Recognized as a leading trial lawyer in Texas and across the country, Travis Sales has more than 35 years of experience defending major corporations in high-profile cases.
Travis has extensive experience in commercial litigation and arbitration, pension, and ERISA matters, as well as in energy, trade-secret, construction, consumer class-action, and product-liability disputes. He has represented leading energy and petrochemical companies in significant commercial, trade secret, and construction cases, including against claims brought by the Mexican national oil company over millions of dollars of allegedly stolen hydrocarbons.
Travis also represents pharmaceutical and other companies in product-liability and consumer-fraud actions, including several mass-tort and multi-district litigations, and he has defended pharmaceutical companies against Medicaid fraud claims brought by several state attorneys general.
His track record of success for clients has earned accolades from the American College of Trial Lawyers, The Legal 500 US, Chambers USA, and the American Board of Trial Advocates. For five consecutive years, he was named “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America for Texas Mass Tort Litigation/Class Action representing defendants.
Before joining O’Melveny, Travis was a partner at an international, full-service law firm, where he served as chair of the firm’s nationwide ERISA litigation practice group. A community leader with a passion for legal industry development, Travis has served in various leadership positions, including as President of the Houston Bar Association and Director of the State Bar of Texas. He currently serves as a Texas Delegate to the American Bar Association, House of Delegates.
- Phillips 66 Company – complex commercial and pipeline disputes and class action ERISA stock drop litigation
- BASF Corporation – commercial and construction disputes
- Houston Firefighter Relief and Retirement Fund – litigation against the City of Houston regarding the constitutionality of pension statute and other matters
- Shell Trading U.S. Corporation and Shell Chemical Corporation – commercial energy disputes
- Houston Municipal Employee Pension Plan – pension plan administration and distribution litigation and counseling
- Ecolab/Nalco Company – trade secret and covenant not to compete litigation
- Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association – defended constitutionality of voter passed initiative of pay parity with Houston police
- Schlumberger Limited – ERISA benefits litigation
- Merck & Co., Inc. – pharmaceutical product liability and state class action cases and commercial litigation, including defense of Vioxx litigation
- Aetna Life Ins. Company – litigation over experimental cancer treatment and autism treatment coverage and ERISA disputes
- Patterson TI - ERISA class action litigation
- ConocoPhillips – ERISA benefits litigation
- Cemex – ERISA class action litigation
- Huntsman Corp. – commercial disputes
- AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals L.P. – pharmaceutical product liability cases, including defense of Seroquel litigation
- Other leading chemical companies – commercial disputes involving complex chemical industry contracts
- Other Leading pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers – product liability defense
- CenterPoint Energy, Inc., and its predecessors – numerous personal injury and commercial disputes
- State Farm Insurance Companies – commercial cases against automobile repair shops
- Science Applications International Corporation – commercial disputes in arbitration and litigation
- SourceNet Solutions Inc. – plaintiff representation in a commercial dispute with a major high-tech company
- Power Strategies, L.L.C. – plaintiff representation in a commercial dispute with Allied Waste, Inc.
- Pinnacle Natural Gas Corporation – personal injury defense and insurance matter in oil field accident
- Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Company – third-party and direct insurance defense
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- Texas
Court Admissions
- US District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas
- US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Education
- The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1987, with high honors: Grand Chancellor; Order of the Coif; Member, Texas Law Review; Phi Delta Phi
- The University of Texas, B.B.A., Accounting, 1984, with highest honors: Outstanding Student Award; Beta Alpha Psi; Beta Gamma Sigma; Phi Kappa Phi
Honors & Awards
- Recognized by Best Lawyers in America for Mass Tort Litigation/ Class Actions - Defendants (2024)
- Recognized by Chambers USA for Litigation: General Commercial (2016-2022)
- Recommended by The Legal 500 US for Labor and Employment: ERISA Litigation (2013-2019)
- Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward and White, Inc.) as "Lawyer of the Year" for Texas Mass Tort Litigation/Class Action-Defendants (2017-2021)
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward and White, Inc.) (2015-2021)
- Recognized by Thomson Reuters as a Texas Super Lawyer (2004, 2007-2021)
- Recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a "Litigation Star" in Texas (2013-2021)
- State Bar of Texas-Judge Sam Williams Award (2012)
- State Bar of Texas-President's Award (2009); President's Citation (2011, 2012)
- Houston Bar Association President's Award (1992, 2002)
Professional Activities
Affiliations
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow (2017-present)
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Associate (2009-present)
- American Bar Association, Delegate (2017-2021)
- Houston Bar Foundation, Chair (2017); Director (2015-2018)
- The University of Texas School of Law Alumni Executive Committee (2008-2015)
- State Bar of Texas, Director (2009-2011)
- Houston Bar Association, President (2008-2009); President-Elect (2007-2008); Second Vice President, (2005-2006); Secretary (2004-2005); Director (2001-2009)
- Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, Chair (2007-2008); Treasurer (2006-2008)
- Texas Bar Journal, Editorial Board (2004-2006)
- Houston Lawyer Referral Service, President (2003-2004)
- Defense Research Institute (2006-present)