Waters & Kraus, LLP is honored to announce that Dallas attorneys Caitlyn Silhan, Christopher Johnson, Sam Iola, and Patrick Wigle have all been selected to the 2020 Texas Super Lawyers® Rising Star list. The lawyer rating service continues to recognize the outstanding work these attorneys do for plaintiffs year after year. The variety of practice areas they have excelled in include civil litigation, products liability, and general personal injury. To be nominated for the designation, an attorney must be 40 years old or younger and have practiced law for 10 years or less. Caitlyn, Christopher, Patrick, and Sam all qualify under those requirements. They are considered a few of the top 2.5% of attorneys in Texas eligible for the list.
About Caitlyn Silhan
As a litigator, Caitlyn Silhan takes on cases under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as qui tam whistleblower matters. She has consistently focused her practice on prohibiting fraudulent acts exposed by plaintiffs in both Texas and California as well as across the country. Caitlyn graduated magna cum laude with her Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law school, during which she was a Dean’s Scholar. She is also a recipient of the 2016 Kristi Couvillon Pro Bono Award granted by the Texas Civil Rights Project. In January of this year, Waters & Kraus welcomed Caitlyn as a partner in the firm.
About Christopher Johnson
Christopher Johnson concentrates his practice on toxic tort and complex civil matters. He has aided victims dealing with mesothelioma resulting from asbestos exposure. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin with honors and was later awarded a Juris Doctor degree from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. As a law student, he maintained a consistent Dean’s Scholar status and served as the editor of the SMU International Law Review. His recognition on the 2020 Super Lawyers Texas Rising Stars list is reflective of his experience within the field of law.
About Sam Iola
Sam Iola focuses his practice on helping people who have been catastrophically injured by asbestos exposure seek recovery through the legal process. Sam also represents people involved in other types of personal injury, product liability, and toxic tort cases. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands and earned his Juris Doctor degree from Texas A&M University School of Law. Sam is recognized on the 2019 list of Top 20 Wrongful Death Verdicts in California for his work in obtaining a verdict on behalf of his client in Vanni, et al. v. AMF Bowling Centers, Inc., et al. Sam has been selected for recognition on the Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for the past five years.
About Patrick Wigle
Patrick Wigle has been selected for recognition on the Texas Super Lawyers Texas Rising Stars list for the past eight years. His practice primarily entails product liability and toxic torts. Patrick’s electability for honors and awards such as Super Lawyers is evidence of his commitment to helping people who have been injured by asbestos exposure. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and then later moved on to earn his Juris Doctor Degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In further recognition by Super Lawyers, Patrick has also made it onto the Top 100 Up-and-Coming Texas Rising Stars list for the fourth year in a row. Waters & Kraus welcomed Patrick as a partner in the firm earlier this year.
What Makes a Texas Rising Stars Qualifier?
The Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars edition is a Thomson Reuters publication. It recognizes top lawyers in Texas by adhering to a multiphase selection process. The purpose of compiling such a directory is to ensure that clients can find effective counsel from a broad pool of esteemed attorneys. Many evaluative aspects are considered when selecting attorneys for the list. Various professional achievements and positive peer recognition happen to be the most significant indicators of whether or not an attorney will be nominated. The process is essentially composed of four phases, which include nominations, independent research, peer evaluation, and finally, selection. First, an attorney may be nominated by a peer, third-party feedback, or by the Super Lawyers’ research team. Next, Super Lawyers performs independent research, evaluating different professional factors such as experience, honors/awards, number of verdicts and settlements, and even the attorneys’ education. Later, the top candidates that emerge through phases one and two are evaluated against other candidates within their primary practice areas. Finally, a representative number of attorneys from different sized law firms are selected to be in the top 2.5% of attorneys, culminating in the Rising Stars list.
