HOUSTON – Continuing its expansion in Texas, O’Melveny announced today that a duo of experienced, decorated litigators—Travis Sales and John Anaipakos—have joined O’Melveny’s Houston office as partners in the firm’s acclaimed General Litigation Practice Group, a press release states.
Together, Sales and Anaipakos are nationally recognized for their first-chair trial experience in commercial, energy, product liability, and ERISA litigation. They represent national and international clients in an array of industries, including the pharmaceutical, retail, and chemical sectors, and they have extensive experience representing energy companies—particularly oil and gas producers, pipelines, utilities, and power generators in high-stakes disputes.
Sales and Anaipakos come to O’Melveny from the Houston office of Baker Botts, where they practiced together for nearly three decades and served in senior leadership roles: Sales as chair of the ERISA Litigation Practice, and Anaipakos as former chair of the Houston Litigation Department. Their arrival strengthens O’Melveny’s broad litigation capabilities in Texas and accelerates the firm’s rapid expansion in the Lone Star State. Since June 2021, O’Melveny has added upwards of 70 lawyers—including 28 partners—across its Austin, Dallas, and Houston offices.
“We are delighted to welcome two such standout litigators to our growing Houston office,” said O’Melveny chair Bradley J. Butwin. “Travis and John are a perfect fit for our firm as we continue to bolster our roster of all-star trial lawyers. They will help strengthen our General Litigation Practice, which is already first class, and their talents will serve our clients well in Houston and beyond. It is a pleasure to welcome them aboard.”
“We know Travis and John well, having worked alongside them and admired their work on numerous matters over the years,” added O’Melveny partner Tim Durst, the firm’s Texas Regional Head for Litigation. “They’re brilliant litigators with practices rooted in integrity, collaboration, and tireless client service. They’re a fabulous match for O’Melveny, as both people and professionals. We’re thrilled to welcome them to our Texas litigation team.”
“I’m excited by this unique opportunity to join O’Melveny’s world-class group of trial lawyers and to help build upon its strong commitment to expanding in Houston and Texas,” said Sales. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of O’Melveny’s great trial lawyers in the past and know of O’Melveny’s well-earned reputation for excellence, as well as the firm’s distinctive, collaborative culture, impressive global platform, and client-first approach. John and I are delighted to join the firm’s growing Houston office, where we will provide our clients with the signature, top-tier service that defines O’Melveny.”
“O’Melveny’s Litigation Department is well-known for successfully handling many of the country’s most critical, headline-making matters,” added Anaipakos. “O’Melveny is growing rapidly in the Texas market, and Travis and I are thrilled to join such a talented group of lawyers. We’re confident that O’Melveny will be a great fit for our clients and our practices.”
About the Duo
Travis Sales is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and he is recognized as a leading trial lawyer by Legal 500 USA and Chambers USA. He has a broad background in commercial litigation and arbitration, consumer class actions, pension and ERISA matters, trade secret cases, and product liability disputes. He built his practice on mass tort pharmaceutical product liability litigation, and he still focuses on mass tort defense, representing pharmaceutical and other companies in product liability, consumer fraud, and Attorneys General actions. Sales also advises energy and petrochemical companies in significant trade secret, construction, and commercial disputes, including notable cross-border matters.
Sales serves as a Texas delegate to the American Bar Association. He is a former President of the Houston Bar Association and Director of the State Bar of Texas. He earned his J.D. with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was Grand Chancellor and a member of the Order of the Coif and the Texas Law Review. He earned his B.B.A. in accounting with highest honors from the University of Texas.
John Anaipakos is a veteran trial lawyer recognized by Chambers USA and Legal 500 USA for his work representing and advising clients in high-stakes disputes across a wide variety of industries, including oil and gas, utilities, power generation, and retail. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Anaipakos has tried cases before juries, judges, arbitrators, and administrative tribunals in matters involving oil and gas, complex business disputes, employment, catastrophic injury and death, and professional liability. His appellate experience includes arguments before the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Supreme Court of Texas.
Anaipakos earned his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Upon graduation, he clerked for the Honorable Edith H. Jones of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He earned his B.A. in economics summa cum laude from Trinity University.