Lea is a litigator whose practice concentrates on complex commercial litigation in a wide variety of disputes including business torts, contracts, fraud, trade secrets, environmental law, real estate, deceptive trade practices, as well as, regulatory investigations related to financial services accounting issues.

Lea represents companies across several sectors of the US economy. Her clients include Big Four accounting firms, oil and gas companies, national retailers, financial institutions, medical providers, and technology companies.

Lea is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Prior to practicing law, she was a tax associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. She has defended Big Four accounting firms and individual accountants in administrative proceedings before the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy, and counseled accounting firms on compliance matters. She draws on her CPA experience and accounting knowledge to assist with these matters.

Lea is admitted to practice in Texas and before all the US district courts in Texas.

Relevant Experience

• Represented an international energy company in defending multiple royalty dispute actions asserted in state and federal courts. We developed a docket-wide strategy to assist with the defense of the double-digit actions, and the cases settled favorably without protracted litigation.
• Represented a national retailer in defending a contract dispute relating to an undeveloped shopping center the national retailer was supposed to anchor. After more than three years of litigation, the matter settled favorably before trial.
• Represented a Big Four accounting firm in a regulatory investigation relating to one of the largest bank failures in United States’ history. The state board terminated the investigation without penalty.
• Represented a free-standing emergency room center in federal and state court in defense of allegations of improper claim submissions to insurance companies. Both cases settled favorably.

• Represented a river authority in a federal bench trial defending claims that water diversions caused the death of whooping cranes in violation of the Endangered Species Act. After the trial court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, the 5th Circuit reversed and rendered, holding that the plaintiff failed to establish proximate cause and foreseeability as a matter of law. Law360 named the case one of the top five environmental cases of the year.
• Represented a technology company in arbitrations prosecuting former employees and customers for stealing trade secrets and confidential information. Cases settled favorably with entries of permanent injunctions.
• Represented a publicly traded real estate investment trust in a breach of contract action. The case settled favorably.
• Counsel a Big Four accounting firm on compliance issues.
• Represented a business owner in multi-million dollar contract disputes involving the music industry. The cases settled favorably.
• Represented individuals on a pro bono basis in a wide-range of cases, including obtaining proper benefits for a veteran in front of the Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records, obtaining asylum for a persecuted political refugee, resolving landlord tenant disputes, defending a car accident case, and securing adoptions and divorces in family law.

Bar Admissions

Education
JD, The University of Texas School of Law, with honors, 2007MPA, The University of Texas at Austin, 2002BBA, The University of Texas at Austin, 2002