Butler Snow is pleased to announce Christopher R. Cowan, Cedric E. Evans, Eric J.R. Nichols, Amanda G. Taylor, and Karson K. Thompson have joined the firm’s Austin office. Cowan, Nichols, Taylor, and Thompson will practice with the firm’s commercial litigation group. Evans will practice with the firm’s pharmaceutical, medical device, and health care litigation group.
“We are happy to welcome Chris, Cedric, Eric, Amanda, and Karson to our team and continue expanding our presence in Austin,” Donald Clark, Jr., said, chairman of Butler Snow. “Each is a great addition to our firm. We look forward to the knowledge and experience that they will offer to our clients.”
Cowan focuses his practice on representing individuals and businesses in an array of civil litigations involving claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, employment-related discrimination, product liability, deceptive trade practices, negligence and misappropriation of trade secrets. He also has experience in guiding his clients through government and internal investigations. Cowan has been recognized by Super Lawyers® as a Texas Rising Star in business litigation since 2014.
Cowan is a member of the Austin Bar Association and the Texas Association of Defense Counsel. He received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. He is licensed to practice in both Texas and California.
Evans has devoted the vast majority of his practice to the defense of pharmaceutical manufacturers. He has taken lead or prominent pre-trial and trial discovery roles in mass tort matters involving a range of pharmaceutical products, including diet drugs, pain management medications, antidepressants, Cox-2 inhibitors, acne medications, antihypertensives, and antiepileptic drugs. Evans has been recognized by Super Lawyers® as a Texas Rising Star and by Martindale-Hubbell® with an AV-Preeminent Peer Review rating.
Evans is a member of the Defense Research Institute and the International Association of Defense Counsel. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas and his Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law. Evans served in the United States Army Reserves from 1987 – 1997, retiring with the rank of second lieutenant.
Nichols focuses his practice in the areas of civil and criminal litigation with a special emphasis on representing companies and individuals in business and commercial disputes, including pre-litigation counseling, the prosecution, and defense of civil cases filed in court, the defense of civil claims pursued by government agencies and trials in courts and arbitrations. He also focuses his practice on representing companies and individuals during white-collar criminal investigations and proceedings in both the federal and state criminal justice systems. Nichols is a former deputy attorney general for criminal justice for the office of the Texas attorney general and a former assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of Texas.
Nichols has been recognized by Best Lawyers for his work in bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, and criminal defense: white collar since 2012, named a 2017 Lawyer of the Year for criminal defense: white collar and named a 2018 Lawyer of the Year for bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation and/or criminal defense: white collar. He has also been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Texas Super Lawyer for business litigation, by Chambers USA for litigation: general commercial (Texas), by Benchmark Litigation as a local litigation star in 2018, by Martindale-Hubbell with an AV-Preeminent Peer Review rating and named a Lawyer of the Year by The Wall Street Journal and a Lawyer of the Year: Austin and San Antonio by Austin Monthly.
Nichols is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the American College of Trial Lawyers. He received his bachelor’s degree, with distinction, from the University of Virginia and his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law.
Taylor is a board-certified civil appellate specialist who routinely assists trial counsel and represents clients in both district and appellate courts across Texas. Her practice areas are widely varied and include disputes regarding contracts, business organizations, shareholders, fiduciaries, trusts, the Texas Citizens’ Participation Act, real property, franchise and sales tax, employment, fraud/misrepresentation consumers and high-asset divorces. She has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Texas Super Lawyer for appellate and by Texas Lawyer as a “Rising Star” in civil appeals. She also was named one of “2018 Top 50 in Central/West Texas Lawyers” by Thompson Reuters.
Taylor is a member of the Austin Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the Travis County Women Lawyers Association, the Women in the Law Institute at Texas Law and the Baylor Law School Alumni Association. She received her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Vanderbilt University and her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Baylor University School of Law.
Thompson focuses his practice in the area of commercial litigation. Having received his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in education from the University of Kansas, he is able to use his talent as a teacher, orator, and writer to persuade judges and juries during trial. Thompson also has extensive experience with federal motion practice and procedure, having worked at one of the nation’s busiest federal courts while clerking for the Honorable Sam Sparks at the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Thompson is a member of the Austin Bar Association and Austin Young Lawyers Association and currently serves as membership chair for the Austin Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. He received his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law.
Source: www.butlersnow.com
