Todd W. Mensing Partner 3460 One Houston Center 1221 McKinney Street Houston, Texas 77010-2009 Phone: 713 655-1101 Fax: 713 655-0062 email: tmensing@azalaw.com* Mr. Mensing focuses on complex commercial litigation in a variety of areas, including energy, real estate, construction, corporate governance, fraud and fiduciary litigation, partnership disputes, breach of contract and business torts, as well as condemnation. Mr. Mensing also focuses on representing executives in employment disputes, non-compete and trade secret matters, as well as both companies and individuals in catastrophic personal injury cases. Texas Monthly named Mr. Mensing a Texas Super Lawyer in only his fifth year of practice, a designation voted upon by the bar and limited to the top 5% of Texas lawyers. Mr. Mensing was one of the youngest attorneys in Texas to gain this distinction. Mr. Mensing has also been named one of Houston's Best Lawyers by H Texas Magazine and also a Rising Star by Texas Monthly. Mr. Mensing enjoys an extensive trial practice, having tried over twenty jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations. He has represented both large companies and individuals, collecting significant verdicts for plaintiffs as well as take-nothing judgments for defendants. Prior to joining Ahmad, Zavitsanos, & Anaipakos, P.C., Todd Mensing graduated with Honors and in the top ten percent of his class at the University of Texas School of Law. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Stanford University. He was named a Partner in the Firm in 2006. Listed below are some examples of results that Mr. Mensing has achieved for his clients: In 2008, Todd Mensing was the lead trial lawyer in a commercial real estate dispute. Mr. Mensing defended the owners of the Lancaster Hotel which is located in downtown Houston. The Plaintiffs, Houston restauranteur Jean Soussan and his company, Al Mamounia, Inc., alleged that the property owners had breached their lease contract and unlawfully appropriated the Plaintiffs' property. At the conclusion of the two-week trial, the jury deliberated for only two hours before unanimously rejecting each of the Plaintiffs' claims. The jury also found against the Plaintffs on counterclaims for statutory theft and conversion, entered a finding of malice, and awarded a verdict of nearly three quarters of a million dollars against the Plaintiffs. In 2007, Mr. Mensing was the lead lawyer in the defense of a $150 million breach of contract lawsuit related to the joint operation of a pipeline system located in offshore Louisiana. A national energy corporation brought the case against Mr. Mensing's client, a multi-state pipeline company. Prior to engaging AZA, Mr. Mensing's client lost a related case to the same plaintiff before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The plaintiff sought to impose the FERC's findings in the related case to establish liability. Mr. Mensing led the team of lawyers that defeated this strategy. Afterward, Mr. Mensing's client achieved a walk-away settlement. In 2007, Mr. Mensing was the lead trial lawyer in a discrimination lawsuit brought in federal court on behalf of an executive of a seismic equipment manufacturer. After a week-long trial, the jury returned a verdict that the employer discriminated against Mr. Mensing's client when it terminated him, and did so willfully, resulting in a $1.27 million judgment. In 2006, Mr. Mensing was the lead lawyer for one of the nation's largest pipeline companies in a plaintiff's suit alleging fraud and breach of contract against a multinational energy provider.  The suit involved the $75 million dollar purchase of a pipeline system in the Gulf of Mexico.  The case settled favorably for a confidential sum. In 2006, Mr. Mensing acted as the lead attorney representing a Fortune 100 distribution company in a multimillion dollar breach of contract lawsuit filed against two of the company's former business partners.  The case settled favorably for a confidential sum. In 2005, Mr. Mensing acted as lead counsel in a complex employee compensation dispute filed in federal court on behalf of a former executive of a Fortune 100 company. After Mr. Mensing's client prevailed in the district court, the case settled for a confidential sum. In 2003, Mr. Mensing acted as lead lawyer in the defense of a national real estate development firm in a bet-the-company lawsuit filed in federal court. Closely monitored by lawyers, trade groups, and legislators across Texas, the case involved the application of a new series of legislative reforms that had not yet been interpreted by any court, and held industry-wide implications for Texas real estate developers. The Court issued a take-nothing judgment in favor of Mr. Mensing's client. In the same year, Mr. Mensing defended the same client in a seven-figure fraud lawsuit filed in state court. Although the plaintiffs pled over sixty causes of action, Mr. Mensing was able to successfully obtain summary judgment on every one of the plaintiffs' claims. In 2002, Mr. Mensing tried a four-day arbitration against a defendant represented by one of Texas' largest firms. Mr. Mensing's client alleged that her dismissal had been illegally influenced by the sexist animus of her male co-workers. After prevailing on her claims and obtaining an award for both economic and compensatory damages under Title VII, Mr. Mensing's client was also awarded her full attorney's fees and costs. In 2001, Mr. Mensing was lead trial counsel in the defense of a Houston university professor indicted on charges of assaulting a female student. After deliberating for less than an hour, the all-female jury acquitted Mr. Mensing's client. In 2001, Mr. Mensing was lead trial counsel in a wrongful termination lawsuit brought by a former employee of a large Houston physician's group. After a four day jury trial in federal court, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Mr. Mensing's client. In 2001, Mr. Mensing was lead trial counsel in a multi-plaintiff arbitration brought against the City of Houston and the Houston Police Officer's Union. Mr. Mensing's clients alleged that they had been denied promotions in violation of the collective bargaining agreement between the HPOU and the City. After the conclusion of the arbitration, Mr. Mensing's clients prevailed and were awarded all of their requested relief. In 2000, Mr. Mensing was lead counsel in a dispute involving several million dollars between two Houston oil companies. Mr. Mensing obtained a dismissal of his opponent's counterclaims in their entirety, and won judgment in favor of his clients awarding them their full damages. In 2000, Mr. Mensing was a member of a team of lawyers litigating a dispute with a large Florida construction company that involved hundreds of millions of dollars. Prior to trial, Mr. Mensing achieved dismissal of all of the defendants' counterclaims, and also successfully defended all of his client's claims against summary judgment. After the court's rulings, Mr. Mensing's client received a multi-million dollar settlement. Mr. Mensing was born in Modesto, California. In 1994, he earned an A.B. in English, with Honors, from Stanford University. In 1999, Mr. Mensing graduated in from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was a four-time recipient of the Dean's Achievement Award. After graduating from law school, Mr. Mensing began his career in the litigation section of Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P. In March of 2001, Mr. Mensing joined Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos, P.C. EDUCATION Stanford University (A.B., with Honors, 1994) University of Texas School of Law (J.D., with Honors, Order of the Coif, 1999) PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS State Bar of Texas United States District Courts for the Southern, Northern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas The Association of Trial Lawyers of America Federal Bar Association American Bar Association Houston Bar Association * Internet mail is not fully secure or private. Therefore, please do not transmit confidential information via Internet mail. Transmission of information is not intended to and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not assume that your communications sent using Internet mail are privileged or confidential. Please do not send Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos any confidential information via the Internet without previously consulting one of our attorneys. **Nothing on this web page is intended to represent that Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos currently represents any particular clients mentioned because matters and client relationships naturally terminate from time to time. ***Mr. Mensing is not certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. © 2006 Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos. All rights reserved