Founding Partner

Tel: 713.255.5153

Fax: 713.357.5160

aodom@sohjlaw.com Download vCard Download Bio

A Founding Partner of Schiffer, Odom, Hicks & Johnson PLLC, Al has been a trial lawyer since 1989. During 20+ years of trying and arbitrating commercial and personal injury cases, Al has developed a reputation as a skilled and tenacious courtroom advocate. He is also known for his ability to devise creative solutions outside the courtroom when that is the best option for his client. Whether a full-scale complex trial, an early settlement or something in between is the answer, Al works closely with his clients to determine the best course of action and then executes it. Al has tried or arbitrated 22 cases to final verdict or decision.

Throughout his career, Al has demonstrated his versatility in representing multinational companies, small businesses, nonprofit organizations and individual clients on both sides of the docket. He began his career in 1989 at Vinson & Elkins LLP in Houston. Working first as an associate and later as a partner, he focused on representing companies and governmental entities in cases involving construction disputes, premises and professional liability; business torts; personal injury; oil and gas; toxic torts; and complex commercial disputes.

Al later joined Watts & Heard L.L.P., where he represented individual plaintiffs in catastrophic personal injury cases and complex commercial disputes, including wrongful death claims, insurance bad faith and deceptive trade practices, products liability and business torts.

Since joining Adam and Andy in 2007 to form Schiffer Odom Hicks PLLC, Al has continued to maintain a diverse and varied practice, representing plaintiffs and defendants in matters involving multimillion-dollar construction contract disputes, theft of trade secrets and other business torts, shareholder oppression/breach of fiduciary duty, partnership disputes, executive-level employment disputes and commercial landlord-tenant disputes.

Al has been repeatedly recognized for his legal advocacy skills as well as his pro bono efforts. He holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest designation available, and was inducted into the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, which acknowledges excellence in advocacy by lawyers throughout the United States and is limited to attorneys who have won multimillion-dollar verdicts, awards or settlements. Al was also honored to be appointed to serve a second six-year term on the Texas Board of Law Examiners, and currently serves as its Vice Chairman.

When he is not hard at work on a case, Al can usually be found coaching one of his kids’ sports teams . . . or, if he is lucky, waist deep in Galveston Bay – flounder fishing.

HONORS/AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS:

Martindale-Hubbell, “AV Preeminent” Peer Review Rated, 2007- present
Million Dollar Advocates Forum, inducted 2006
Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star, inducted 2005
Who’s Who in Black Houston – Most Influential, inducted 2007
National Institute of Trial Advocacy, graduate, 1994
Houston Volunteer Lawyers’ Project, Volunteer of the Year, 1990

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

Texas Board of Law Examiners, Vice Chairman
Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
Houston Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
Houston Bar Association CLE Committee, former member
State Bar of Texas Long Range Planning Committee, former member

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS:

OIL & GAS LITIGATION:

Loss of Oil & Gas Well

• Served as lead counsel for a Korean steel manufacturer in a multi-party products liability action brought in Zavala County, Texas by the owner of an oil & gas well. The plaintiff alleged that a downhole failure of the well’s casing caused the loss of the well, and claimed that the failure was caused, among other things, by a defect in the chemistry of the steel manufactured by our client. Rather than attempt to respond to a motion for summary judgement that established our client’s non-liability for the failure, the plaintiff non-suited the claims against our client with prejudice, before the completion of discovery.

Breach of Warranty/Breach of Contract

• Served as co-lead counsel for the plaintiff, an international natural gas products and services provider, in a case against a telematics solutions provider for providing defective fleet management devices and services designed to monitor driver behavior. After a one-week arbitration in Salt Lake City, Utah, the arbitrator found for our client on all claims and awarded our client in excess of $600,000.

Offshore Construction Defect/Breach of Warranty

• Served as co-lead counsel for SBM Atlantia, Inc., an offshore engineering and construction firm, in an arbitration in which the claimant/owner of an offshore production platform sought damages of $67 million allegedly resulting from a defect in the design and construction of the platform. Following a one-week arbitration, the arbitral tribunal awarded the claimant/owner $6.5 million in warranty expenses and zero damages for deferred production (substantially less than half of our last offer of settlement to avoid the arbitration).

CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION:

Offshore Construction Defect/Breach of Warranty

Construction Defect

• Served as lead counsel for the plaintiff, the owner and operator of a local hotel, against the construction manager, architect, engineer, stucco manufacturer and roofer for defective construction of the hotel and defective design and construction of the HVAC system. The plaintiff alleged that the defects allowed water and excessive moisture to enter the interior spaces of the hotel, causing wood rot and mold, and sought approximately $4 million in damages for replacement of the exterior building envelope, remediation and build back, and business interruption. Reached confidential, pretrial settlements after four separate mediations.

BREACH OF CONTRACT:

Breach of Employment Contract/Covenant Not to Compete

• Served as lead counsel, defending a local engineering firm against a former executive’s wrongful termination claim and prosecuting a counterclaim against the executive for enforcement of covenant not to compete. After five days of arbitration, the arbitral panel: (1) awarded zero damages to the executive on his claim; (2) awarded our client 100% of the attorneys’ fees and expenses it sought; and (3) upheld a previously entered temporary injunction and enjoined the executive from accepting employment with our client’s primary competitor for the remainder of the noncompete period.

Breach of Employment Contract

• Served as lead counsel, defending a local engineering firm against a former executive’s claim for termination pay and bonuses allegedly owed under the executive’s contract. After a one-day arbitration, the arbitral panel rejected the executive’s $230,800 damage claim and awarded zero damages.

Breach of Partnership Agreement/Fraud

• Served as co-lead counsel for the plaintiff in his lawsuit against Triumph Healthcare LLP and individual partners in Triumph alleging the defendants wrongfully redeemed his interest in the partnership by amending the partnership agreement without the plaintiff’s knowledge. Reached a confidential settlement during the third week of trial.

Breach of Incentive Bonus Plan

• Served as lead counsel representing the plaintiffs, two participants in an Incentive Bonus Plan, in an action against New Triumph Health Care LLP for breach of the Plan. Plaintiffs sought their ratable share of $9 million in additional bonuses due, but not paid by New Triumph, under the terms of the Plan. Our forensic examination of New Triumph’s accounting records led to a confidential, pretrial settlement less than a year after filing.