Practice areas: Business Litigation, Personal Injury, Class Action & Mass Torts
Licensed in Texas since: 2013
Education: The University of Texas School of Law
Selected to Rising Stars: 2020 - 2026 The Lanier Law Firm
10940 W. Sam Houston Pkwy NSuite 100
Houston, TX 77064 Phone: 713-659-5200 Email: Ryan D. Ellis Visit website
Ryan D. Ellis is a Senior Attorney at The Lanier Law Firm’s Houston office, focusing on complex business litigation, environmental class actions, and toxic torts. He represents individuals, businesses, and communities in disputes involving environmental contamination, commercial fraud, trade secrets, and whistleblower claims.
Ellis was a key member of the trial team in Behar v. Northrop Grumman Corporation, an environmental class action involving more than 3,200 California homeowners that reached a $75 million settlement during trial, pending court approval. He also represents eight states in antitrust litigation against Google and homeowners in Black v. Union Pacific Railroad Company, a class action alleging toxic contamination of residential properties in Wichita, Kansas.
Ellis has been recognized by Lawdragon, Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers for his litigation experience.
First Admitted: 2013, Texas
Professional Webpage: https://www.lanierlawfirm.com/attorneys/ryan-ellis/
Bar / Professional Activity
- Member of Hays County Bar Association Board of Directors, 2019
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
- United States District Court for the District of Colorado
- United States District Courts for the Western, Eastern, and Southern Districts of Texas
- Member of Austin Bar Association/AYLA’s 2019 Leadership Academy, 2019
- Austin Bar Association (member), 2019
Pro bono / Community Service
- Rodeo Austin Calf Scramble Committee Member. The Rodeo Austin Calf Scramble Committee raises scholarships for Texas high school students., 2019
- Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (pro bono volunteer), 2020
- Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas (pro bono volunteer), 2019
- Rodeo Austin Calf Scramble Committee Member. The Rodeo Austin Calf Scramble Committee raises scholarships for Texas high school students., 2018
Educational Background
- B.A., B.S. with Highest Honors - The University of Texas at Austin; Phi Beta Kappa, 2010
Scholarly Lectures / Writings
- On April 4, 2011 the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) promulgated a new policy mandating that all colleges and universities that receive federal funding use the "preponderance of the evidence" standard of evidence when adjudicating claims of sexual harassment and assault in their internal disciplinary procedures. The new policy--which OCR did not first subject to the 30 day notice-and-comment period required under the Administrative Procedure Act--ignited a firestorm among academics and policy advocates from across the political spectrum. These commentators worried that mandating the judiciary's lowest standard of proof for all sexual harassment and assault cases imperiled the due process rights of students and faculty, because schools vary widely in the quality of their disciplinary proceedings. This Note evaluates these claims by examining the decline of educational autonomy at American colleges and universities; explaining the legal justification for the property interest found in one's collge education; and analyzing the threat posed to that proprety interest and to student due process by the OCR mandate. Finally, the Note identifies a realistic accommodation OCR could make which would help identify alternative policies that address the issues of sexual harassment and assault on college campuses without jeopardizing the due process and proprety rights of students and faculty., Author, Mandating Injustice: The Preponderance of the Evidence Mandate Creates a New Threat to Due Process on Campus, The Review of Litigation, 2013
Honors
- Texas Lawyer editors named Mr. Ellis one of 25 “Lawyers on the Rise” for 2017 after reviewing more than 100 nominations of attorneys age 40 and under “who have established a record of accomplishments and demonstrated that they are top contributors to the practice of law and their communities.”, "Lawyer on the Rise", Texas Lawyer Magazine, 2017
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America — Commercial Litigation (2024–2025), Best Lawyers
- Texas Legal Awards, “Rising Star – General Litigation”, Texas Lawyer, 2026
- 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers — Toxic Tort (2024-2026), Lawdragon
- 500 Leading Litigators in America, Lawdragon, 2027
- Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2024
- Texas Rising Stars — Business Litigation (Thomson Reuters, 2020–2026), Super Lawyers
- 500 X — The Next Generation, Commercial Litigation (2024-2026), Lawdragon
- Top 40 Under 40 by The National Trial Lawyers, 2018 and 2022, The National Trial Lawyers
Office location for Ryan D. Ellis
10940 W. Sam Houston Pkwy N
Suite 100
Houston, TX 77064
Selections
- Rising Stars: 2020 - 2026