Robert H. Ford

Robert Ford Partner [email protected] Houston P: 713.576.0356 F: 713.576.0301 Legal Assistant Angela R. Davis P: 713.576.0326 [email protected] Download V-Card Print My Bio Biography Experience Insights & Events Accolades A trial lawyer in the truest sense, Rob Ford has led the defense and prosecution of complex civil cases at every phase of litigation, from discovery and pretrial motion practice through trial, final judgment and appeal. Licensed in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, Rob practices in state and federal courts throughout Texas and the greater Gulf Coast, where he represents plaintiffs and defendants in an array of high-stakes civil litigation, including complex commercial litigation, trade-secrets cases, fiduciary disputes, business torts, personal-injury suits, product-liability claims, and construction litigation. In the professional-liability context, Rob also defends lawyers and law firms accused of legal malpractice. Having handled all facets of trial as lead counsel, it is his extensive trial experience that sets him apart. From arguing the pretrial conference to picking a jury; from delivering opening statements and closing arguments; from examining witnesses to arguing the jury charge - Rob has done it all from the first chair. As a result, he prides himself on building a case for trial thematically, from the ground up. And, while he appreciates that not all cases call for a courtroom resolution, Rob also is keenly aware that his trial readiness and comfort in the courtroom optimizes his clients chances of resolving a matter favorably, whether through trial, dispositive motion, or settlement. Notably, Rob has established himself as one of a handful of subject-matter experts in cases involving Chapter 95 of Texas Civil Practices & Remedies Code (which limits commercial premises owners liability for injuries and deaths sustained by independent contractors) and motions and appeals under the Texas Citizens Participation Act (TCPA), Texass anti-SLAPP statute. My Experience Area(s) of Focus Related Practices Litigation Class Action Litigation Mass Tort Litigation Product Liability Professional Liability Litigation Trade Secrets Construction Energy Education University of Texas School of Law, J. D., 2009, with honors; Associate Editor, Texas Law Review Loyola University, B. A., Philosophy and Political Science, 2006 Licensed In Texas Louisiana Arkansas Admitted In Supreme Court of the United States United States Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit United States District Court, Southern District of Texas United States District Court, Northern District of Texas United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas United States District Court, Western District of Texas United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana United States District Court, Middle District of Louisiana United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana United States District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas United States District Court, Western District of Arkansas Clerkships United States Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, Honorable Lavenski R. Smith United States District Court, Western District of Texas, Honorable Philip R. Martinez Professional & Community Activities State Bar of Louisiana Garland R. Walker Inns of Court State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee, 2017-present Advanced Personal Injury Course, Director, 2019; Planning Committee, 2017 Business Disputes Course, Director, 2019 Masters of Litigation Course, Director, 2017 Advanced Civil Trial Course, Planning Committee, 2020 Business Law Course, Planning Committee, 2020 Texas Bar Foundation, Houston Nominating Committee, Co-chair, 2017-present Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), Fellow Texas Association of Defense Counsel (TADC) Houston Bar Association CLE Committee, Co-chair, 2017-2018 Bench Bar Conference, 2017-present Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession (MOILP) Committee (Diversity & Inclusion Committee), 2016 Communities in Schools (CIS) Committee, 2013-2014 Accolades Listed in The Best Lawyers in America Commercial Litigation, 2025-2026 Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants, 2025-2026 Named a Houstonia Magazine Top Lawyer, 2019 Listed in Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, Commercial Litigation, 2025-2026 Listed in Texas Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2015-2019 Business Litigation, 2022-2025 Listed in Benchmark Litigation, Future Star, 2023-2024 Listed in Houston Business Journal, Diversity in Business List, 2024 Houston Bar Association CLE Committee, Committee Chair of the Year, 2018 Named to the Second Annual Lawyers of Color Hot List, 2014 Trial Lawyer Honorary Society of the Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow Houston Bar Foundation, Fellow Louisiana Bar Foundation, Fellow Texas Bar College, Fellow Complex commercial litigation/trade secrets/TCPA Serve as lead defense counsel for a publicly traded oilfield-services company in a multimillion- dollar dispute with one of its vendors; secured partial dismissal of the case by successfully moving for dismissal under the TCPA pending in Texas state court in Harris County, Texas. The case involves allegations of fraud and trade secret misappropriation arising out of the oilfield-services companys exercise of its contractual audit rights under a Master Services Agreement. Catastrophic injury/wrongful death litigation As co-first chair, won a complete defense verdict in Texas state court (Calhoun County) in a bifurcated wrongful death jury trial that arose from a workplace accident at one of the largest acrylonitrile chemical plants in the state. Deposed the majority of the witnesses, including both of the decedents parents; argued all pretrial matters; delivered opening statement; examined the majority of the trial witnesses; and drafted and argued the jury charge. The Corpus Christi Court of Appeals affirmed the take-nothing judgment, largely adopting the reasoning of the appellee brief. Product liability litigation Won a complete defense verdict as third chair in Texas state court (Harris County) on behalf of a Korean valve manufacturer following a three-and-a-half-week jury trial. The case arose out of claims that the manufacturer had negligently designed and assembled a -inch gate valve that failed, sparking a fire at an Alaskan oil refinery. Managed all phases of pretrial discovery, deposing several key witnesses, including the refinerys director of maintenance and the plaintiffs experts. In a critical turning point in the case, strategized and drafted the briefing that persuaded the court to conclude that the plaintiff had waived its consulting expert privilege over two damaging post-accident reports revealing that the refinery had previously attributed the cause of the fire to process-safety failures of its own personnel. Cross-examined all of the plaintiffs cause and origin and damages experts at trial. The plaintiff sought $54 million in actual damages. After two-and-half days of deliberation, the jury returned a take-nothing verdict on all of the plaintiffs claims, and the trial court subsequently entered judgment on that verdict. Consumer/DTPA litigation As first chair, won a complete plaintiffs verdict in Texas state court (Harris County) in a Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act (DTPA) and fraud case against a vendor that misrepresented the quality of components it used in a repair job, as well as its certification and competency to perform the work. Assumed all trial responsibilities, including pretrial, voir dire (jury selection), opening statements, witness examinations, and closing argument. The jury awarded actual and punitive damages. Civil rights litigation As lead counsel and co-first chair, won a complete plaintiffs verdict in Houston federal court in a Section 1983 civil rights case in favor of a man who was severely beaten while in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Among other trial responsibilities, argued pretrial matters, conducted voir dire, conducted direct examination of the plaintiff, cross-examined the defendant, and delivered closing argument. Most notably, immediately following cross-examination of the defendant, defense counsel made its first settlement offer in the nearly four years the case had been on file. The case proceeded to verdict, where the jury awarded actual and punitive damages in an amount that was four times the defendants settlement offer. The case subsequently settled on favorable terms. Labor and employment litigation As co-lead counsel, and following two years of extensive discovery and litigation in Houston federal court, secured a $2.65 million court-approved settlement in a conditionally certified collective action under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) on behalf of a nationwide class of over 150 long- and short-haul truck drivers against the then-largest domestic interstate moving company.