John Zavitsanos, Business Attorney in Houston, Texas

John Zavitsanos is a highly regarded trial lawyer who loves trying cases and loves winning. He has achieved success for a multitude of clients – both defendants and plaintiffs, from big energy companies to lone whistleblowers battling the odds.

He has tried almost 100 cases to verdict in litigation that runs the gamut: financial services, oil and gas, construction, complex commercial disputes, director and officer liability, non-compete and trade-secret disputes, real estate development, and defamation/business disparagement. He is the primary author of O’Connor’s Texas Rules * Civil Trials 2018-2024, the premiere civil trial rules guide for Texas lawyers and judges.

He has learned from every jury trial by surveying the jurors after the case and learning what conventional wisdom has outlived its usefulness. That’s a lot of input, since he has tried more than a dozen cases in just the last few years

And his willingness – delight, actually – at trying a case with confidence has impressed numerous heavyweight clients. As one happy customer put it, “I find that many large law firms are willing to capitulate too quickly and pressure me to settle too soon.” He said he knows that Mr. Zavitsanos is “serious about going to trial.”

When interviewed by Chambers USA, clients have said Mr. Zavitsanos is “a master of cross-examination.” Another client said, “I like his trial instincts and confidence. Not a lot of lawyers out there try cases as frequently as he does, and it shows. John loves being in the courtroom.”

Mr. Zavitsanos’ considerable talents have been recognized by every possible legal rating service. For 19 consecutive years, he’s been listed by Best Lawyers in America. He’s recognized for his General Commercial Litigation work in Texas by the highly respected Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, published by London-based Chambers and Partners. He was also named a Benchmark Litigation Star in 2016-2024. And he is a Litigation Counsel of America Senior Fellow. And he was named on Lawdragon 500 leading lawyers in America lists for 2021- 2024 with a focus on commercial litigation, intellectual property, and securities.

He has achieved the highest possible peer rating, AV Preeminent, by Martindale-Hubbell, the premier legal directory, for his Business Litigation practice. He’s been named by his peers as one of the top 100 Texas Lawyers on the annual Texas Super Lawyers list for more than a decade. He was recently featured on the cover of Texas Super Lawyer magazine as one of only a handful of lawyers in Texas to be named a Super Lawyer every year for the past 20 years. He is board certified in civil trial law by both the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy, an accomplishment held by less than 2 percent of all practicing lawyers in the state of Texas.