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Raina Spielman Newsome brings over 25 years of litigation experience and a proven track record of success. She is passionate about fighting for justice for victims of negligence and their families. Raina has a broad background in complex commercial litigation, products liability and personal injury, but her primary focus is on the complicated arena of medical malpractice litigation, especially birth injuries.
Raina earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance and Marketing with honors from The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin where she was on the Dean’s Honor List all four years and was selected to be a member of the National Business Honor Society. Raina earned her Juris Doctor with honors from The University of Texas School of Law, where she was recognized for earning the highest overall GPA first year and was selected to be on the Texas Law Review. She served as an Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review. Raina was also selected to join Order of the Coif, National Law Honor Society for the top 10% of United States Law School graduates.
Raina started her career as a litigation associate at the Houston office of Fulbright and Jaworski (now Norton Rose Fulbright), where she learned to try a case and handled complex commercial litigation, products liability, medical malpractice and catastrophic injury cases on behalf of defendants. Raina also worked for Hunton Andrews Kurth and its predecessor firms, specializing in medical malpractice and medical product litigation. She has tried jury trials, bench trials, arbitrations and performed appellate oral arguments.
Raina left Big Law to fight for the victims of negligence and medical malpractice. Her understanding of the realities of the defense of these types of cases provides her with insight on how to get the best results for her injured clients and their families. Raina fights zealously for her clients and has successfully recovered over $40 million in damages for her clients and their families, earning a membership to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
In addition to being a member of the State Bar of Texas, Raina is also a member of the Arizona Bar and has been admitted to practice pro hac vice to represent victims of negligence and medical malpractice in multiple other states.
Raina has completed 7 full marathons, including the Boston Marathon, but she now prefers shorter runs, road cycling, hiking, and skiing. She is a mother to 3 wonderful human beings and a “Mimi” to a beautiful baby girl and they and her partner Tom Lightsey are the joy of her life.
Recognized as a Rising Star in 2019, 2020 and 2021 by Texas Super Lawyers, Phil is also a Fellow in the Texas Bar Foundation. Prior to becoming a lawyer, taught in the Houston Independent School District at an inner-city middle school. He also served as a bandmaster and musician on Norwegian, Celebrity, Holland America and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He is admitted to the Fifth Circuit, Southern District of Texas and Western District of Texas in the federal court system.
Phil lives in Houston with his wife and their two young boys. When not working, Phil can be found coaching or assisting with his kids’ sports, enjoying Houston’s vibrant arts scene with his wife, or cheering on the Astros.
J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
M.A., The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies
B.A., Washington & Lee University, Politics
Randy is the past President of the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists, and past Chair of the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation. He has served as the President of the Houston Bar Association, President of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, President of the Houston Trial Lawyers Foundation, Vice President of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Trustee of the Texas Bar Foundation, Director of the State Bar of Texas (two terms), Commissioner of the Equal Access to Justice Commission, Trustee of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, and is currently on the Board of Directors at South Texas College of Law Houston.
Randy started his legal career at Fulbright & Jaworski, where he represented doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, and businesses in the state of Texas who were accused of civil wrongdoing. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from South Texas College of Law Houston in 1987, where he was on the Law Review and was a member of the nationally recognized Board of Advocates. South Texas College of Law Houston has honored Randy with its highest honor— the Dean’s Medal, as well as its Public Service Award (the inaugural award). South Texas College of Law Houston has renamed its legal clinics The Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics, which represents 15,000 square feet of new, state-of-the-art facilities to bring together clients with unmet legal needs and students who are eager to work with those clients under the direct supervision of their professors. In 2018, South Texas College of Law Houston honored Randy with the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Prior to law school, Randy graduated Magna Cum Laude from Houston Baptist University— where he was recognized as an NCAA Academic All-American in 1984. He attended HBU on a soccer scholarship, and the soccer field at the university now carries his name— Randall O. Sorrels Field. While at school, he was recognized as the Outstanding Student in both Political Science and Speech Communications. In the greatest honor, the university gives to alumni, Randy was named as HBU’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year for 2009, and he continues to be involved in alumni events and meetings.
Randy is married to his law partner, Alex L. Farias-Sorrels, and considers her one of the smartest lawyers he knows. He is also a father of five children and one granddaughter. His oldest daughter is a teacher and helps with the Sorrels Law communications efforts. His second daughter is a speech language pathologist in New York. His twin son and daughter are law students at the University of Texas. And his youngest son is in a Montessori program.
He has published numerous articles, including:
He lives in Bellaire, Texas with his wife Carol, and has two adult children. He is an avid cyclist and consumer of political news. He and Carol are active members at Christ the King Presbyterian Church.
You can trust that the Sorrels Law team of attorneys and staff has the experience and the skills to meticulously and strategically handle your case. We know what we are doing and we will guide you every step of the way. Ask us any question and call us at any time.
©2024, Sorrels Law. All Rights Reserved.
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