Our Practice
As civil litigators who handle both personal injury and commercial cases, the Mithoff Law Firm has represented a diverse list of clients, including:
· JP Morgan/Chase in the Enron litigation
· San Diego Padres owner John Moores in a securities and trade secrets case
· Momentum Operating Co. in an oil and gas dispute
· Varco International Inc. in a patent infringement case
· The Democratic Party of Texas in a redistricting case
· Families of five victims who died in the BP explosion in Texas City
· Six elderly citizens who perished in a bus fire fleeing Hurricane Rita
· Harris County in the tobacco litigation
· ConocoPhillips in a property contamination litigation against BP
Richard Mithoff has been named by Forbes Magazine among the Top 10 trial lawyers in the country based on earnings from recovery obtained by verdict or settlement and has been named Best Civil Lawyer in Houston by the Houston Press. In 2006, he was named Outstanding Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Texas Bar Foundation. His tenure on the Best Lawyers in the U.S. list has passed the 20-year mark, and he’s also been named repeatedly to the Top 10 Texas SuperLawyers list.
When Mithoff was well into his 50s, he took up mountain climbing. And not just any mountains. He’s scaled the Grand Teton, Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mt. Kilimanjaro. It’s not so surprising, actually, given the heights he’s reached in one of the most challenging professions.
He says many of the traits that serve him well on the mountainsides also play a big part in his success in the courtroom. “A high degree of discipline and patience and the ability to stay calm when things aren’t going exactly as you planned. These are all traits that work for me in both my personal and professional lives,” he said.
A Lean Machine
Given the number of high-profile cases tried by the Mithoff Law Firm you might expect the firm’s lawyers to number in the dozens. But in truth, there are only six, including Mithoff himself. “I keep the firm small and lean on purpose,” he explains. “If we’re working on a commercial case, usually the client already has a law firm they work with on a day-to-day basis. That firm is able to assist with discovery and briefing, allowing me to focus on the big picture and the strategic decisions needed to win the case. This is especially helpful in cases that are document intensive,” he says. “It also allows the client to continue working with a firm they’ve already built a comfort level with.”
When necessary, Mithoff also associates with outside firms based on the needs of a particular case. “If it’s an oil and gas case, I associate with a firm that has oil and gas expertise. A patent case, I associate with patent attorneys. They provide the subject matter expertise. We provide the litigation expertise. We don’t need dozens of lawyers with dozens of specialties in my office. We have very good trial lawyers and the flexibility to staff up to meet whatever the client’s needs are for each particular case. Our goal is to put the client in the best position to win.”
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