I am a trial lawyer, proud Texas Tech Law School graduate, and principal of Mitchell A. Toups, Ltd., a nationwide litigation firm based in Houston, Texas. My law practice focuses on natural disasters, agricultural cases, bad faith insurance cases, class actions, mass tort litigation, personal injury, and wrongful death cases.
I have tried hundreds of cases to verdict in state and federal courts throughout the United States and internationally. Examples of cases I have handled that are relevant to the Smokehouse Creek fire disaster include:
- Serving as co-lead counsel in the Imperial Food Products fire case in North Carolina where 26 people died and 78 others were seriously injured when a fire broke out in a chicken processing plant where they were working. It is one of the worst industrial fires in U.S. history; one of the doors that was locked trapping people in the building is now in the Smithsonian institute museum.
- Serving as co-lead counsel in the worst fire disaster in Canadian history where a runaway train crashed in Lac Megantic, Quebec, killing 47 people. The fire obliterated the entire town, including brick buildings and all businesses, and resulted in the largest settlement in Quebec history.
- Serving as co-lead counsel in the TPC plant explosions and fire litigation, which damaged more than 10,000 homes and businesses.
- Represented more than 10,000 victims of hurricanes involving property damages in Texas and Louisiana against their insurance companies.
I am Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. I am also Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and Civil Pretrial Practice by the National Board of Legal Specialization. I am a Texas Super Lawyer (as designated by Thomson Reuters) (2003-2004; 2006-2024) and AV peer-review rated by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating possible by judges and lawyers for professional excellence, legal knowledge, analytical capabilities, judgment, legal experience, and legal ethics.
Education
- Texas Tech University School of Law (1982)
- Lamar University (1980)
Court Admissions
- All Texas State Courts
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- United States Court of Federal Claims
- United States District Court for the District of Colorado
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- Admitted pro hac vice in various other state and federal courts
Affiliations
- State Bar of Texas
- New York Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
- American Bar Association
- Fellows of the American Bar Association
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Houston Bar Association
- Jefferson County Bar Association