Mostyn Law Firm donates $1 million to Democrat in Texas gubernatorial race

HOUSTON (Legal Newsline) – The Mostyn Law Firm and its attorneys are spending a small fortune to ensure state Sen. Wendy Davis’ political ambitions come to fruition.

The most recent contribution came on Dec. 31, with the Mostyn Law Firm ringing in the New Year by donating $1 million to the Texas Victory Committee – a joint project of Wendy R. Davis for Governor and Battleground Texas, according to the Texas Ethics Commission.

Davis, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, is no stranger to law firms specializing in civil litigation, as she first joined the Fort Worth law office of Haynes & Boone in 1994.

And now, 20 years later, Davis is relying on contributions from her fellow plaintiffs attorneys and their firms, such as the Mostyn Law Firm, to fuel her political climb.

In the past six months, the Mostyn Law Firm has made 38 donations to Davis and six more to organizations that support her, such as Annie’s List, the TEC reports.

However, the string of donations made by the firm to Davis goes back to her last campaign.

From 2010 to 2012, the Mostyn Law Firm donated a total of $475,250 to Davis, who was running for re-election to the state Senate, according to followthemoney.org.

Founded by plaintiffs attorney Steve Mostyn, the Mostyn Law Firm made a name for itself following hurricanes Rita and Ike, filing thousands of lawsuits on behalf of Gulf Coast residents against insurance companies and the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association.

In 2010, Mostyn himself was instrumental in negotiating a $500 million settlement with TWIA, netting plaintiffs attorneys $44 million in fees, the Southeast Texas Record reported.

Other notable law firms recently contributing to Davis’ campaign include Beaumont's Provost Umphrey with two donations of $100,000 in the past three months, and Dallas' Baron & Budd with a donation of $25,000.

Mostyn did not respond to a request for comment.

Davis will likely face Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott in the general election.

From Legal Newsline: Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com.