Wright Close & Barger

What Wright Close & Barger does

Wright Close Barger & Guzman is a Houston-based, Texas-focused civil trial and appellate litigation firm organized as a limited liability partnership. Founded in 2002 by Thomas C. Wright, Howard L. Close, Jessica Zavadil Barger, and Eva Guzman, the firm has grown to 50+ attorneys including partners, of counsel, and associates. Its practice spans complex civil matters in areas such as catastrophic personal injury defense, insurance coverage disputes, commercial litigation, intellectual property and trade secrets, oil and gas, product liability defense, and employment discrimination. The firm represents corporate and institutional clients, insurance carriers, and other law firms — the latter through a co-counsel model in which the firm provides appellate specialist support, pretrial motions practice, jury charge development, and expert witness challenges.

The firm differentiates through a bench of Texas Board of Legal Specialization board-certified attorneys in Civil Trial Law, Civil Appellate Law, and Insurance Law, combined with former state appellate and Supreme Court justices on the partner roster. It has secured National Tier 1 ranking in Appellate Practice (U.S. News/Best Lawyers), Chambers USA recognition, National Law Journal Hot List placement, and Lawdragon 500 honors, alongside consistent recognition in Best Lawyers in America, Texas Super Lawyers, and Lawdragon guides. Cases are handled from initial filing through appeal in Texas state and federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States.

The business model is traditional professional services: billable-hour and fixed-fee engagement for complex litigation, with client acquisition driven by peer referrals, professional reputation, and inclusion in legal directories. The firm has no technology platform, no software products, and no AI tooling. Distribution is direct (enterprise clients, insurance carriers) and indirect (co-counsel relationships with other trial firms), all within Texas. In 2025 the firm rebranded to add Justice Eva Guzman's name, elected Russ Hollenbeck as managing partner, and announced a planned relocation to the TC Energy Center in downtown Houston adjacent to the federal and state courthouses.

Name

Wright Close & Barger

Legal name

Wright Close Barger & Guzman, LLP

Website

https://wrightclosebarger.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Wright Close Barger & Guzman is a Houston-based, Texas-focused civil trial and appellate litigation firm with 50+ attorneys, serving corporate, insurance, and co-counsel clients in complex matters before Texas state and federal courts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Professional Services: Billable hour-based legal representation for complex civil litigation matters including trials and appeals. Revenue generated through attorney fees for case handling, motion practice, trial representation, and appellate briefing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Wright Close Barger & Guzman is a Houston-based law firm providing civil trial and appellate legal representation to corporate and institutional clients throughout Texas. The firm handles complex civil litigation matters across multiple practice areas including catastrophic personal injury defense, insurance coverage disputes, commercial litigation, intellectual property and trade secrets, oil and gas litigation, and product liability defense. Services span full case lifecycle from pre-trial motions through trial and appellate briefing in state and federal courts.

Product overview

Wright Close Barger & Guzman is a Texas-based law firm providing civil trial and appellate legal services. The firm does not offer software products or technology platforms; it provides legal representation services including complex civil litigation, appellate practice, and specialized legal counsel in areas such as catastrophic personal injury, insurance coverage, commercial disputes, intellectual property, oil and gas, product defects, and employment discrimination. The firm is not structured as a platform-plus-modules architecture but rather as a traditional law firm offering legal services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Civil Trial Representation Full-service civil trial representation for corporate and institutional clients in Texas state and federal courts, covering complex litigation matters in areas such as catastrophic personal injury, insurance coverage, commercial disputes, intellectual property, oil and gas, and product liability.
• Appellate Practice Appellate representation before federal and state appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of Texas, intermediate state appellate courts, U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Includes appellate briefing and oral argument.
• Co-Counsel and Trial Support Services Partnership with other law firms as appellate specialists and trial support counsel, providing pre-trial motions, jury charge development, expert witness challenges, and appellate expertise for trial lawyers seeking specialized support.
• Catastrophic Personal Injury Defense Defense representation for corporate and institutional clients in high-stakes catastrophic personal injury matters in Texas state and federal courts.
• Insurance Coverage Litigation Coverage dispute representation and defense services for insurance carriers, including bad faith claims defense and multi-policy allocation matters.
• Commercial and Intellectual Property Litigation Representation in commercial disputes and intellectual property and trade secrets litigation for corporate and institutional clients.
• Oil and Gas and Product Liability Litigation Specialized representation in oil and gas disputes and product defects/defense litigation, including employment discrimination and trade secret matters, for corporate and institutional clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully handled appeals before Supreme Court of Texas, intermediate state appellate courts, U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, and Supreme Court of the United States

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Co-Counsel Relationships (Various Law Firms)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFirm routinely partners with other law firms and trial counsel as appellate specialists, providing pre-trial motions support, jury charge development, expert witness challenges, and appellate expertise. This co-counsel model is a key component of the firm's service offering.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Thompson & Knight LLP: Texas-based mid-size full-service firm with comparable headcount and overlapping energy, IP, insurance, and complex litigation practices. Closely comparable in scale, Texas-centric footprint, and practice mix.
• Winstead PC: Texas-based mid-size firm with similar attorney count and a complex commercial litigation practice that overlaps with WCBG's commercial disputes and trial work. Comparable in scale and regional focus.
• Beck Redden LLP: Houston-based trial and appellate firm of comparable size (~50 attorneys) focused on complex civil litigation across Texas. Closest direct peer given shared Texas complex civil trial/appellate focus, similar attorney count, and similar elite Houston litigation market positioning.
• Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP: National litigation-only powerhouse with elite appellate and complex trial practice. Direct peer in appellate litigation positioning; differs by being national in scope and substantially larger.
• Susman Godfrey LLP: Houston-based elite commercial litigation boutique renowned for high-stakes civil trials. Directly comparable as a Texas-founded, litigation-only firm that competes in complex commercial disputes, energy litigation, and appellate matters.

Broad incumbents

• King & Spalding LLP: International firm with a strong appellate and complex litigation practice that competes for high-stakes appellate work. Larger and broader portfolio, but with a similarly strong government-and-appellate positioning.
• Baker Botts L.L.P. Houston-founded, full-service international firm with deep energy, IP, and complex litigation practices. Competes with WCBG in complex civil and appellate matters but as part of a much broader transactional and regulatory practice.
• Jones Day: Global full-service firm with deep appellate, energy, and commercial litigation practices. Competes for similar complex civil and appellate matters as part of a much broader national and international platform.
• Vinson & Elkins LLP: Houston-founded global firm with overlapping energy, IP, and commercial litigation practices. Larger and more diversified than WCBG but competes for similar high-stakes commercial and energy litigation in Texas.
• Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP: National firm widely regarded as a top appellate and complex litigation practice. Competes with WCBG for the highest-stakes appellate mandates but is much larger and broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wright-close-barger-guzman
• Facebookfacebook.com/61579859245847

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wright Close & Barger