Midland, 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.

Arthur Schechter has been practicing law since 1964, helping thousands of clients in maritime and personal injury claims. He has represented local, national, and international seaman's unions and individual seaman worldwide. His dedication has led to clients naming children, boats, and businesses after him. He previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and as Board Chairman of METRO, where he helped pioneer the Houston light rail. He has received numerous awards, including the highest civilian award from the U.S. Coast Guard, and has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer and a Top Lawyer for the People by H Texas magazine.

Rob Ammons

Rob Ammons is the founding partner of The Ammons Law Firm. He is a nationally recognized personal injury trial attorney specializing in complex tire and automotive defect cases, with his work leading to the recall of over 100 million automobiles and tires. He has spent three decades prosecuting personal injury and wrongful death claims on behalf of catastrophically injured clients. Rob is board certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1993 and also board certified in Civil Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He has achieved over 332 separate verdicts and settlements in excess of $1 million.

Matt Shaffer joined Schechter, Shaffer & Harris, L.L.P. in 1992. As a managing partner, he has represented thousands of clients across the United States, including successfully settling the largest single victim Jones Act case on record for a client with a brain injury. He has played a significant role in litigation related to major maritime disasters like the Deepwater Horizon explosion. He is board certified in Personal Injury Trial law in Texas and licensed in Colorado. He has been named a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine every year since 2006, recognized by H Texas magazine as one of Houston’s Top Lawyers for the People, and listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Admiralty and Maritime Law.

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.

Tim Tate

Tim Tate is a Texas personal injury lawyer who has represented injured victims in various accident cases for over two decades. His mission is to secure top-dollar settlements for his clients, ensuring they receive maximum compensation. He is known for fighting against insurance companies that try to undervalue claims.

Novert Morales

Novert Morales is the founding partner of Morales Law Office, Attorneys at Law, PLLC. He practices primarily in Criminal Law, Personal Injury, and Federal Court. He is a past Chair of the Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and a member of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He has been awarded 'Business Man of the Year' by the Midland Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (2003) and the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (2011), and was honored as a 'Distinguished Alumni' at St. Ann's Catholic School (2014).