About Mike O'Brien

Mike O'Brien is Of Counsel at Kherkher Garcia and a former civil district court judge with 49 years of courtroom experience. He graduated summa cum laude from South Texas College of Law in 1976, practiced personal injury cases for five years, and then became the youngest elected judge in Harris County history, presiding over the 125th Judicial District Court and over 150 jury and non-jury trials. After retiring from the bench in 1988, he established Mike O'Brien P.C. and joint-ventured cases as specialized trial counsel with Houston's top litigators, including John M. O'Quinn and George Fleming, handling mass tort and business cases across 15 state and federal jurisdictions representing thousands of clients. Career highlights include co-counsel on Fen-Phen litigation with an Oregon verdict exceeding $29 million, lead trial counsel in toxic exposure cases at the Brio EPA Superfund Site, and a co-counsel role in a federal RICO action against PEMEX involving a $273 million judgment. He is a former member of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS).

Proven verdicts and settlements at Kherkher Garcia

These results are credited to Kherkher Garcia. A result appears under an attorney's own name only when a published source names them as counsel on the case.

$200 millionVerdict

A Philadelphia jury in May 2005 awarded two women a combined $200 million for heart-valve injuries caused by Wyeth's fen-phen diet drugs, with Steve Kherkher of Williams Bailey (now Kherkher Garcia) leading the trial, before a judge granted Wyeth's post-trial motion and the case resolved through a confidential settlement.

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Pennsylvania · 2005Medical MalpracticeRead the full story →
$15 millionVerdict

A Harris County jury awarded $15 million to the husband and two sons of a longtime hospital nurse struck and killed while crossing the street to an employer parking lot, with Steve Kherkher among the trial team for the family.

133rd District Court, Harris County, Texas · 2018Wrongful DeathRead the full story →
$12.45 millionVerdict

Jim Hart won a $12.45 million jury verdict for a Houston couple severely injured when a New Prime tractor-trailer rear-ended their sedan on I-45, though the Texas Supreme Court later reversed on procedural grounds and remanded for a new trial.

129th District Court of Harris County, Texas (Alonzo v. John, No. 14-20-00148-CV, affirmed Fourteenth Court of Appeals March 29, 2022) · 2019Truck AccidentsRead the full story →

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.

Practice areas

Education

South Texas College of Law
J.D., 1976

Bar admissions & credentials

State Bar of Texas

Other attorneys at Kherkher Garcia

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Proven verdicts and settlements from other Houston firms

The Lanier Law Firm
The Lanier Law Firm
$4.85 Billion Vioxx MDL Settlement for Heart-Attack and Stroke Victims
The Buzbee Law Firm
The Buzbee Law Firm
$1.1 Billion Verdict for Child Left Brain-Damaged by Oil-Fortune Heir
Arnold & Itkin
Arnold & Itkin
$2.07 billion · Cobb County Jury Awards John Barnes $2.065 Billion in Roundup Cancer Trial
Williams Hart & Boundas
Williams Hart & Boundas
$15.3 billion · Texas Recovers $15.3 Billion From Tobacco Industry in Landmark 1998 Settlement
The Ammons Law Firm LLP
The Ammons Law Firm LLP
$812 Million Verdict for Family of Worker Killed in Pecos Chemical Plant Explosion, Part of $1.6 Billion

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.