S. Scott West

A Triple Board Certified Trial Lawyer who has Assisted in Recovering Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Injury Victims and their Families

Don't put your case in the hands of just any lawyer. Turn to a national award-winning lawyer who has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of injury victims and their families. When you work with our team, we do everything within our power to help you recover full and fair compensation.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, S. Scott West is a proud Christian, husband, and father of four. Scott attended the University of Texas at Austin and graduated in 1985 with a Bachelor's of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Following graduation, he worked as a design engineer in the petrochemical and transportation industries.

Scott started law school in 1987 at the South Texas College of Law, completing his Doctorate of Jurisprudence in 1989. While in law school, he made Dean's List every year while still working full time. He was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1990 and began pursuing his passion, working for a prominent personal injury law firm in Houston. As a direct result of his success in litigating complex cases and securing substantial compensation for his clients, Scott was soon named a principal partner at the firm.

In 1997, Scott opened The West Law Firm and continued in his relentless pursuit of justice for the injured and wronged. He and the rest of the team at The West Law Firm fight tirelessly to help those who have been harmed due to another's negligence or wrongdoing.

Multidistrict Litigation

West's determination knows no bounds when it comes to product liability litigation, which addresses defective and dangerous products that have caused a consumer injury. The West Law Firm has been a member of the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee leading the only two personal injury product liability multidistrict litigation cases filed in Texas. Multidistrict litigation, or MDL, refers to a special legal procedure used to speed the process of handling such complex cases as product liability lawsuits or air disaster litigation. Scott West was on the leadership panel for both Texas MDL cases, which were filed against Toyota (for vehicle defects related to unintended acceleration) and General Motors (for defective ignition switches).

With his background in mechanical engineering, Scott West is in a unique position to offer experienced insight when it comes to defective products. He has led The West Law Firm to win legal battles against manufacturers of defective products and has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of clients across Texas and the United States.

Primary Areas of Concentration

• Complex Civil Litigation
• Catastrophic Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Claims involving Defective and Unsafe Products, including the unsafe design of automobiles, Recreational Off-highway Vehicles (ROVs), All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), Utility Transport Vehicles (UTVs), industrial equipment and machinery
• Significant Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Claims involving Truck, Automobile and Motorcycle Collisions, Construction Site and Industrial Tragedies, and Dangerous Premises
• Commercial Disputes involving Breaches of Fiduciary Duties, Contracts, Trust and Theft
• Misappropriation of Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets
• First Party Claims arising out of the August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey devastation and the concerted action of first-part insurance companies to underpay their insureds
• 1 of 5 members of Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for Texas MDL In re: Toyota Unintended Acceleration Litigation (Personal Injury and Death Cases); Cause No. 2010-46354 in the 152^nd District Court of Harris County, Texas—Texas’ first MDL involving injury/death claims from a defective product
• 1 of 9 members of Plaintiffs’ Liaison Committee for California Federal MDL In re: Toyota Motor Corp. Unintended Acceleration Marketing, Sales Practices, and Products Liability Litigation; 8:10-ml-02151-JVS- FMO in the United States District Court Central District of California— Southern Division
• 1 of 5 Members of Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for Texas MDL In re: General Motors, LLC Ignition Switch Litigation; 2014-51871 in the 152^nd District Court of Harris County, Texas; principal counsel for GM engineering depositions and 1 of 3 lawyers in the nation selected to secure the deposition of GM’s CEO, Mary Barra
• 1 of 5 Members of Plaintiffs’ Common Benefit Fee Committee In re: Toyota Motor Cass; Case No. JCCP 4621 in the Superior Court of the State of California County of Los Angeles—Complex

Bar Admissions

• Texas Bar, 1990
• United States District Court, Texas Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western Districts
• United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• Pro Hac Vice (past and current) includes Arizona (State), California (Federal and State), Kentucky (Federal), Louisiana (Federal and State), West Virginia (State), Illinois (State), Nevada (State)

Board Certifications/MH Rating

• Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 1995
• Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2011
• Board Certified Civil Pretrial Practice Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2012
• Martindale-Hubbell^® AV-Preeminent
• (highest possible rating in competence and ethics), 2011

Education

• University of Texas, Austin (B.S.M.E., 1985)
• South Texas College of Law (J.D., 1989)
• Fraternities: Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honors); Phi Delta Phi (Legal)

Honors

• AV Preeminent ®-Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum®
• Houston's Top Lawyers - H Texas Magazine (2004)
• Texas Super Lawyers® (2003 edition)
• South Texas College of Law Dean's List (1987, 1988 and 1989)
• Finalist, Joe C. Reynolds Negotiation & Arbitration Competition (1988)
• First Place, South Texas College of Law Negotiation Competition (1989)
• President's Merit Award (1989)
• American Jurisprudence Award, Civil Trial Practice (1989)

Honors

• Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honors)
• Phi Delta Phi (Legal Honors)
• Houston Trial Lawyers Association (Director 1994 – present)
• Texas Trial Lawyers Association (Sustaining Member, 1995 – present; Associate Director 1995 – 1999; Director 2000 – 2004, 2019 – current)
• American Association for Justice, formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America (Sustaining Member, 1997 – present; Product Liability Section, Executive Committee 1997 – 2000; New Lawyers Division, Texas Governor 1995 – 1998; New Lawyers Division, Product Liability Section Liaison 1995 – 1996)
• State Bar of Texas 5A1 Grievance Committee (2004 – 2010; Chairman 2005 – 2006; Chairman 2008 – 2010)
• Fort Bend County Bar Association (Director, 2007 – 2009)
• Fort Bend Lawyers Care (Director, 2007 – 2019)
• Memorial Hermann Hospital Sugar Land (Development Board, 2007 – 2012; Advisory Board 2012 – present)
• Fort Bend County Women’s Center (Council of Resources, 2006 – 2008; Director, 2008 – 2012; Council of Resources 2012 – present)
• Texas Supreme Court Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee, 1997– 1999
• State Bar of Texas Pro Bono College, admitted 1995 – present
• State Bar College, admitted 1998 – present
• American Cancer Society Couture for the Cause Co-Chair with my wife, KK (2009 and 2014)—raised ~$350,000 (total) for cancer research and resources
• American Cancer Society Couture for the Cause Honorary Co-Chair with my wife, KK (2018)—raised $137,000+ for pediatric cancer research and resources
• Back the Blue Co-Chair with my wife, KK, and Amy and Gary Becker (2018, 2019, 2020)—raised money for Sugar Land Police Academy Alumni Association that went directly to the Sugar Land Police Department
• “Best Lawyers in America—Personal Injury Litigation, Plaintiffs,” The Best Lawyers in America, 2021
• “America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators,” America’s Top 100, 2018 - 2020
• “The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers,” National Trial Lawyers, 2011 – 2021
• “Top 25 Texas Products Liability Lawyers,” National Trial Lawyers, 2019 – 2020
• “Texas’ Best Lawyers,” Best Lawyers, 2021
• “Top 100 Houston Area Lawyers” by H Texas Magazine 2004 – 2019 “Top Lawyers for the People” by H Texas Magazine, 2005 – 2008 “Texas Super Lawyer” by Texas Monthly Magazine, 2005 – 2021 Million Dollar Advocates Forum, admitted 1999
• South Texas College of Law Dean’s List 1987, 1988, 1989
• Finalist, Joe C. Reynolds Negotiation & Arbitration Competition, 1988 First Place, South Texas College of Law Negotiation Competition, 1989 South Texas College of Law President’s Merit Award, 1989
• American Jurisprudence Award, Civil Trial Practice, 1989
• 2018: Qualified by The National Law Journal for “Top 10 Personal Injury Verdicts in Texas”, “Top 10 Products Liability Verdicts in Texas”, “Top 20 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in Texas in”, “Top 50 Verdicts in Texas”, “Top 100 Product Liability Verdicts in the United States”, and “Top 100 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in the United States” by The National Law Journal (Jose Leos-Ortiz v. Ford Motor Co., United States District Court for Southern District of Texas—McAllen); unanimous Jury Verdict August 29, 2018 ($4,800,001.00)
• 2019: Recognized by The National Law Journal for “Top 20 Underinsured Motorist Verdicts”, “Top 100 Personal Injury Verdicts in Texas”, and “Top 100 Motor Vehicle Accident Verdicts in Texas” (Tremain v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Ins. Co., Harris County, Texas 281^st District Court); unanimous Jury Verdict June 20, 2019 (all non-economic damages)
• 2020: Recognized by The National Law Journal for “Top 100 Verdicts in Texas”, “Top 100 Verdicts in the United States” and “#2 Verdict for Workplace Negligence in the United States” (Tatom v. Production Specialties Corporation, et al., Harris County, Texas 281^st District Court); unanimous Jury Verdict January 17, 2020 ($3,936,826.00)

Speaker/Presentations

• “Client Interviews,” Law Seminars International, Houston, TX,
• November, 1991
• “First Contact with New Clients” Law Seminars International, Houston,
• TX, Nov, 1992
• “First Contact with New Clients and Client Interviews,” Law Seminars International, Houston, TX November, 1994
• “Engineering for Lawyers–Fundamentals of Presentation and Destruction of Opinion Testimony,” Association of Trial Lawyers of America,
• Boca Raton, FL, January, 1997
• “The New Discovery Rules: A Plaintiff’s Perspective,” Houston Legal Assistants Association, Houston, TX, March, 1999
• “How to Avoid a Grievance, and How to Respond if You Fail,” Fort Bend County Bar Association, Richmond, TX, July, 2001
• “Texas Product Liability in the Wake of House Bill 4,” Houston Trial Lawyers Association, Houston, TX, September, 2003
• “Fighting Car Makers—A Tale of Liars, Cheats and Thieves,” Southern Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, February, 2009
• “Effective Use of Medical Exhibits,” Southern Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, February, 2010
• “Application of the Daubert Standard in State Courts,” American Association for Justice, Fort Lauderdale, FL, January, 2012 with co-Presenter,
• Rhonda L. Lanford
• “Presentation of Treating Medical Professionals,” Southern Trial Lawyers Association Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA, February, 2014
• “GM Ignition Switch Defect Personal Injury Cases,” HarrisMartin MDL Conference: GM Ignition Switch Recall Litigation, Chicago, IL, May, 2014
• “ATV/UTV Liability,” State Bar of Texas 36^th Annual Advanced Personal Injury Course, presented to San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, Fort Worth, and South Padre, July through October, 2020

Areas of Practice

• Personal injury and wrongful death involving:
• Defective and unsafe products
• Motor vehicle collisions
• Construction site accidents
• Industrial accidents
• Dangerous premises
• Commercial disputes involving:
• Theft or misappropriation of intellectual property
• Theft or misappropriation of trade secrets
• Breach of contract
• Other complex commercial litigation

To learn more about Attorney West and how our firm can help you, please call for a confidential consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!