DANA S. SPEER

Career Highlights

Dana’s legal background includes unique experience in several different practice arenas. She began her career as a corporate attorney for Conoco Inc., practicing initially in its environmental law section before moving into its general litigation section. Licensed in both Louisiana and Texas, Dana handled a national litigation docket, supervising cases in Ohio, North Carolina, Wyoming, California, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Oklahoma as well as handling cases in both Texas and Louisiana. Dana was also involved in Conoco’s defense in Ruiz v. Conoco, and drafted the original memorandum that ultimately formed the basis of the Texas Supreme Court’s opinion in that matter.

Dana then moved to the plaintiff’s side of the bar, practicing in Louisiana for six years, where she carried a large plaintiff’s docket, including medical malpractice, workers’ compensation, Social Security disability law, family law and child custody, personal injury and appellate cases before both the Louisiana Second Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Dana’s practice at Schirrmeister Diaz-Arrastia Brem LLP focuses primarily in the areas of product liability, toxic torts, personal injury, and appellate matters. Currently Dana is heavily involved in DuPont’s Kapton® automotive hydraulic switch litigation, and represents DuPont nationally in this litigation.

Legal matters

• Represented a Fortune 500 company in major litigation matters throughout the United States involving more than 100 product liability claimants.
• Represented a major oil and gas producer in a case brought against another producer to recover royalties underpaid over a 30 year period.
• Represented a large Corpus Christi refiner/waste generator in a waste disposal contamination case brought by over 600 plaintiffs.
• Represented a large pesticide producer in a toxic tort case filed by over 1,100 residents alleging contamination from a nearby warehouse storage facility.
• Representing a large rubber industry component manufacturer in a toxic tort case alleging work place occupational exposure filed by over 500 former employees of a rubber seal manufacturing plant.
• Represented over 200 Social Security disability clients in matters before either an Administrative Law Judge and/or the Social Security Appellate Review Board.

Activities and affiliations

• Member, State Bar of Texas and Houston Bar Association
• Member, State Bar of Louisiana
• Member, Defense Research Institute; Toxic Tort and Environmental Committee

Educational and professional background

• Schirrmeister Diaz-Arrastia Brem LLP, Houston (2004-present)
• Schirrmeister Ajamie, L.L.P., Houston (200l-2003)
• Graves, Graves & Hanna, Shreveport (1992-1997)