Laura's practice covers all phases of health care liability claims, including discovery and pretrial matters, motion practice, settlement negotiations and trial. 

She also has experience representing health care institutions, physicians, nurses and other health care providers in disciplinary actions before their respective licensing boards. Laura is also a lecturer for health care clients and has defended various types of personal injury and insurance matters, including toxic torts, products liability, work place injuries, and issues relating to managed care.

Representative Experience

  • Defense verdict in bad faith lawsuit filed in Federal Court
  • Representation of Texas physicians in disciplinary actions initiated by Texas Medical Board including allegations of substandard quality of care, improper prescribing of medications to family members, failure to supervise physician assistants, improper termination of physician/patient relationship, improper billing practices and failure to communicate with patient
  • Representation of health care provider in qui tam litigation involving allegations of Medicare billing fraud
  • Representation of health care providers providing home health care and hospice care
  • Defense verdicts in several jury trials for surgeons, including case involving allegations of failure to properly repair a tear in the spinal canal occurring during surgery to repair herniated disk, resulting in loss of cerebrospinal fluid and neurologic injuries; case involving accusations of improper use of pedicle screws and hardware in a lumbar fusion operation and failure to recognize subsequent failure of pedicle screws, resulting in disability and the need for extensive anterior/posterior multi-level fusion operation; case involving allegations of injured and loss of kidney following pedicle screw implantation; case involving allegations of negligent perforation of the small intestine of a 55-year-old female patient during surgery to correct incontinence, resulting in massive abdominal infection, eight subsequent surgeries and lengthy period of hospitalization; and case involving allegations of death following lower back surgery
  • Defense verdict in jury trial for medical group which employed social worker accused of having sexual relationship with former patient in violation of Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Chapter 81
  • Representation of major commercial mortgage lender in series of lawsuits arising out of lender's foreclosure on loan to owners of nursing home and claim that lender was directly and derivatively liable for injuries and/or deaths of residents of nursing home

Memberships

  • Chair of the Texas Pattern Jury Charges – Malpractice, Premises & Products Committee (Present)
  • Member of the Texas Pattern Jury Charges – Malpractice, Premises & Products Committee (2017 to Present)
  • University of Houston Law Alumni Board
    • Director and Secretary (2011-Current)
  • International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Greater Houston Society of Healthcare Risk Management
    • Past President (2010)
    • President (2009)
    • President-Elect (2008)
    • Past Vice President (2007)
    • Past Secretary (2005-2006)
    • Board of Directors (2002-2003)
  • Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel
  • British Columbia Bar (Inactive)

Insights