By Exec Edge Editorial Staff
AZA Law Firm opened its Dallas office at the Trammell Crow Center on January 1, 2026. The launch ended 32 years of Houston-only practice. Six months in, the office is tracking the public timeline managing partner John Zavitsanos set when the lease was signed: from five lawyers at launch to ten by year-end.
The expansion is intellectual property-led. Patent cases drive more volume in Dallas than in Houston because of the Eastern District of Texas docket, and AZA Law Firm's IP practice had grown to the point where opening a North Texas office was a logical next step. "At least for patent cases, there's more going on in Dallas than there is in Houston," Zavitsanos said in an interview with The Texas Lawbook. "It made sense to have a Dallas office because our IP practice is blowing up."
Warren McCarty, formerly a partner at Caldwell Cassady & Curry, runs the Dallas office as managing partner. McCarty spent 11 years at Caldwell before briefly launching his own firm in June 2025. Several months later, he joined AZA Law Firm to take on the Dallas role. He is a graduate of Illinois State University and the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a law school classmate of Jason McManis, who leads AZA's intellectual property group.
Kyle Poelker, an AZA partner from Houston, runs commercial litigation in the new office. Poelker was on the trial team for the firm's $25.9 million Fondren Orthopedic v. HCA verdict in 2024, the largest 2024 Harris County jury verdict in three commercial categories. His move to Dallas pairs commercial litigation experience with McCarty's patent-trial background and gives the new office practice coverage on both sides of AZA Law Firm's caseload.
AZA Law Firm opened its Dallas office at the Trammell Crow Center on January 1, 2026. The launch ended 32 years of Houston-only practice. Six months in, the office is tracking the public timeline managing partner John Zavitsanos set when the lease was signed: from five lawyers at launch to ten by year-end.
The expansion is intellectual property-led. Patent cases drive more volume in Dallas than in Houston because of the Eastern District of Texas docket, and AZA Law Firm's IP practice had grown to the point where opening a North Texas office was a logical next step. "At least for patent cases, there's more going on in Dallas than there is in Houston," Zavitsanos said in an interview with The Texas Lawbook. "It made sense to have a Dallas office because our IP practice is blowing up."
Warren McCarty, formerly a partner at Caldwell Cassady & Curry, runs the Dallas office as managing partner. McCarty spent 11 years at Caldwell before briefly launching his own firm in June 2025. Several months later, he joined AZA Law Firm to take on the Dallas role. He is a graduate of Illinois State University and the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a law school classmate of Jason McManis, who leads AZA's intellectual property group.
Kyle Poelker, an AZA partner from Houston, runs commercial litigation in the new office. Poelker was on the trial team for the firm's $25.9 million Fondren Orthopedic v. HCA verdict in 2024, the largest 2024 Harris County jury verdict in three commercial categories. His move to Dallas pairs commercial litigation experience with McCarty's patent-trial background and gives the new office practice coverage on both sides of AZA Law Firm's caseload.
20 days ago
