Steven Haspel

Steven is a trial and appellate lawyer with a national practice. He represents a broad range of clients, from victims of mass-shootings and other catastrophic injuries in Texas to military families seriously injured by the negligence of the federal government. He also advocates for victims of domestic and sexual violence that result from institutional neglect and wrongdoing.

Steven has argued multiple trials to verdict before judges and juries. He was privileged to have his first trial appearance in the Sutherland Springs Mass-Shooting trial in 2021, where the victims and their families obtained a $230 million dollar judgment against the United States. On the appellate side, Steven maintains a strong appellate record, successfully navigating numerous appeals up to the Texas Supreme Court and maintains an active appellate practice.

Outside the courtroom, he and his colleagues have achieved numerous record-breaking settlements. For example, Steven and Laurie Higginbotham recently obtained a $10.5 million dollar settlement in Missouri against the Federal Government—the highest settlement of its kind in that state.

Before returning to Texas, Steven was a Thurgood Marshall Scholar and Dean’s Fellow at the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. There, he clerked for both the criminal and civil divisions of the United States Department of Justice and graduated as the Top Trial Advocate of his class. He was also recognized as the best appellate advocate in GW’s prestigious constitutional law moot court.

But before Washington D.C., his pursuit of trial advocacy started at the University of Texas, where NTL partners Jamal Alsaffar and Tom Jacob first introduced Steven to advocacy and public justice as his mock trial coaches. After returning to Austin, Steven took the reins from his former coaches, now bosses, and serves as the head coach for the University of Texas at Austin’s official undergraduate mock trial team. Giving back to the next generation of trial lawyers is deeply important to Steven; and guiding the Longhorns to a national championship isn't bad either.

Professional Affiliations

• Calvert Inn of Court, Associate Member
• Austin Bar Association
• Austin Young Lawyers Association
• Texas Young Lawyers Association
• Texas Trial Lawyers Association
• American Association for Justice
• ACE Mentoring Program, Legal Chair (Fall 2019)
• University of Texas at Austin Undergraduate Mock Trial Association, Attorney Coach (Fall 2018)
• Austin Bar Association, Construction. Law Section, Member
• Selected as a SuperLawyers Rising Star for the years 2021 and 2022
• Austin Monthly, Rising Star (2020)

Bar Admissions

• State Bar of Texas
• Western District of Texas
• Southern District of Texas
• Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals

Education

• The University of Texas at Austin, BBA – Finance, BA Sociology
• The George Washington University Law School, JD, cum laude
  • George Washington Dean’s Fellow
  • Thurgood Marshall Scholar
  • George Washington Mock Trial Board, President
  • George Washington Moot Court Board, Executive Chair
  • Class of 2018 Best Advocate Award
  • TYLA National Trial Competition Finalist (2018)
  • Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition, Best Oral Advocate (2018)

Publications & Presentations

• Engineering Law and Ethics Seminar, Speaker – Fall 2019
• Construction Law Basics Course, Contributor – Fall 2018