Richard is the Head of the Dallas Litigation Practice Group. He is an experienced trial lawyer who has first-chaired dozens of complex cases in state and federal courts, arbitrations and other proceedings—many of which he joined as trial counsel at the 11th hour. His extensive courtroom experience includes cases involving product and environmental liability, trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, insurance coverage, False Claims Act allegations, partnership disputes and other business crisis situations.
While Richard frequently represents clients across many industries, he has particular experience resolving complicated and often high-profile disputes in the healthcare, life sciences, technology and manufacturing industries. His successful outcomes have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, Business Week, Reuters and Bloomberg News, among many other publications.
Richard also has extensive appellate experience. He began his career as an appellate specialist and previously served as the firmwide chair of the appellate practice at another large international firm. He has presented oral argument in more than two dozen cases before federal and state courts of appeal, and has handled appeals in all 13 US Court of Appeals and in the US Supreme Court. His wins have included reversing multiple jury verdicts and establishing important new precedents, including a victory that Law360 recognized as one of the most important decisions of the year.
Richard devotes substantial time to pro bono service, maintaining an active practice defending the rights of children and adults with intellectual and other disabilities in partnership with national disability rights organizations. He has served as an adjunct professor at several law schools, including SMU Dedman School of Law, BYU Law School and UNT-Dallas College of Law, teaching courses on trial advocacy, appellate advocacy and trade secrets.
Following law school, Richard served as a law clerk to the Honorable Fortunato P. Benavides on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
