Cozen O’Connor Opens Houston Office

The law firm of Cozen O’Connor announced it has opened an office in Houston, Texas, at 1 Houston Center, 1221 McKinney St., Suite 2900.

The new office is the firm’s 21st. It also maintains another Texas office in Dallas, with 25 attorneys.

Five attorneys, who concentrate their practices in maritime defense and insurance coverage matters, are joining Cozen O’Connor in Houston. Coming on board to the firm’s international practice group are Susan D. Noe as senior member, and Deborah T. Busby and Brian J. Tagtmeier as members; all three were previously with the law firm of Fowler, Rodriguez & Chalos.

Coming from Beirne Maynard & Parson, Joseph A. Ziemianski and Bryan P. Vezey join the firm’s insurance coverage practice group as a senior member and member, respectively. All five reside in Houston.

“We are pleased to welcome these five fine attorneys to our Houston office to support our continuing growth.” said Stephen A. Cozen, chairman, Cozen O’Connor. “

“We have had a large and growing base of clients in Texas since we opened our first office in the state 11 years ago, and there has been an increasing demand for our insurance coverage and maritime defense counsel,” added Ann Thornton Field, chair of Cozen O’Connor’s national insurance litigation department. “Our new Houston office will enable us to meet our Texas-based insurance clients with both domestic and international interests while positioning us for further diversification and growth in the region.”

“The new office also marks the expansion of our national and international subrogation and recovery department,” said Elliott R. Feldman, who chairs the firm’s subrogation department and added that this growth would be accomplished through transfers of attorneys and new hires.

Susan D. Noe, Deborah T. Busby and Brian J. Tagtmeier are all active in maritime related organizations, including the Houston Mariner’s Club and are members of the Houston and American Bar Associations. Noe and Busby are member and vice president, respectively, of the Texas Chapter of the Women International Shipping and Trading Association.

Susan D. Noe earned her undergraduate degree (B.S., 1986) from the University of Texas-Austin and her law degree (J.D. 1989) from Pepperdine School of Law.

Deborah T. Busby received her undergraduate degree (B.B.A., 1981) from Texas A&M University and her law degree (J.D., 1992) from South Texas College of Law.

Brian J. Tagtmeier, who also focuses his practice on construction litigation and employment matters, is a member of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and the Texas Bar Association. Tagtmeier earned his undergraduate degree (B.A., 1989) at Rice University and his law degree (J.D., cum laude, 1992) at the University of Texas School of Law.

“We’re delighted to join Cozen O’Connor, which is a well known and respected firm for its maritime work,” said Susan D. Noe. “There’s a great deal of synergy between the services we have been providing to our clients and the quality of legal counsel that the firm has provided across the international maritime industry.”

Joseph A. Ziemianski and Bryan P. Vezey have been active in both legal and insurance organizations.

Joseph A. Ziemianski serves as editor of the Insurance Coverage Newsletter of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel and member of numerous professional organizations, including the Defense Research Institute, American Bar Association, Insurance Coverage and Tort Committees, and the State Bar of Texas, Insurance Coverage Section. Ziemianksi earned his undergraduate degree (B.S., 1982) from the University of Southern Mississippi and his law degree (J.D., cum laude, 1987) from Tulane University.

Bryan P. Vezey is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Litigation and Insurance Law Sections, and the Houston Bar Association, Litigation Section, among others. A resident of Houston, Vezey received his undergraduate degree (B.A., 1989) at the University of Dallas and his law degree (J.D., 1993) from the South Texas College of Law.

“We admire the firm’s international insurance reputation and entrepreneurial spirit,” said Joseph A. Ziemianski. “It’s an honor for us to join Cozen O’Connor in this exciting challenge.”

Founded in 1968, Cozen O’Connor is a full-service law firm with 480 attorneys practicing in the firm’s 21 offices across the United States and its international office in London. The firm also has a Toronto-based subsidiary for subrogation consulting and alliances with a Canadian law firm and a government relations joint venture in Washington, D.C.