When Ryan Pitts learned last summer that he’d stand before a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to give his first-ever oral arguments in an appellate case, his initial thought was of his second child, a nearly 4-month-old baby girl.
“With a young baby, the first thing was, ‘Oh man, I need to find time to prepare,’” Pitts said with a laugh.
With the help of his wife, Alex Pitts, and extended family, Pitts was able to carve out time. Just recently, toward the end of a “whirlwind” week of back-to-back victories, the Haynes Boone associate learned that he won his first appellate argument.
But that’s not all. The same day he got word of his Fifth Circuit victory, the 32-year-old Kentucky native stepped foot inside the Texas Supreme Court for the first time. The next day was followed with news of a favorable ruling from the state’s high court in yet another case he was involved in with the firm.
“I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and it’s always a fun ride,” Pitts said in an interview with The Texas Lawbook.
Before the Fifth Circuit panel, Pitts represented Denver-based Catalyst Strategic Advisors against Houston-based Contractors Building Supply Company in a $4 million merger and acquisition dispute. The justices agreed with a Houston federal judge that CBS must pay Catalyst an “advisory completion fee,” after CBS sold itself to a company in 2021 that Catalyst had helped them find before the two parted ways 15 months prior.
In July, attorneys received the October date they’d argue before the justices in New Orleans. The team at Haynes Boone and the client gave Pitts the green light to argue. One by one, the thoughts began running through his head.
Many nights, he lay awake thinking about what questions the justices might ask. He practiced relentlessly — in front of the mirror and in his office chair. Knowing the Fifth Circuit’s reputation for being “active from the bench,” Pitts tried to anticipate their questions. He wrote down 10-20 core questions, but an unlimited number of possibilities entered his mind.
“You can’t stop your mind from thinking about it when you care so much and it matters to the client and you want to give the court a candid answer and a correct answer,” Pitts said.
He took it day by day. He consulted countless other lawyers. The young lawyer said he sought advice from nearly “everyone in the appellate group” and many others in Houston. He had more mentors than he could count on both hands as he prepared, he said.
“Part of what we bring at Haynes Boone is this really deep talent bench, and it’s just really beneficial for young lawyers like me to have people to bounce ideas off,” Pitts said.
As he walked into the picturesque courthouse and entered the en banc courtroom, which is dressed in heavy royal blue drapery, Pitts said he felt like a “real lawyer” who journeyed to advocate for his client.
He had never been in that courtroom before. Time seemed to slow as he waited for the knock that signaled the judges were about to enter. He tried to refrain from tapping his foot too much. The judges entered the big courtroom but sat together in the middle, Pitts noted, thankful he would be able to address them all together, rather than swing his head from one end to the other.
His opposing counsel took the podium first and Pitts focused on his presentation. Then came Pitts’ turn. He was nervous as he walked to the podium. But the nerves slid away by the time he began to speak. He was armed with all those hours of preparation. His parents listened from their home in Austin to the court’s livestream.
The justices only asked him a few questions. Pitts had an answer teed up for each one, complete with a thorough explanation. He left with a sense of accomplishment.
“It’s just a big milestone,” Pitts said. “You feel sort of a wave of relief.”
He was also filled with gratitude to his firm and his client for trusting him with the opportunity.
Then the waiting period began. Pitts was busy working on several other of the firm’s big cases, including a landfill property valuation dispute to be argued before the Texas Supreme Court. In that case, Haynes Boone represents Travis Central Appraisal District against Texas Disposal System.
On the morning of Thursday, Feb. 22, Pitts accompanied colleague Mark Trachtenberg, who argued the property valuation dispute before the Texas Supreme Court justices. It was another first for Pitts, who had never been inside the Texas Supreme Court. He started his legal career shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic forced court proceedings online, he explained.
Pitts left the courthouse and headed for the firm’s Austin office for a meeting. While at the office, Pitts received an alert from the Fifth Circuit regarding the Catalyst case. He held onto hope one last time.
“It’s sort of like getting an exam grade back, you’re like scared to open it for a minute,” Pitts said.
He saw the court’s ruling in his favor and felt like he could relax for a little bit and appreciate the victory. He drove home to Houston where he enjoyed a glass of wine with his wife and put a cap on an “exhilarating” day.
“It was one of those days when you remember how fun it is to be a lawyer,” Pitts said.
A whirlwind of accomplishments continued the next day, Friday, Feb. 23. A team of Haynes Boone attorneys were refreshing the Texas Supreme Court website in anticipation of a ruling in a wrongful death lawsuit brought against their client Union Pacific. Pitts had also been a part of that team.
The justices sided with Union Pacific and tossed out the case. Pitts finished the week with a “deep sense of gratitude and graciousness.”
“I’m just really grateful to be at Haynes Boone and they do a really exceptional job of supporting young lawyers,” Pitts said. “It takes so much time and so much effort [that] people invest in you to get to that point.”
Pitts has been with Haynes Boone since October 2019, after completing two clerkships at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He graduated from Duke University School of Law with a J.D. and a master of laws in international and comparative law.
Although originally from Kentucky, Pitts followed his parents’ move to Texas after law school. He has served on the Houston Young Lawyers Association board of directors.