Steve Susman, Pioneering Trial Attorney (1941-2020)

Stephen D. Susman, the peerless Texas trial attorney who helped pioneer litigation boutiques and contingency fees in high-stakes commercial litigation, died Tuesday from the effects of a traumatic brain injury suffered in a bicycle accident recently complicated by COVID-19.

The Houston native was 79.

Susman was both founder and force behind the Houston-based Susman Godfrey firm. Known for his brilliance (still highest-ever GPA at the University of Texas Law School), over-the-top playfulness and a roiling, imperious physical presence that sometimes scared even friends, Susman now rests in peace, as will many of his courtroom foes who came away knowing they’d been bested by the best.