Jones Act Law Firm - About Fitts Zehl, LLP
Why Hire the Maritime Lawyers at Fitts Zehl
- We take cases to trial and win: the numbers speak for themselves. In 2010 and 2011, our Maritime Attorneys won every single case that we took to trial.
- BP Deepwater Horizon Explosion: our maritime lawyers were hired by 5 of the workers who were injured onboard the BP Deepwater Horizon when it tragically exploded in April 2010. After only 18 months, we were able to settle the cases against BP and Transocean for a substantial (and confidential) amount.
- Highest Verdict in 2011: in December 2011, Ryan Zehl and Kevin Haynes recovered $18.7 million, the highest accident verdict in the State of Texas, on behalf of a client who herniated a disk in their lower back.
The verdict was also the highest verdict awarded in Dallas County in 2011 - Over $30 Million since December 2011: our trial lawyers have recovered over $30 million in verdicts and settlements since December 2011 alone, including one of the top 10 largest verdicts in the State of Texas in 2011.
- You don’t pay us unless you win: We take cases on a contingency basis, meaning that you don’t pay us anything until we win your case.
Workers Who Were Injured Offshore Come to Fitts Zehl to Win
In just the past three years alone, the trial lawyers at Fitts Zehl have successfully settled, and received verdicts in, hundreds of serious offshore accident cases, resolved over 100 cases against BP in connection with the 2005 Texas City Explosion, successfully represented 5 of the workers who were injured onboard the BP Deepwater Horizon when it tragically exploded in April 2010, received the largest verdict ever awarded against one of the largest transportation companies in the US, been interviewed on Good Morning America, CNN and the Star Tribune, and provided legal commentary to The New York Times, the Houston Chronicle, the Washington Post, the Dallas Morning News, the International Herald Tribune and Forbes, among others.
In 2011, Fitts Zehl recovered the largest verdict in Dallas County and the largest accident verdict in the State of Texas. And in the past 4 months alone, our lawyers recovered over $35 million in settlements and verdicts, qualifying our firm for membership in the "Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum," an organization limited to less than 1% of the lawyers in the country.
As a result of our success, both in and out of the courtroom, our law firm was also one of the few firms chosen to represent workers who were injured onboard the BP Deepwater Horizon, when it tragically exploded on April 20, 2010.
Why did these workers and their families turn to Fitts Zehl for representation?
Because our maritime lawyers refuse to accept inadequate settlement offers and are always willing to go to trial when it's in our clients' best interests. This willingness to go to trial, along with our history of winning when we do, has enabled our Maritime Lawyers to consistently recover substantial damages for offshore workers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and all across the country.
In December 2011, for example, Ryan Zehl was awarded $18.7 million after a 3 week trial. The defendant, one of the largest companies in the United States, only offered $150,000 to settle the case. Our verdict ended up being the largest verdict ever awarded against the company, the largest accident verdict in the State of Texas in 2011, and the largest verdict awarded in Dallas County in 2011. It is because of this willingness to go to trial and our experience in the courtroom that our Maritime Lawyers have consistently been able to recover substantial damages for our clients in Louisiana, Texas and across the country.
What separates our firm from others is that all of our lawyers are trial attorneys. As a result, we are always prepared to take a case to court when the responsible companies refuse to fully compensate our clients for their injuries and other damages.
By consistently securing victories both in and out of the courtroom, we provide our clients with the financial resources they need to carry on with their lives, while at the same time deterring offshore employers from committing the same negligent, careless actions in the future.
Since the firm’s founding, the Jones Act lawyers at Fitts Zehl have successfully represented hundreds of injured workers against some of the largest maritime employers in the nation, including:
- Transocean
- Hercules
- BP
- Oceaneering
- Seamar
- D&S Marine
In addition, the attorneys at Fitts Zehl have represented individuals injured in some of the largest workplace explosions in United States history, including the April 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Explosion, the BP Texas City Refinery Explosion in 2005, the Imperial Sugar Refinery Explosion in 2008 and the International Paper Plant Explosion in 2008.
Our Experienced Maritime Lawyers:
Ryan Zehl
Ryan Zehl is a trial lawyer who, in 2011, received the largest accident verdict in the State of Texas and the largest verdict in Dallas County. His practice is focused on representing clients who were seriously injured in maritime and offshore accidents. In the past 5 months alone, he has recovered over $35 million in verdicts and settlements for his clients.
In 2011 and 2012, Ryan was selected for the "Texas Rising Stars" list by Super Lawyers, a Thompson Reuters publication, which is limited to the top 2.5% of lawyers in the State of Texas and was also selected as a lifetime member in the "Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum." He was also recently selected as one of the top trial lawyers in Texas by the National Trial Lawyers Association, which limits membership to the top 40 trial lawyers in each state.
Bryant Fitts
Bryant Fitts's practice is primarily focused on mass tort, aviation accidents, personal injury litigation and real estate matters. After years representing major multinational corporations, Bryant refocused his practice and began representing individuals whose injuries were caused by the wrongful and negligent acts of some of the world's largest companies. Bryant Fitts's practice is primarily focused on mass tort, aviation accidents, personal injury litigation and real estate matters.
In 2012, Bryant was selected for inclusion on the "Texas Rising Stars" list by Super Lawyers, a Thompson Reuters publication, which is limited to the top 2.5% of lawyers in the State.
Tommy Servos
Tommy Servos' practice is primarily focused on personal injury, maritime & pharmaceutical litigation cases.Mr. Servos was born and raised in Texas, living the majority of his life in Houston. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004. While pursuing his undergraduate degree, Mr. Servos accepted an invitation to join the Silver Spurs and served as a Handler for the school’s longhorn mascot, Bevo. In May 2009, Mr. Servos graduated from the Thurgood Marshall School Of Law. While in law school, Mr. Servos worked as a law clerk for Fitts Zehl, LLP, gaining invaluable experience in all areas of personal injury litigation.
Kevin Haynes
Kevin is a hardworking, experienced, and effective trial lawyer who has significant experience representing clients who were seriously injured in maritime and bus accidents. In just the past year alone, he has recovered over $18 million in verdicts.
Jessica VanRooy
Jessica van Rooy's practice is primarily focused on personal injury and pharmaceutical litigation. In addition to working on the firm’s Paxil birth defect and Avandia docket, Jessica represents clients who were seriously injured in car, truck and offshore accidents. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Spanish from the University of Oklahoma in 2005 and graduated cum laude from South Texas College of Law in May 2010.
