Valerie concentrates her practice on complex insurance litigation in both state and federal courts. She represents clients in fatality litigation, including wrongful death, survivorship, premises liability, gross negligence, vicarious liability, and negligent entrustment. She also represents corporate clients in both first- and third-party matters involving premises liability, intentional tort, and auto injury. With more than a decade in practice, including seven years as house counsel with major national insurers and three years as an ADA in the Galveston County District Attorney's Office, Valerie's broad experience includes general civil litigation, family law, and criminal law.
Prior to joining Cozen O'Connor, Valerie was senior counsel with a litigation firm with offices throughout Texas, where she represented clients in full-day mediations with multimillion dollar damages demanded, secured pre-trial dismissals via motion practice and direct negotiation, and successfully briefed and presented for oral argument contested discovery and evidentiary matters. Before that, she spent seven years as house counsel for two major national insurers, trying numerous cases to a jury verdict in State courts and settling hundreds of cases through mediation. Prior to these roles, she was an assistant district attorney, where she secured guilty verdicts as first and second chair in misdemeanor, juvenile and felony cases.
Valerie earned her J.D. from Texas A&M University School of Law and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Southern Arkansas University.