BEAUMONT – Provost Umphrey Law Firm LLP has earned the Best Law Firms designation from the publishers of U.S. News & World Report and The Best Lawyers in America for its continued success in the courtroom on behalf of its clients.
The Beaumont-based firm represents the victims of serious personal injury and wrongful death, motor vehicle and aviation accidents, on-the-job injuries, chemical exposure and dangerous pharmaceutical drugs. The firm also litigates complex business disputes, high-stakes insurance claims and wage-and-hour employment issues.
Best Law Firms rankings are published annually following a process that includes client and lawyer evaluations, peer review by leading attorneys in key practice areas, and an editorial review of information provided by law firms. To be eligible for a ranking in a particular practice area, a law firm must have at least one lawyer included in the Best Lawyers in America guide. Thirteen Provost Umphrey attorneys were selected for that honor earlier this year.
“Obviously, there are many law firms that people can choose and recommend to others, so it is a great distinction to be recognized as a national leader within our practice,” Provost Umphrey attorney Bryan O. Blevins Jr. told the Southeast Texas Record.
Provost Umphrey earned the Metropolitan Tier 1 designation based on the firm's litigation work for plaintiffs involving mass torts, personal injury and product liability claims.
“It is an honor when those within our legal community acknowledge the effort, resources and experiences that Provost Umphrey provides to our cases,” Blevins said. “The recognition of how hard we work for our clients, their families and their needs is the real achievement.”
Currently, the firm’s attorneys are representing oil and gas royalty owners in federal lawsuits against Talisman Energy USA Inc. over the alleged shorting of oil and gas royalty payments. Blevins said the firm saw a dramatic increase in royalty owner disputes as the price of oil and gas crashed.
“Talisman, however, represents a step beyond as the evidence points to a specific corporate decision to manipulate reported production figures to offset an inadequate royalty accounting program,” he said.
Recently, Provost Umphrey successfully helped Tyson Foods employees sue the company for back pay, leading to a $5.8 million verdict. In 2015 a jury awarded $1.25 million to the family of Provost Umphrey client Victor Bortz, who was killed in a workplace accident in Pennsylvania.
Blevins does not think Provost Umphrey will expand beyond its locations in Beaumont, Houston and Nashville.
“With the available technology and the firm’s resources, we already have a successful nationwide practice,” Blevins said.
Blevins said Provost Umphrey has more than 45 years of litigation history and success that has given the firm both the experience and resources to handle cases, large and small, locally and across the country.
“A successful law firm is not built overnight but with years of hard work and thousands of clients who put their trust in the attorneys," Blevins said. "That being said, the hard-working culture at Provost Umphrey started in 1969 and continues today.”