About David Mestemaker

Built to Argue. Trained to Win.

David Kent Mestemaker has been winning arguments since before law school was on the radar. At Marshall High School in Michigan, he was a two-time State Champion Debater (1970, 1971), a National Merit Semifinalist, class president, and a state track & field finalist. He earned academic scholarships to the University of Michigan, where he graduated with honors with a B.S. in Biology in 1975 while competing on the Varsity Debate team.

That biology degree is not a footnote. It gives David a working understanding of human anatomy and injury mechanics that most attorneys will never have. When a surgeon explains a disc herniation or a neurologist walks through a diffuse axonal brain injury, David understands the science and translates it for a jury.

From Oil Fields to the Courtroom

After Michigan, David moved to Texas and spent years working as a land man in the oil and gas industry. He learned firsthand how corporations operate, negotiate, and protect their interests. That real-world knowledge became a weapon when he decided to go to law school.

David enrolled at South Texas College of Law Houston and earned his J.D. in 1988 while working full-time in the night program. He did not just get through — he excelled. Magna cum laude. Law review. Board of Advocates. Mock trial champion. He created the "Mock Trial for Beginners" program and later returned as an adjunct professor teaching civil trial advocacy.

He Knows the Defense Playbook — Because He Ran It

David started his career on the other side. At Lorance & Thompson (1989-1990), he handled insurance defense work. At Johnson & Gibbs (1991-1992), he litigated commercial cases for Fortune 500 companies including Banc Paribas and Monsanto.

He saw how corporate defense teams operate, how insurance companies evaluate claims, and what strategies they deploy to minimize payouts. Then he switched sides. That insider knowledge has shaped every plaintiff's case he has handled since. He knows what the defense is going to do before they do it.

300+ Trials. Every Kind of Courtroom.

Most personal injury attorneys in Houston have tried a handful of cases. Many have never seen the inside of a courtroom. David has tried more than 300 cases to verdict across J.P. court, county civil court, civil district court, county criminal court, district criminal court, county probate court, family district court, federal district court, and federal bankruptcy court.

That is not a narrow specialty. That is a trial lawyer who can walk into any courtroom in the state and command it. Personal injury, products liability, pharmaceutical litigation, medical and dental malpractice, legal malpractice, defamation, business disparagement, commercial disputes, construction, will contests, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, environmental torts, admiralty, and criminal defense.

That trial record is not just a statistic. It is the reason insurance adjusters, defense attorneys, and corporate legal teams negotiate differently when they see his name on the case. They know David will walk into the courtroom, and they know what happens when he does.

Appellate Experience

David does not hand cases off after trial. He has served as appellate counsel before the 1st, 4th, and 14th Courts of Appeal in Texas and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in matters involving admiralty, will contests, malpractice, personal injury, and business disputes. He handles cases from intake through final appeal.

Mass Torts and Environmental Disasters

David has represented more than 1,000 clients in mass tort litigation. Toxic landfills. Chemical spills. Industrial fires. Leaking underground storage tanks. When corporate negligence hurts entire communities, David takes on those fights at scale.

Teacher, Speaker, Thought Leader

David has spent decades sharing what he knows with the next generation of trial lawyers. He served as an adjunct professor of civil trial advocacy at South Texas College of Law. He was a CLE speaker on tort and insurance law at the University of Houston from 1996 to 2000, spoke at the State Bar of Texas in 2018 on trying cases efficiently, and presented at the Texas Trial Lawyers Association in 2025 on trying plaintiff's personal injury cases on a budget.

Recognition & Credentials

David is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) — an invitation-only organization that requires extensive trial experience and a demonstrated commitment to the right to jury trial. He was named a Texas Super Lawyer in 2024 by Thomson Reuters. He is also a member of MENSA.

Education

Career

Beyond the Courtroom

David is the author of The Bomb Quest, a spy adventure novel published in September 2025. When he is not in the courtroom, you will find him with family, at the track, collecting cars, or on the pickleball court.