Amir H. Alavi
Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C.
Years In Practice
Amir H. Alavi represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation throughout the United States. He has a particular focus on intellectual property cases and The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2017 called him a “judicious strategist” with an “acute sense of how to present a damages case.”
Mr. Alavi is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a distinction reserved for Texas trial lawyers with a high degree of trial experience and expertise. He has been recognized by attorneys across the country as one of the Best Lawyers in America for commercial litigation, is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell and is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. And he has been consistently recognized on the Thomson Reuters Texas Super Lawyers listing and by H Texas magazine as a “Top Lawyer in Houston.”
IAM Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Magazine also said Mr. Alavi “is a commercial litigator par excellence with valuable in-house insight, having previously served as general counsel of a company with 5,000 employees. The savvy case handler knows when to take up arms and when to chase a settlement.”
A driving force behind AZA’s intellectual property group, Mr. Alavi was named in 2016 and 2017 by IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals as one of the best patent litigators in Texas. He had key roles in AZA IP wins including:
- Versata Software Inc. et al v. SAP America Inc et al. — Mr. Alavi was a member of the AZA legal team that Versata/Trilogy hired a few months before the retrial of a significant patent case. AZA was tasked with developing the lost profits claim for Versata/Trilogy. With AZA’s help, Versata/Trilogy secured the eventual $391 million patent infringement verdict, the second largest patent verdict reported to Verdict Search nationwide in 2011.
- Rembrandt Wireless Technologies, LP v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., et al. — Mr. Alavi and the AZA team beat the odds when they obtained a $15.7 million federal jury verdict in Texas in this patent infringement case. Jurors deliberated only one hour to find that Samsung Electronics infringed on two Rembrandt Bluetooth patents.
- Saint Lawrence Communications v. Motorola. — Mr. Alavi won a $9 million federal jury verdict for Texas-based patent licensing company Saint Lawrence Communications LLC against technology heavyweight Motorola Mobility LLC for patent infringement. The case was tried in the U.S. Eastern District. Media coverage of the case includes Law360 in the story here.
- XimpleWare, Inc. v. Versata Software Inc., et al. – Represented Versata and its clients in a patent infringement lawsuit, and companion copyright lawsuit, brought by an open source software provider. Secured dismissal of claims against Versata’s clients and the case was settled on a confidential basis on the eve of a ruling by the Court on a sanctions motion filed by Versata and its clients.
Besides the intellectual property cases, Mr. Alavi has litigated cases involving hedge funds and investment partnerships, securities fraud, mergers, energy trading, software development, natural gas pipelines, oil & gas mineral interests, construction defects, and the automotive industry. Since 2006, he has recovered more than half-a-billion dollars in settlements and verdicts for his clients.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Alavi was the general counsel of a privately-held company with over 5,000 employees. While there, he managed the mergers and acquisition department and handled several acquisitions of public and private companies.Some of Mr. Alavi’s other representative cases include:
- Houston v. Saracen Energy Advisors, L.P., et al. – Represented a natural gas energy trader in claims for $30 million in bonus and deferred compensation. The case settled on a confidential basis.
- Culliver v. George Bishop, et al. – Represented the plaintiff, a shareholder of an independent oil and gas company, in a shareholder oppression case seeking over $150 million. The case settled on a confidential basis prior to trial.
- Brown Investment Management, L.P. v. Parkcentral Global, L.P. – Represented an investor in the Parkcentral hedge fund which, with a related hedge fund, lost over $2.5 billion. In an important case involving hedge funds, Mr. Alavi secured a verdict granting his client access to the fund’s investor list. The case was appealed to the Delaware Supreme Court and affirmed.
- Mr. Alavi represented the former employee of an independent oil and gas exploration company in an arbitration seeking to recover plaintiff’s $60 million ownership interest in various oil and gas properties. The case was resolved on a confidential basis.
- Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. v. Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. – Represented Columbia Gulf Transmission Co. in a breach of contract lawsuit involving control (and the original construction) of the Blue Water offshore natural gas pipeline system. Following a bench trial, the case was resolved on a confidential basis.
- Marc Werner, et al v. KPMG, LLP – Represented limited partners of an investment partnership in a securities fraud case against KPMG. The case was resolved on a confidential basis.
- WesternGeco, LLC v. GX Technology Corporation, et al. – Represented six employees of GX Technology in a multi-million dollar theft of trade secrets lawsuit by WesternGeco. Secured a voluntary dismissal of all six defendants on the eve of trial.
- Lenore Schmick Trust, et al v. KPMG, LLP – Represented limited partners of an investment partnership in securities fraud case against KPMG. During trial, the case was resolved on a confidential basis.
- Collins v. Beazer Homes USA, Inc. et al. – Represented Judy Collins in one of the first Sarbanes-Oxley cases to be filed in federal court
- Rowe v. Baker Hughes, Inc. – Represented Paula Rowe in ERISA whistleblower and age discrimination case against
- Baker Hughes.Alan Ferguson v. Baker Hughes, Inc. et al. – Represented Alan Ferguson in a whistleblower lawsuit against Baker Hughes. As a result of Mr. Ferguson’s allegations, the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission began an investigation into Baker Hughes’ business practices. As a result of that investigation, which expanded to include conduct in other countries, Baker Hughes reached a record $44.1 million settlement with the SEC and Department of Justice which included one of its subsidiaries pleading guilty to violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Mr. Ferguson’s case was resolved on a confidential basis.
- Chung’s Gourmet Foods v. Delta DailyFoods Texas – Represented Chung’s Gourmet Foods, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of egg rolls in a tortuous interference case against Delta DailyFoods. After nearly two weeks of trial, Mr. Alavi and the trial team obtained a verdict and judgment in the amount of nearly $18 million.
EDUCATION
- Stanford University (B.A.)
- University of Chicago Law School (J.D. with honors)
HONORS & DISTINCTIONS
- Law Clerk to the Honorable Jerry E. Smith, United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2013 – 2018
- Texas Super Lawyers, 2005- 2017
- Texas Rising Star, 2004-2005
- Million Dollar Advocates ForumMul
- Law Clerk to the Honorable Jerry E. Smith, United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
- The Best Lawyers in America, 2013 – 2018
- Texas Super Lawyers, 2005- 2017, Thomson Reuters and Texas Monthly Magazine
- Texas Rising Stars, 2004-2005, Thomson Reuters and Texas Monthly Magazine
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Marquis Who's Who in American Law (14th Edition)
- Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Journal of Public Policy Symposium Edition, 1995
- The John Olin Foundation Fellowship for the Study of Law and Economics
Houston, Texas 77010