Practice Areas: Business litigation, Construction litigation, Estate & trust litigation; view more
Licensed in Texas since: 2003
Education: Baylor Law School
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2023 
Selected to Rising Stars: 2007 Call today:
512-477-5000
Cain & Skarnulis PLLC
303 Colorado StSuite 2850
Austin, TX 78701 Visit website
Details
Mr. Skarnulis was an entrepreneur before he became a business litigator. Â He approaches cases not just from the perspective of how to win in the litigation, but how to best serve his clients' business interests. Â The two are not always the same. Â
In 2007, Mr. Skarnulis and Charlie Cain formed Cain & Skarnulis, now a 16 lawyer litigation boutique. Â The firm quickly developed a reputation for creative litigation tactics, and has consistently achieved fantastic results for its clients. Â
 Mr. Skarnulis is primarily a business trial lawyer with a wide-ranging caseload, including shareholder cases, fiduciary liability, director and officer liability, oil and gas disputes, intellectual property rights cases, real estate, construction, technology and a wide array of other business disputes. He has deep trial and arbitration experience.  He also works with clients on business planning and strategy, to efficiently get the best outcome.
Mr. Skarnulis has developed a sterling reputation for his involvement in high stakes and high profile cases.
Practice areas
Business litigation, Construction litigation: business, Estate & trust litigation, Civil litigation: defense, Civil litigation: plaintiff, Real estate: business, Securities litigationFocus areas
Trade secret, Non-compete agreements, Construction defects
- 20% Business litigation
- 20% Construction litigation: business
- 20% Estate & trust litigation
- 10% Civil litigation: defense
- 10% Civil litigation: plaintiff
- 10% Real estate: business
- 10% Other
First Admitted: 2003, Texas
Professional Webpage: https://cstrial.com/who-we-are/our-people/steve-skarnulis
- Several CLE presentations on expert witness management, director and officer insurance and management of a multi-generational law practice.
- Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, awarded to 1/3 of the top 1% annually.
- Advocacy/mock trial coach, University of Texas, 2013
- Settled millions of dollars in claims in an oil and gas real estate dispute., 2020
- Defense verdict for fiduciary in 3 week jury trial with over $100M in alleged damages., 2022
- Defended case in federal court with more than $6.5 million in alleged damages, settled with no monetary payment., 2017
- Won defense verdict in a jury trial over a business divorce, with alleged damages of $56 million. Â Attorney's fees of more than $500,000 awarded to the defendants., 2017
- Won plaintiff's verdict in construction breach of contract case, with 100% of damages and fees sought awarded. Â , 2017
- Settled claim for ownership of a technology patent worth $30 million after arbitration., 2016
- Won plaintiff's verdict in federal jury trial in a rare commercial wrongful foreclosure case. Â $1 million., 2015
- Largest verdict in Kendall County history, $8.4 M, November 2014, final judgment of $10.3M. Â , 2014
- https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/big-lie-austin-law-firm/ Â , The Austin Law Firm Battling Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell Over the "Big Lie", Texas Monthly, 2021
- Awarded fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, an exclusive group that has as members a very small percentage of the bar members. Â , Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, txbf.org, 2014
- Defense verdict in 3 week jury trial for fiduciary with over $100M in damages sought., 2022
- Construction
- Energy
- Fiduciary
- Finance
- Insurance
- Real Estate
- Technology
Selections
- Super Lawyers: 2020 - 2023
- Rising Stars: 2007
