Paul V. Simon

Paul brings nearly 25 years of legal experience to his role at Pendergraft & Simon. His practice encompasses a wide array of legal matters, including general and complex commercial litigation, property tax litigation, and appellate practice.

Paul began what has become a distinguished legal career as a Briefing Attorney for the Houston (14th) Court of Appeals, serving under Senior Justice Leslie Brock Yates, after which he joined the prestigious Texas law firm of Winstead P.C. in its Trial and Appellate Practice Group.

While his practice has primarily focused on commercial disputes, Paul has a diverse legal background, having represented clients in a wide array of civil and appellate matters as varied as small-business shareholder and partnership disputes; complex commercial litigation; fraud and contract litigation; building contractor disputes; commercial landlord-tenant; commercial debt collection; property tax litigation; legal and medical malpractice (appellate issues); employment matters, including advising clients pre-litigation; first-party insurance; banking litigation, including foreclosure; homeowners’ association matters; anti-stalking/privacy cases; and regulatory and compliance issues, having successfully defended clients in actions initiated by the Attorney General’s Office and other State agencies.

Paul’s appellate work is as varied as his trial work and has led to new case law in Texas. A sample of appellate matters Paul has handled includes:

• Christus Health Se. Texas v. Keegan, No. 09-10-00480-CV, 2011 WL 3206851 (Tex.  App.—Beaumont July 28, 2011, no pet.) (medical malpractice, affirming trial court)

• Diamond Point Plaza Ltd. P’ship v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 929 A.2d 932 (Md. 2007) (business litigation, reversing trial court)

• Gen. Metal Fabricating Corp. v. Stergiou, 438 S.W.3d 737 (Tex.  App.—Houston [1st] 2014, no pet.) (business litigation, enforcing settlement agreement)

• In re Degioanni, No. 01-15-00259-CV, 2015 WL 1569203 (Tex.  App.—Houston [1st] Apr. 7, 2015, orig. proceeding) (mandamus, compelling mediation)

• In re Gen. Metal Fabricating Corp., No. 01-06-00879-CV, 2006 WL 3316877 (Tex.  App.—Houston [1st] Nov. 16, 2006) (mandamus, business litigation; stopping enforcement of jury verdict)

• In re Wells Fargo Bank Minnesota N.A., 115 S.W.3d 600 (Tex.  App.—Houston [14th] 2003, orig. proceeding) (case of first impression, jury waiver, reversing trial court)

• Marullo v. Apollo Associated Servs., LLC, 515 S.W.3d 902 (Tex.  App.—Houston [14th] 2017, pet. denied) (employment litigation, affirming trial court’s judgment)

• Melawer v. Total Aircraft Servs., Inc., No. 01-11-00606-CV, 2013 WL 485770 (Tex.  App.—Houston [1st] Feb. 7, 2013, no pet.) (business litigation, affirming trial court’s judgment)

• Myers v. Keegan, No. 09-11-00169-CV, 2011 WL 3848096 (Tex.  App.—Beaumont Aug. 31, 2011, no pet.) (medical malpractice)

• Playa Vista Conroe v. Ins. Co. of the W., 989 F.3d 411 (5th Cir. 2021) (first-party insurance, affirming trial court’s judgment)

• Sterling Bank v. Willard M, L.L.C., 221 S.W.3d 121 (Tex. App. 2006) (banking litigation, reversing trial court)

• Trinh v. Elmi, No. 01-14-00204-CV, 2015 WL 5634274 (Tex.  App.—Houston [1st] Sept. 24, 2015, no pet.) (business litigation, reversing trial court)

He has also authored several published works, including articles on topics such as the Sherman Act, pre-dispute jury waivers in Texas, and an Op/Ed piece on the implications of a change to the Texas Constitution on damages in personal injury cases.

Education:
Paul graduated from the University of Houston with Honors and South Texas College of Law (Houston), where he made Dean’s List four times, was an Assistant Articles’ Editor of the Law Review, a member of The Order of Barristers, and three of South Texas’ legendary moot court teams.

Personal:
Paul is happily married and a proud father. He and his family live just outside Houston.

Professional Associations:
Outside of his legal practice, Paul is committed to pro-bono work. He is a Sustaining Life Member of both the Texas Bar Foundation and the Houston Bar Foundation. He is a Fellow with the State Bar of Texas, a Fellow of the Houston Bar Association, and a member of several other professional associations.

Paul’s affiliations include Phi Delta Phi, and he has received several honors and recognitions throughout his career, including being on the Global Who’s Who Best Lawyers and the Order of the Lytae (academic excellence).

Licenses:
Paul is licensed to practice in the state of Texas and eligible to practice in all State and Federal Courts in the State of Texas. He has represented clients in state and federal courts in the United States wherever his clients need him.