaison Counsel for the lawsuits arising out of the March 23, 2005, explosion at the British Petroleum (BP) facility in Texas City. This explosion resulted in fifteen deaths, hundreds of injuries, and numerous lawsuits. He was also Co-Liaison Counsel in several counties for the thousands of lawsuits arising out of Hurricane Ike insurance claims disputes and served on several Plaintiff Steering Committees for various MDL’s created to manage the Hurricane Ike litigation. Riley received his undergraduate education at the University of Texas where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1987. In 1991, he earned his law degree at the University of Houston Law Center, graduating cum laude. He has been licensed to practice law since 1991 and is admitted to practice in state and federal court in Texas and in Pennsylvania State Court. Riley’s peers have routinely recognized him as one of the top-rated trial lawyers, and he is a member of both the American Association for Justice and the American Board of Trial Advocates.