MAYER - Key Persons
Aaron, a founding Partner and the Transportation Practice Group Leader, focuses his practice on defending businesses facing high exposure and catastrophic losses. He has experience in both federal and state courts representing privately held businesses, publicly traded companies, and insurers in tort, real estate, construction and complex business litigation. Additionally, Aaron defends both self-insured and insured companies in a variety of tort-based matters, including trucking and transportation accidents, work site and commercial explosions, premises liability claims and dram shop actions. With his experience in the courtroom, Aaron has the ability to properly evaluate a case in order to obtain favorable settlements when necessary.
Aaron has a diverse educational and professional background with international experience. Aaron speaks conversational Spanish and has studied in Italy and Mexico, as well as working in Puerto Rico, Guatemala and Monterrey, Mexico. Aaron began his professional career in sales with IBM, followed by a smaller software company before obtaining his law degree and a master's degree in business administration.
Aaron has received numerous accolades from his peers, such as his inclusion on the D Magazine 2021 Best Lawyers list and the 2019-2023 Texas Super Lawyers List. He was also selected by Super Lawyers to the Texas Rising Stars list, recognizing highly-regarded attorneys under age 40, in 2008, 2010-2012, and 2014-2015. A number of Aaron's trial victories have been featured in the Texas Verdict Search publication
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Abbey Pampin Attorney / Houston
Abbey comes to Mayer, LLP with years of experience defending clients in personal injury cases, commercial trucking accidents, slip and falls, etc. Prior to her work in insurance defense, Abbey represented personal injury plaintiffs in litigation. This dynamic experience gives Abbey a unique perspective into the litigation process, from both sides of the bar, and allows Abbey to be an effective advocate for her clients.
In her free time, Abbey enjoys spending time with her husband and children. She also enjoys cooking, baking, working out, and reading and collecting Victorian literature.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Owner and Founder of the Firm
Alan Rucker is an owner and founder of the Firm. His single-minded focus is the client's satisfaction through outstanding results, preparedness, responsiveness, cost efficiency, and confidence that the matter is being handled the way the client wants it handled.
Alan has a broad-based civil practice representing multi-national, national, regional and local companies in a variety of litigation in state and federal courts. Alan has extensive experience representing clients in complex business and commercial disputes, construction matters, transportation and logistics, personal injury defense, products liability and property disputes. He also frequently counsels clients in risk management and litigation avoidance.
Away from the office, Alan enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters. He also enjoys cooking, running, time with his two labs and following his Longhorns.
Amos Pettis has over 20 years of litigation experience in a broad range of civil litigation defense but focuses most of his practice on transportation defense and high exposure or complex litigation. He has represented individuals, businesses, and insurance companies in state and federal courts and arbitration, from small claims court to multi-million-dollar exposures. Amos is licensed to practice in all trial and appellate courts in both Texas and Oklahoma and has appeared pro hac vice in numerous courts across the country. He has tried more than 30 cases to judges and juries and has argued multiple cases in the appellate courts, and he has obtained numerous summary dispositions on behalf of his clients. Amos has handled cases involving motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, premises liability, construction defects, healthcare liability, class action lawsuits, non-subscriber cases, fiduciary duties, real estate and RCLA litigation, the Dram Shop Act, breach of contract, insurance bad faith, DTPA violations, civil asset forfeiture, and many other areas of civil law.
In addition to his extensive litigation practice, Amos has successfully handled insurance coverage disputes, appeals, and pre-suit investigations for his clients. Amos frequently counsels clients on best practices and potential liability exposure after an incident or claim, including when to resolve disputes early and when to aggressively defend.
Amos is a native Texas who grew up moving around the state as a preacher's kid. Amos graduated valedictorian of Princeton High School in 1994 and was voted captain of the football team, where he was named All-State offensive lineman by the Associated Press. He then graduated summa cum laude (4.0 GPA) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Angelo State University in 1997. Amos next received his Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from Texas Tech University School of Law in 2000. After completing his education, Amos returned to the DFW metroplex where he has been practicing law ever since.
Amos and his wife, Rebecca, live outside Waxahachie with their large family of children, foster kids, and many animals. Amos and Rebecca are active with their church and several foster and adoption organizations in the community, and they enjoy camping and going on cruises for vacation.
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Amy Agnew Attorney / Dallas
Amy Agnew, a Senior Attorney at the firm, focuses her practice on civil litigation with an emphasis on personal injury, premises liability, professional liability, and trucking cases. Her practice also includes construction law, commercial disputes, and general insurance defense issues.
Amy has extensive experience practicing in state, federal, and administrative venues. Before going into private practice, Amy was an Assistant Disciplinary Counsel with the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel for the State Bar of Texas. She represented the Commission for Lawyer Discipline in disciplinary proceedings.
Amy was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She received her B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from the University of Richmond and her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. Away from the office, Amy enjoys traveling, reading a good book, and spending time with her family and friends.
Andrew Upton provides efficient and effective representation in trial and appellate courts. He joined Mayer LLP after serving as a judicial law clerk and briefing attorney for the Hon. Senior Chief Justice Jim R. Wright and Hon. Chief Justice John M. Bailey of the Eleventh District Court of Appeals of Texas. Andrew has experience representing individual clients and companies in commercial and construction disputes, dram shop, personal injury defense, medical malpractice, products liability, and landlord-tenant matters. He also advises clients on pre-litigation issues, litigation avoidance, and insurance coverage opinions.
In addition to his trial court practice, Andrew maintains an active practice as a member of the firm's Appellate section, where he has represented clients in the Texas Supreme Court, several of the Texas intermediate courts of appeals, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Drawing on his knowledge as a former appellate clerk and his litigation experience, Andrew advances his clients' interests through persuasive legal arguments. He is frequently called to assist other litigators in preparing dispositive motions, trial briefs, jury charges, and expert-related motions, as well as embedding in trial teams.
He won his first trial while still in law school as a student attorney in SMU's Civil Clinic. As part of SMU's Board of Advocates, he excelled in intramural and interscholastic advocacy competitions, earning both individual and team distinctions. Due to his success as an advocate, he was inducted into the National Order of Barristers. At SMU, Andrew was also on the SMU Law Review and served as a research assistant to one of his professors. As a member of SMU's Corporate Counsel Externship Program, Andrew worked in a Fortune 500 company's Office of the General Counsel, where he gained insight into tailoring a corporate client's legal representation to its specific business and goals.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Andrew Mihalick Partner / Houston
Andrew Mihalick represents and advises clients in a vast array of civil litigation matters in both state and federal courts. An experienced civil litigator, Andrew's practice includes the defense and counseling of enterprise and institutional clients on matters ranging from general negligence, premises defect and products defect claims to non-subscribing employer defense, code compliance, landlord-tenant issues and contract negotiation. He also represents common carriers in a variety of trucking matters from general negligence to cargo claims. In addition, Andrew has served as defense counsel in first- and third-party insurance matters involving property damage claims.
Prior to joining Mayer, Andrew practiced at a Houston-based commercial and real estate litigation law firm with a focus on commercial, construction and real estate matters, non-compete and trade secret misappropriation cases, as well as fiduciary duty litigation, insurance bad faith and DTPA claims. Andrew has mediated and tried cases, obtained temporary restraining orders and injunctions, and prepared and won appellate briefs and petitions for writs of mandamus, and argued before the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Andrew obtained his Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law in 2004. While in law school, he clerked with both the Honorable Tim Taft in the First District Court of Appeals of Texas and an insurance subrogation firm in Houston, Texas. He was also a member of Currents International Trade Law Journal and an initiate of Phi Delta Phi Legal Honors Fraternity.
Augustus Denham was born in McAllen, Texas and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. After law school, Augustus worked for one of the largest insurance defense firms in San Antonio before joining Mayer LLP in 2024. He has experience in varied civil litigation matters including personal injury, wrongful death, commercial, premises liability, and D.T.P.A. cases.
When he is away from the office, Augustus enjoys mountain biking, playing sports, reading, hunting, and fishing. He particularly enjoys Quail hunting and fishing the bays of Texas for Redfish and Trout.