Latest News
Rick Thompson Prevails at Court of Appeals, Texas Supreme Court
Durham, Pittard & Spalding partner Rick Thompson secured a significant appellate outcome in an asbestos-exposure case. Read more.
Justin Kaufman and Caren Friedman Earn Repeat Honors on 2026 Southwest Super Lawyers List
Durham, Pittard & Spalding congratulates partners Justin R. Kaufman and Caren I. Friedman on their repeat recognition in the 2026 Southwest Super Lawyers list. Read more.
Kirk Pittard, Thad Spalding Repeat as D Magazine ‘Best Lawyers in Dallas’
Durham, Pittard & Spalding is proud to announce that firm partners Kirk Pittard and Thad Spalding have again been selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2026 edition of D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas” based on their work in appellate law. Read more.
Tyler Skaggs Litigation Team Reunites to Share Strategy with TACTAS Members
Members of the Tyler Skaggs wrongful death litigation team—including Durham, Pittard & Spalding partners Lara Hollingsworth and Dana Levy—reunited for a special presentation to the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists (TACTAS). Read more.
Aditi Deal Shares Insights with Rice University Paralegal Students
Durham, Pittard & Spalding attorney Aditi Deal recently spoke with students in Rice University’s paralegal certificate program. Her presentation, “Filing Follies: Common Errors in Preparing and Filing Litigation Documents,” offered practical guidance on how to spot—and avoid—the kinds of errors that can make a meaningful difference in litigation. Read more.
Shelby White Prevails in Gregory v. Chohan Challenge to Non-Economic Damages
In a March 26 opinion from the Dallas Court of Appeals, Shelby White successfully defended a Gregory-based challenge of a Dallas County jury’s noneconomic damages verdict arising from back and shoulder injuries. Read more.
Behind the Tyler Skaggs Settlement: How an iPad and an 18-Word Jury Note Changed Everything
After nine weeks of testimony in the wrongful-death trial involving former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, the turning point came in a brief handwritten note from the jury room. It was the culmination of a bold trial strategy developed by the Skaggs family’s stellar trial team, which included Durham, Pittard & Spalding’s Houston partners Lara Hollingsworth and Dana Levy. Read more.
Aditi Deal, Dana Levy Speak at HYLA ‘Summer Associate Bootcamp’
Durham, Pittard & Spalding is proud to support the next generation of lawyers, including the great work of organizations like the Houston Young Lawyers Association. As co-chair of the HYLA’s Law Student Engagement Committee, our own Aditi Deal played a key role in organizing the HYLA’s recent “Summer Associate Bootcamp.” Read more.
DP&S Prevails in Trucking Injury Mandamus Challenge
Durham, Pittard & Spalding recently secured a significant appellate victory at the Dallas Court of Appeals, successfully defeating a trucking defendant’s request for mandamus relief following full briefing on the merits in a complex trucking injury case. Read more.
Lara Hollingsworth, Dana Levy Present: Exxon v. Brown: What you need to know right now
Within weeks of a closely watched and important appellate ruling by Houston’s Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Exxon v. Brown, DP&S Houston partners Lara Hollingsworth and Dana Levy offered Texas trial lawyers key takeaways on what the decision means to their practice. Read more.
Shelby White Presents at Tarrant County Bar Association Appellate CLE
In January, DPS’s Shelby White joined a distinguished panel for the Tarrant County Bar Association Appellate Law Section’s Brown Bag Seminar Series CLE. Read more.
Settlement During Trial for Severe TBI
Congratulations to the trial team of Ryan Rudd, Keith Mitnik, and Ravin Sahadeo of Morgan & Morgan; Bruce Steckler of Steckler Wayne & Love; Tom Crosley of Crosley Law; and DP&S’s own Tammy Holt on achieving a life-changing settlement following a trial seeking compensation for a severe traumatic brain injury. Read more.
Welcome Attorney Katie Womble
We are thrilled to announce that Katie Womble has joined the Durham, Pittard & Spalding team in our Dallas office. Read more.
Kirk Pittard Presents to the South Texas Trial Lawyers Association on Gregory v. Chohan and the Recovery of Non-Economic Damages in Personal Injury Cases
As appellate counsel dedicated to supporting trial lawyers in their most important matters, we love nothing more than sharing practical appellate insight at every stage of litigation—from pretrial strategy through verdict and, when necessary, appeal. Read more.
DP&S’s Dana Levy and Trial Attorney Scott West Secure Key Governmental Immunity Appellate Ruling for Injured Plaintiff
The Houston First Court of Appeals affirmed a significant ruling for an injured motorist, holding that Harris County cannot avoid accountability by asserting governmental immunity in a collision involving a county patrol vehicle. Read more.
$42.36 Million Trucking/TBI Settlement on Eve of Trial
Durham, Pittard & Spalding congratulates Brent Goudarzi and Marty Young of Goudarzi & Young on securing a $42.36 million settlement for a mother and her two young sons injured in a rear-end crash involving a commercial vehicle. DP&S was honored to work alongside Brent and Marty as their appellate counsel on the trial team. Read more.
New Mexico Jury Returns $220 Million Verdict in Tire Defect Case
A New Mexico jury has returned a $220 million verdict against Michelin North America, Inc., finding that a defective tire caused a July 2021 crash that killed a grandmother, mother, and daughter. Read more.
DP&S Partner Rick Thompson Honored by State Bar of Texas LGBTQ+ Law Section
Durham, Pittard & Spalding is proud to share that partner Rick Thompson has been selected to receive the Judge Norman W. Black Award from the State Bar of Texas LGBTQ+ Law Section. Read more.
First of Its Kind Bad Faith Insurance Finding
Congratulations to trial lawyers Seth McCloskey and Steve Laird of Fort Worth-based Laird & McCloskey for a groundbreaking bad-faith insurance verdict, and to Durham, Pittard & Spalding’s Tammy Holt, who was an instrumental part of the trial team as appellate counsel. Read more.

