Wright Close & Barger Attorneys Earn Prestigious National and State Legal Honors

Firm News

Attorneys honored as the firm grows its team of talented lawyers

Wright Close & Barger is pleased to announce its attorneys have earned recognition in two highly respected legal listings – the 2022 list of Texas Super Lawyers and the 2023 list of Best Lawyers in America.

In all, nine Wright Close & Barger attorneys are named Texas Super Lawyers, including firm co-founder Thomas Wright and partner Raffi Melkonian, who are also named among the Top 100 lawyers in Houston.

Firm partners named to the 2022 Texas Super Lawyers list include:

Firm co-founders Thomas Wright and Howard Close are also each marking their 20th consecutive year on the Texas Super Lawyers listing. Honorees are selected using a multiphase process that includes peer nominations and evaluations, along with independent research.

The Texas Super Lawyers honors come just one month after 15 Wright Close & Barger attorneys were named to the 2023 list of Best Lawyers in America, one of the most respected peer-review attorney guides in the nation.

Firm attorneys named to the 2023 Best Lawyers list include:

  • Thomas Wright – Appellate Practice; Insurance Litigation
  • Howard Close – Commercial Litigation; Personal Injury Litigation: Defendants
  • Jessica Z. Barger – Appellate Practice; Insurance Litigation
  • Wanda McKee Fowler – Appellate Practice
  • Russ Hollenbeck – Appellate Practice
  • Raffi Melkonian – Appellate Practice; Commercial Litigation
  • Randall Owens – Commercial Litigation
  • Kenneth Fair – Litigation: Trust and Estates
  • Bradley Snead – Appellate Practice
  • Andrew Love – Insurance Litigation
  • Natasha Taylor – Insurance Litigation

Best Lawyers also named four Wright Close & Barger attorneys to its list of “Ones to Watch,” which recognizes professional excellence in attorneys earlier in their careers. They include:

Adding New Talent

Wright Close & Barger is pleased to be adding four new associates to the firm’s already deep bench of highly skilled trial and appellate lawyers.

Ruben Garza brings to Wright Close & Barger experience in administrative appeals and researching constitutional tort litigation. He previously worked as a law clerk for the Executive Office for Immigration Review and the Ohio Attorney General. He also interned for both the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio and the Department of Homeland Security. He received his law degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

Brandon Flack joins from the Harris County Attorney’s Office, where he served in the environmental division. He has a wide range of experience, which includes drafting legal documents, negotiating settlement agreements, and performing legal research. Mr. Flack also worked as a paralegal for Wright Close & Barger in 2018–19. He is a 2022 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center.

Landon Francois brings to Wright Close & Barger extensive experience as a researcher, having served as research assistant to two law professors with Washington University School of Law. He also interned with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois. He is a 2022 graduate of Washington University School of Law.

Cristina De La Cruz, a 2022 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, rejoins Wright Close & Barger where she worked as a summer associate. She previously served as a law clerk for the Travis County probate court and as an intern for the Travis County Attorney’s Office.

“We are so pleased to welcome Ruben, Brandon, Landon and Cristina to our firm,” said Mr. Wright. “They each possess a unique set of talents we know will be of great benefit to our firm and our clients.”

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