Chad W. Dunn

Chad Dunn has consistently received awards from Texas and Houston publications for his trial and litigation experience.  From the United States Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit, the Texas Supreme Court and virtually all trial and appellate courts below, Chad has the experience to prevail in the most diffiuclt conditions and environments.  Some of Chad's background and experience is described below.

Chad graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned is his Law Degree from South Texas College of Law. During law school, Chad clerked for a Professor where he provided research assistance on several published law reviews related to the law of contracts. Chad also participated in Moot Court Mock Trial where he won numerous awards including a Best Oralist award. Also during law school, he also published an article in the University of West Los Angeles Law Review regarding the importance of the One Subject Rule in legislative deliberations.

Legal Experience:

During his last two years of law school, Chad worked for the Houston firm of O’Quinn, Laminack & Pirtle where he conducted legal research and drafted pleadings and correspondence in numerous large personal injury and business cases handled by the firm. Chad attended trials and hearings with O’Quinn attorneys and also participated in numerous appellate briefings including preparation of the merits briefs in the Texas Supreme Court Case of In Re Ken Thompson Frost.

Chad obtained permission from the State Bar of Texas to begin practicing supervised law during his third year of law school. During that time, he assisted in taking depositions and also helped try an important election matter in Polk County, Texas, as well as handling the subsequent appeal.

After law school, Chad joined the firm of Riddle and Brazil to develop a trial and appellate practice. Chad tried a jury trial in Harris County on his own after being permanently licensed for only three weeks. Over the next few years, he tried more than a dozen jury trials and additional bench trials in courts throughout the state. He successfully defended numerous clients and obtained substantial verdicts on behalf of clients. As a result of all that experience, Chad earned a Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law and was one of the youngest applicants to receive that honor.  

Chad was a member of a trial team in a four week arbitration in North Carolina that resulted in over a million dollar recovery for its business client. Additionally, Chad obtained a million dollar verdict against a major league baseball player for transmitting a sexual transmitted disease to the firm’s client. He also has tried and/or litigated numerous business, real estate, bankruptcy and personal injury, election and civil rights matters.  Chad has also worked on difficult white collar criminal cases.  Having honed his skills as a trial attorney, there is virtually no significant court dispute Chad has not handled.

Political Experience:

During his studies at the University of Texas, Chad served as a legislative assistant to State Representative Dawnna Dukes (Austin) where he developed legal and political strategies, drafted legislation, engineered the passage of legislation, prepared speeches, and performed numerous other services for the constituents of Representative Dukes. Chad was instrumental in the adoption of the remediation plan for an East Austin landfill that had been filled with unauthorized hazardous waste.

During law school, Chad was hired by State Senator Rodney G. Ellis (Houston) as a policy advisor. Senator Ellis served as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee during Chad’s tenure. Chad performed similar tasks for the Senator as he had for Representative Dukes. Senator Ellis assigned Chad policy areas including jurisprudence, transportation and health, and education.

In 1997, Chad worked in Washington, D.C. as a policy intern for U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas).

In 2003, Chad was appointed as General Counsel to the Texas Democratic Party. He has represented the Party in dozens of matters including regulatory, election, real estate, civil rights, redistricting and general litigation. In 2006, Chad successfully led a trial and appellate team that prevented a prominent U.S. Congressman from unlawfully handpicking his successor where he argued the case before the Federal Court in Austin and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He also led the team that successfully defended a Motion for Stay presented to the United States Supreme Court.  Chad has pursued cases against Dallas and Harris County winning his clients favorable results.

Chad has handled numerous trial and appellate matters related to voting and civil rights. He has argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on numerous occasions as well as many State Court of Appeals matters and has also handled matters before the Texas Supreme Court and the United State Supreme Court. Chad is presently handling legal matters to ensure fair voter registration procedures, to revise ineffective voting equipment, and to ensure fair apportionment of voting districts.

In 2008, Chad became Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has been granted the right to sit for the exam for Board Certification in Civil Appellate Law.

Awards and Recognition:

  • Awarded Rising Star Lawyer
    by Texas Monthly Magazine
    2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011

  • Named Lawyer on the Fast Track
    by H Texas Magazine
    2005 and 2006

  • Recognized as Top Rated Professional
    by H Texas Magazine
    2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011

Licensed to Practice:

  • all courts throughout Texas

  • all Federal Courts in Texas including the United States District Court for the Southern, Western, Northern, and Eastern Districts of Texas

  • District of Columbia

  • United States District Court for the District of Columbia

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

  • District of Columbia Circuits

  • United States Supreme Court

  • Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Chad has published legal materials and lectured on topics on his own and with other lawyers.

List of Selected Reported Cases

n re Brown, Court of Appeals of Texas, San Antonio. July 14, 2008. 2008 WL 2725833. Suit to determine eligibility of a candidate to seek election to the Court of Appeals.

In re Lakewood Forest Fund, Inc., Court of Appeals of Texas, Houston (14th Dist.). October 20, 2005. 2005 WL 2674971. Suit concerning deed restrictions and a homeowner's right to repair own property.

Texas State University-San Marcos v. Bonnin, Supreme Court of Texas. June 25, 2010. 314 S.W.3d 912. Suit to recover for the drowning death of a university student trapped in an undertow and hidden caverns on a waterway held by the State.

DOE v. DOE, United States District Court, N.D. Texas, Dallas Division. August 12, 2008. 2008 WL 3874693, 2008 WL 5422871 and 2009 WL 306173. Suit for collection of damages for transmission of sexual disease.

Miller v. Gibraltar Sav. Ass'n, United States District Court, S.D. Texas, Galveston Division. July 22, 2005. 2005 WL 1719702. Suit concerning the collection of penalties owed homeowners for failing to deliver a timely deed.

Kucinich v. Richie, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. March 24, 2009. 563 F.3d 161. Suit to determine the extent to which the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protected a political party's requirement to execute an oath to seek the party's nomination.

Lulac of Texas v. State of Texas, United States District Court, W.D. Texas, San Antonio Division. August 24, 2009. 651 F.Supp.2d 700 and 318 Fed.Appx. 261. Suit concerning the scope of the Voting Rights Act.

In re Cullar, Court of Appeals of Texas, Dallas. August 19, 2010. 320 S.W.3d 560. Suit to determine the residency of a candidate who sought election to the Texas Senate.

In re Sharp, Supreme Court of Texas. January 27, 2006. 186 S.W.3d 556. Suit to determine eligibility of candidate to seek election as a Court of Appeals Justice in light of alleged errors on ballot application.

Sartin v. Serum Products, LLC., United States District Court, N.D. Texas, Dallas Division. March 25, 2008. 2008 WL 782645. Suit for damages alleged to be owed company salesman.

Brimer v. Maxwell, Court of Appeals of Texas, Dallas. October 06, 2008. 265 S.W.3d 926. Suit to determine eligibility of nominee for election to Texas Senate.

In re Wilson, United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas, Houston Division. November 27, 2006. 355 B.R. 600. Suit concerning the ownership and operation of baseball training business.

Jackson v. Carlson. Court of Appeals of Texas, Austin. March 12, 2009. 2009 WL 638848. Suit concerning ownership of family ranch.

Sachtleben v. Bennett. Court of Appeals of Texas, Houston (14th Dist.). August 12, 2010. 2010 WL 3168395. Suit concerning eligibility of incumbent Justice of the Pease for election when the candidate's ballot application lacked the requisite number of petition signatures.

Texas State University--San Marcos v. Bonnin, Court of Appeals of Texas, Austin. December 18, 2008. 315 S.W.3d 58. Suit for wrongful death of a student who drowned on campus.

Richie v. Benkiser, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit. August 03, 2006 459 F.3d 582. Suit to determine whether a member of Congress was ineligible for re-election and therefore could be replace on the ballot by party leaders.

In re Angelini, Supreme Court of Texas. February 24, 2006. 186 S.W.3d 558. Suit to determine if an error in a ballot application was fatal to a person's a candidacy.

Chad W. Dunn was born and raised in Spring, Texas. He is a fourth generation Houstonian, and some of his ancestors were original settlers of the Spring area.