Clarissa Medrano​​​clarissa R. medrano

Associate
  • Phone: 713-547-9158
  • Email: cmedrano@hicks-thomas.com
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarissa-medrano-347028100/

Bio

Clarissa practices general commercial litigation, with an emphasis on managed care. Clarissa’s litigation experience includes trial, arbitration, mediation, motion practice (drafting and arguing), appellate briefing, and all aspects of discovery (including taking depositions and discovery hearings). She represents and advises group insurers, plan administrators, and third party claim administrators in litigation involving medical benefits. Her experience also includes insurance coverage, insurance defense, and business and commercial disputes. She has tried both jury and bench trials to final verdict.

Clarissa was formerly an associate at an AM 100 law firm. She served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Randy Crane, the current Chief Judge of the Southern District of Texas, and as a judicial intern to The Honorable Gray Miller, in the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas. She also served as a judicial intern to the late Honorable Debra Ibarra Mayfield in the 165th Judicial District Court, the first Latina judge in Harris County civil courts.

Practice Emphasis

  • Managed Care Litigation
  • Litigation

Education

  • JD, University of Houston Law Center, 2017
  • BS, BA, The University of Texas at Austin, 2013

Court Admissions

  • Texas
  • US District Court, Northern District of Texas
  • US District Court, Southern District of Texas
  • US District Court, Eastern District of Texas
  • US District Court, Western District of Texas

Clerkships

  • US District Court, Southern District of Texas

Professional Memberships

  • Member, Hispanic National Bar Association
  • Member, Mexican American Bar Association of Houston
  • Member, Asian American Bar Association of Houston

Representative Cases

  • Representing managed care company in multimillion-dollar arbitrations regarding contractual disputes and common law claims.
  • Trial counsel in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the State of Missouri related to Missouri Medicaid system implementation.
  • Trial counsel in a multimillion-dollar state district trial concerning an oilfield explosion and flashfire.
  • Trial counsel in a multimillion-dollar federal bankruptcy adversary proceeding.
  • Obtaining summary judgment in complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters.

Publications/Speaking Engagements

Published Cases/Publications
  • Co-author, Texas Noncompete Law's Atty Fee Preemption Status In Limbo, Law360, February 7, 2023
  • Published quarterly in the ​ Insurance Law Update of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, 2018-2022
  • Co-author, Securities Deposit Laws (Commercial Lease): State Comparison Chart, Reuters Practical Law, April 2020
  • Co-author, Securities Deposit Laws (Residential Lease): State Comparison Chart, Reuters Practical Law, April 2020
  • Co-author, ​ Is ‘Manifest Disregard’ Defense Only Mostly Dead In Texas?, Law360, May 2019

Languages

  • Spanish