Ryan Zehl Named Maritime Attorney of the Year by Texas Legal Awards

Zehl & Associates founder earns recognition from Texas Lawyer and Law.com

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Houston-based law firm Zehl & Associates is pleased to announce that founding partner Ryan Zehl has been chosen as maritime injury attorney of the year by the Texas Legal Awards.

Texas Lawyer and Law.com recently published a shortlist of nominees in various practice areas. Mr. Zehl was among the winners announced during this most recent notification.

“This award is a reflection of what our firm has always stood for — relentless advocacy for injured maritime workers and their families. Offshore accidents change lives in an instant, and our clients deserve lawyers who will fight as hard as they can for as long as it takes,” said Mr. Zehl. “Over the past 20-plus years, Zehl & Associates has secured record-breaking recoveries in maritime, oilfield, and offshore injury cases because we refuse to settle for anything less than what our clients are owed. Being recognized as Maritime Lawyer of the Year doesn't change that mission — it confirms it.”

Zehl & Associates recently secured a $16 million settlement for an offshore worker who suffered a traumatic brain injury aboard a drillship after being ordered to perform an unsafe task involving the vessel’s moonpool operations.

Other significant maritime- and offshore-related verdicts and settlements secured by Ryan Zehl and Zehl & Associates attorneys include:

• A $30 million settlement for a Jones Act seaman with a traumatic brain injury.
• A $11.5 million settlement for an offshore worker injured on a jack-up rig.
• A $7.6 million verdict for the family of a fatally injured Jones Act seaman.
• A $5.5 million Jones Act settlement.
• A $3.2 million verdict in Louisiana federal court on behalf of an offshore worker injured during a failed offshore personnel transfer.

Mr. Zehl has been consistently recognized for his exceptional legal work by numerous legal publications and industry guides, including The Best Lawyers in America, Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. He has earned lifetime membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum® and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®, a distinction that less than 1% of trial lawyers in the United States can claim. In addition, the National Trial Lawyers Association named him among the top 100 personal injury lawyers in Texas.

The Texas Legal Awards 2026 ceremony will be held at the Arts District Mansion in Dallas on Sept. 30. Click here for details on the other categories, nominees and winners.

About Zehl & Associates

Zehl & Associates PC is an undefeated personal injury law firm that represents accident victims across Texas, Louisiana and the United States, earning a reputation for recovering record-breaking verdicts and settlements for its clients. The firm’s practice areas include maritime, truck and 18-wheeler accidents, oil field and refinery accidents, and catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases. The firm has secured billions of dollars for its clients, obtaining unprecedented victories against the largest trucking, oil and gas, maritime and petrochemical companies in the world.

For more information, visit https://www.zehllaw.com/.