On this episode of The Dirty Verdict, Peter Taaffe, Bill Ogden, and Kyle Herbert sit down with Houston trial lawyer Sammy Ford of AZA Law Firm for a wide-ranging conversation about big cases, career pivots, and what it really takes to build a life in the courtroom.
Sammy walks us through his journey from growing up in Houston's Third Ward and dreaming of Wall Street, to Harvard, UT Law, a Fifth Circuit clerkship, and stints at powerhouse firms Sussman Godfrey and Abraham Watkins—before landing at AZA. Along the way, he shares war stories from Enron-era work, hedge fund blow-ups, MDLs, and trying complex commercial and injury cases in front of some of Texas's most memorable judges.
From buying his first Bitcoin at an ATM "as a joke" to taking on billion-dollar trading companies after Winter Storm Uri, Sammy breaks down how high-stakes litigation actually works, how big verdicts happen, and why relationships, bar work, and smart marketing still matter. The episode closes with practical, no-nonsense advice for young lawyers who want to carve out a serious trial career in a chaotic legal landscape.
Segment Highlights (with timestamps)
[00:00:38] Opening banter & Halloween costume chatter Peter welcomes listeners back, introduces Bill and Kyle, and the crew roasts Bill's "athletic fit" shirt and his Halloween costume plans.
[00:01:16] Introducing guest trial lawyer Sammy Ford (AZA Law Firm) The hosts welcome returning guest Sammy Ford of AZA, joke about going in "totally cold," and tease hot-button topics from Garza to politics.
[00:02:14] Politics, Garza, and why Peter refuses to go full pundit Light sparring over politics, "woke" jokes, and Peter's insistence on mostly avoiding political rabbit holes in a polarized world.
[00:02:34] Peter vs. Sammy's résumé (and a call to Jennifer Pinkerton) Peter admits Sammy's bio is so stacked he had to stop reading, call friend Jennifer Pinkerton for emotional support, and regroup before finishing it.
[00:03:12] Growing up in Houston's Third Ward & inner-city Catholic school Sammy shares his roots in Third Ward / Riverside Terrace, inner-city Catholic school, and the transition to St. Thomas High School.
[00:03:38] "Absolutely not": Why law was not the first plan In high school, Sammy wanted away from Texas—chasing finance or computer science in California or New York and aiming for Wall Street or Silicon Valley.
[00:04:02] Choosing Harvard & the dot-com bust / Enron era pivot Sammy picks Harvard, then watches the dot-com bubble burst, markets slide, and Enron collapse back home—pressure that nudges him toward law.
[00:05:20] Government major, hated econ, and the "study what you like" lesson He bails on economics, studies government, considers folklore & mythology, and explains why "it doesn't matter what you major in" hits different at Harvard.
[00:07:13] Early Houston litigation work during the Enron fallout Sammy returns to Houston summers to work at Nickens, Keaton, Lawless, Farrell & Flack, seeing Enron officers cycling through the office and Houston from a new, big-firm vantage point.
[00:09:30] UT Law, the infamous Buda apartment & early big-firm life He heads to UT Law, gets tricked into living way out in Buda, and splits summers between Vinson & Elkins and Andrews Kurth, while big-firm tort defense starts to fade.
[00:15:19] Fifth Circuit clerkship with Judge Jerry Smith Sammy talks about clerking for Judge Jerry Smith, why one year of clerking is usually plenty, and how some co-clerks parlay that path all the way to the Supreme Court.
[00:17:27] Sussman Godfrey & the $500M hedge fund blow-up case At Sussman Godfrey, he dives into a major arbitration over a hedge fund blown up by aggressive margin calls during the financial crisis.
[00:20:01] The first Bitcoin buy: $20 at a bar ATM Sammy tells the story of buying about $20 of Bitcoin from an early ATM at a Houston bar, forgetting about it, then finding the receipt years later when it was worth far more.
[00:23:24] Moving to Abraham Watkins for real trial experience He joins Abraham Watkins, tries around 20 cases in five years, and works with Randy Sorrels, Benny Agosto, Mo Aziz, Brant Stogner, and others on serious PI and explosion cases.
[00:29:03] First lead trial: Handwritten appearance at the holiday party At the firm holiday party, Judge Wyman conscripts Sammy into representing a pro se plaintiff the next morning—he handwrites his notice of appearance on yellow legal pad and jumps into his first lead trial.
[00:37:00] Landing at AZA: A blend of Sussman and Abraham Watkins Sammy explains how AZA came onto his radar, why it feels like a mix of high-end commercial litigation and plaintiff-side trial work, and how teams rotate instead of being siloed.
[00:41:07] Winter Storm Uri & the $123M "force majeure" showdown He breaks down representing an Oklahoma producer against Koch Energy over Winter Storm Uri: force majeure declarations, withheld payments, a $123M damages model, and a fast jury verdict in his client's favor.
[00:47:37] Port of Houston vs. Louis Dreyfus & Judge Lynn Hughes Sammy walks through a trial for the Port of Houston over a grain facility against Louis Dreyfus, complete with damaged infrastructure, a cooperative plant manager, and Judge Lynn Hughes cutting off his cross.
[00:52:09] How AZA gets its cases & being the "trial-only" hire Discussion turns to institutional clients, one-off engagements, and being the firm that's brought in when another shop needs a pure trial team to finish the job.
[00:53:47] Lessons from clerkships, Sussman, Abraham Watkins & AZA Sammy lays out key career lessons: don't politically box in your career, fight over what matters (a la Steve Sussman's Trial by Agreement), get deeply involved in the bar, and market yourself so people actually know you're good.
[00:58:11] Closing, Greek Festival talk & where to find Sammy The hosts plug AZA's website, joke about the firm's art and Greek Festival tickets, and wrap with where to find Sammy and future Dirty Verdict episodes wherever you get your podcasts.
