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Ken is a first-chair trial lawyer and an experienced litigator focused on energy litigation, commercial litigation, product liability defense litigation, and commodities litigation. He is one of the founding partners of Reed Smith’s Houston office and previously served as the office’s managing partner.
Experience
Representative matters
Representative matters
Won a $46.6 million judgment for global energy client against multiple guarantors for the debts of an energy company.
Successfully settled a Lanham Act case alleging $65 million in damages three months into an extended bench trial, and before our represented defendant presented its case.
Obtained a unanimous multimillion dollar jury verdict against a seller of propane and butane for selling contaminated product.
Representative Experience
Won a $46.6 million judgment for global energy client against multiple guarantors for the debts of an energy company.
Successfully settled a Lanham Act case alleging $65 million in damages three months into an extended bench trial, and before our represented defendant presented its case.
Obtained a unanimous multimillion dollar jury verdict against a seller of propane and butane for selling contaminated product.
Successful jury verdict defending a steel manufacturer against a $40 million claim that its product was defectively manufactured resulting in the failure of an oil well casing system.
Successfully prosecuted dispute for a financial institution with the owner of a gas storage facility resulting in a $400 million dollar judgment.
Lead trial team in a breach of contract case where jury awarded $65.9 million. The National Law Journal ranked the verdict number 27 in its Top 100 Verdicts in 2010.
Gas pipeline construction dispute in Mexican arbitration obtaining a $1 billion dollar award from the tribunal.
Represented financial institutions in major litigation involving natural gas contracts.
Represented companies in breach of contract cases.
Unanimous jury verdict in defending against $3 million breach of contract, fraud and breach of fiduciary duty claims in Texas state court.
Obtained multi-million dollar judgment in securities fraud litigation in Texas and Delaware.
Multi-million dollar fraud and breach of fiduciary duty lawsuit against a large Mexican bank.
Successfully defended a multi-million dollar fraud claim against an international aviation company.
Successfully defended lender on multi-million dollar usury claims in a unanimous jury verdict.
Represented commercial clients on claims involving fraudulent transfers, fraud, tortious interference, breach of contract, aiding and abetting fraud, and breach of fiduciary duty.
Successfully prosecuted a multi-million dollar fraud and breach of fiduciary duty suit against Mexican agent.
Numerous lawsuits related to real estate disputes.
Represented lending institution and trustee in defending against attempts by borrower to obtain injunctive relief and pursuing counterclaims related thereto.
Represented hospitals and healthcare organizations in business disputes.
Construction disputes.
Shareholders disputes.
Successfully represented companies in securities litigation disputes.
Represented lending institutions and lending syndicates in disputes including derivatives litigation, loan and guaranty agreements, debt collection, debt restructurings, prosecutions to avoid fraudulent transfers, claims of equitable subordination and the defense of lender-liability claims.
Successfully defended against consumer class action lawsuits in several Texas venues.
Represented a lending institution in various forums in the United States and the Channel Islands in prosecutions to avoid fraudulent transfers.
Obtained a federal court judgment for a lender against a large insurance company regarding funds claimed to be covered by ERISA.
Arbitration regarding a large multi-million dollar contract dispute for a power plant in Illinois involving claims of lack of performance and failure to deliver power.
Recognitions
Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® (Commercial Litigation), 2026–2027
Ranked in Chambers USA for Texas: Houston Litigation: General Commercial, 2025-2026
Included in Thomson Reuters’ Stand-Out Lawyers list, 2023-2024, 2026
Credentials
Education
Education
- Baylor University School of Law, J.D., Associate Editor, Baylor Law Review
- Baylor University, B.A., cum laude
Professional admissions & qualifications
Professional admissions & qualifications
- Texas
- California (Inactive)
Court admissions
Court admissions
- U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court - Northern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court - Southern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court - Western District of Texas
- U.S. District Court - Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court - Southern District of Indiana
- U.S. Court of Appeals - Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals - Seventh Circuit
Professional affiliations
Professional affiliations
- American Board of Trial Advocates
- American Bar Association
- Houston Bar Association
- State Bar of Texas
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
- California State Bar
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