VOYAGE MAGAZINE: MEET DEREK POTTS, FOUNDER AND NATIONAL MANAGING PARTNER OF THE POTTS LAW FIRM
Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Potts.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Derek. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.I founded the Potts Law firm in 2001 in Kansas City, Missouri with two clients and no staff. I had worked at two law firms prior to that to get courtroom experience. I proceeded to grow the law firm in Kansas City through handling large personal injury lawsuits on the local level. I eventually got into national litigation, and in 2013, I opened a small satellite office in Houston with one paralegal.
In 2014, we made Houston our main office. Since starting the firm, we have opened offices in six other cities around the country and now employ 20 attorneys and nearly 50 support staff. We are nationally recognized leaders in complex litigation and are regularly appointed by judges to oversee large cases.
We are currently one of the court-appointed leaders for the Barker Addicks reservoir release class-action lawsuit involving thousands of Houstonians who were flooded during Hurricane Harvey. We are regularly interviewed by the news media including such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, and the Dallas Morning News.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?Starting any business from scratch and building it from the ground up is always a challenge. Trying to determine the proper rate of growth is always a delicate task. We have made mistakes like every growing business has but always try to learn from our mistakes so as to not repeat them.
PLEASE TELL US ABOUT POTTS LAW FIRM LLP.
Our law firm has continued to evolve and change over time. I think what best describes us is we are aggressive litigators and trial lawyers who represent both individuals and businesses in any complex lawsuit that they might have.
We have been fortunate to have been at the forefront and leaders of some of the largest and most significant litigations of the past decade in the United States including leaders of the transvaginal mesh litigation which involves over 100,000 women who received defective medical devices.
Leaders of the General Motors Ignition Switch litigation which involved the recall of millions of vehicles due to a defective part in the ignition which killed thousands of people, and leaders of the Barker Addicks flood litigation against the United States Government in Houston.
We are most proud of our ability to take on some of the largest and most costly and most risky cases that there are and win them for our clients.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?Calculated risk-taking is essential for success on the scale that we have had. You can’t get ahead without taking risks.
This article was written by Voyage Houston (Voyage Group of Magazines). Click here to view the full article on their website.