Bennett L. Stahl

An accomplished trial and appellate lawyer, Bennett Stahl has represented major companies as well as individuals in a wide variety of court cases. He was a partner in a major law firm with offices across the U.S. and in Europe for several years, and has practiced law in San Antonio over three decades.

Honors & Distinctions

• Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization 

• “Texas Super Lawyer” for 2005-2020 by Thomson Reuters, under the category of Business Litigation

• Selected one of San Antonio’s “Best Lawyers” by Scene in SA Magazine for 2006-2009, 2011-2019

• AV peer-review rated (the highest rating given, for both legal ability and ethical standards) by Martindale-Hubbell 

• His successful verdict in a three-week jury trial was reported by The National Law Journal as one of the “Top 100 Verdicts of 2005″ in the U.S. and featured as the “Verdict of the Month” in the January 2006 edition of VerdictSearch-National. The trial involved a will contest in Probate Court.

• Presented CLE lecture to other lawyers, accountants and bankers on “Breach of Fiduciary Duty” at 2007 Docket Call in Probate Court, Westin Riverwalk Hotel, San Antonio, Texas 

 • Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation

Representative Cases

• Successfully represented beneficiary of a large trust in high-profile lawsuit to protect trust assets. David Hendricks, Latest court decision victory for Benson's daughter, grandchildren, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS, September 9, 2015 Click for Story; Katheryn Sayre, Tom Benson's estranged daughter takes control of family estate in Texas, NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE/NOLA.COM, February 19, 2016 Click for Story

• Won unanimous jury verdict in defense of corporation wrongly sued for fraud and breach of contract 

• Successfully defended a half-million dollar arbitration claim against a young entrepreneur filed by his former employer complaining of breach of a non-competition agreement and misappropriation of trade secrets 

• Won jury verdict for plaintiffs in a will contest suit in probate court, on grounds of undue influence and fraud 

• Successfully defended trustee of a large trust against allegations of self-dealing and breach of fiduciary duty 

• Won summary judgment for real estate lender wrongly sued for deceptive trade practices and truth-in-lending violations 

• Successfully defended national real estate broker against multi-million dollar lawsuit by real estate syndicate alleging fraud in inducement of sale of apartment complexes 

• Won trial verdict appointing father as sole custodian of minor child in complex interstate child custody dispute 

• Represented interested party in complex contested guardianship involving a substantial estate 

• Successfully represented business sued by government agencies alleging deceptive trade practices implicating First Amendment commercial speech issues 

• Served as outside general counsel to regional foodservice wholesaler during its acquisition by Fortune 500 competitor 

• Successfully defended various cases against life insurance agents and companies involving allegations of errors and omissions, negligence, and Insurance Code violations 

• Successfully represented retail chain in trademark infringement litigation against competitor

Education

• St. Mary’s University School of Law (Doctor of Jurisprudence, 1985) Associate Editor, St. Mary’s Law Journal Author: Comment, “Fair Employment of the Handicapped in Texas,” 16 St. Mary’s Law Journal 433 (1985) 

• The University of Texas at Austin (Bachelor of Arts, 1982)

Admitted to Practice Before

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit • U.S. Court of Federal Claims 

• U.S. District Courts for the Western, Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas

Membership

• State Bar of Texas 

• San Antonio Bar Association

Community Leadership

• Mr. Stahl has served on various civic and non-profit boards. 

• He is a past Chairman of the Board of Directors of a non-profit home for the aged in San Antonio that provided over a million dollars in charitable care annually.