Attorney Kurt Arnold
One of the fiercest trial lawyers practicing, Kurt Arnold has secured more than $10 billion in verdicts and settlements since founding Arnold & Itkin at the age of 25. Results are part of what Kurt does. He’s routinely recovered more than a billion dollars for clients in a single year. His relentless pursuit of justice has led to him winning dozens of jury verdicts and settlements above $100 million, hundreds above $10 million, thousands exceeding $1 million, and multiple nationwide product recalls. Kurt also holds most of the records across the U.S. for his verdicts and settlements. His track record has validated his reputation as one of the country’s most accomplished, skilled advocates. By making the case personal, Kurt learns a client’s needs and always fights for the results they truly need.
Kurt knows clients deserve the best, and he fights to make them happen, no matter what. His history of cases proves he’s always ready for a challenge. Kurt is the person behind record-setting verdicts. He secured $117 million in the largest single-plaintiff personal injury verdict in Louisiana history, $42 million in the largest verdict in Hawaii history, and $44 million for the largest single-amputee verdict in U.S. history. His history also includes recoveries of $125 million, $92.7 million, $87 million, $81 million, $78 million, $77.5 million, $72 million, and $68 million. These results (and others) have shattered records across the country, including in Texas and Louisiana for workplace accident settlements for $357.7 million and $171 million. He recently recovered $193 million for two individuals injured offshore and $139 million following an onshore explosion. Kurt gets these results by never backing down. When the other side sees he’s on a case, they know they’ll have to be fair—or they’ll have to face Kurt in a trial.
The records he currently holds include:
- Largest settlement for an individual burned at a worksite in United States history.
- Largest settlement for a wrongful death case in United States history.
- Largest settlement for a man killed offshore in United States history.
- Largest settlement for Jones Act injured seaman in United States history.
- Largest settlement for families injured in a plant explosion in United States history.
- Largest settlement for an undocumented worker in United States history.
- Largest settlement for a worker injured in Texas oilfield.
- Largest jury verdict for a single amputee in the United States.
- Largest jury verdicts in multiple states throughout the country.
The National Law Journal has recognized Kurt for many of his record-setting jury verdicts and has named his firm to the nationwide top 50 Elite Trial Lawyer list. He has also been named one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America and one of the 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers by Lawdragon. Kurt was also invited to join the Inner Circle of Advocates, an invitation-only group of the top 100 plaintiff lawyers in the United States. He has also been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for his industry-defining work in Admiralty and Maritime Law and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs
Kurt is deeply familiar with the complexities of maritime litigation and is particularly regarded for results he’s earned for offshore workers. In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon exploded and killed 11 workers, injuring dozens. Of all the crew members on the rig that night, 27 of them put their trust in Kurt—more workers than any other lawyer in the country. He won unprecedented recoveries for them, ensuring they would have whatever they needed for the rest of their lives. He also won substantial victories for widows of the El Faro sinking.
The success that Kurt has achieved is unparalleled. He has represented the injured and their families in the largest workplace accidents, plant explosions, industrial disasters, and land rig accidents in the U.S., obtaining verdicts and settlements worth more than $100,000,000. No one Kurt’s age has won verdicts or settlements as large as his. In a recent case, Kurt secured numerous eight-figure verdicts against an energy company for a plant explosion in Louisiana that injured dozens. When the defendants refused to offer a fair settlement to his clients, Kurt tried two trials back-to-back and obtained multiple massive verdicts in a row. The defendants eventually paid Kurt’s clients settlements that were ten times the size of their initial offers.
In virtually every arena in injury law, Kurt has achieved massive results. His success has led to him earning a reputation as a leader in catastrophic personal injury litigation. With a track record that includes victories in nearly every area of injury law, hundreds of lawyers worldwide have enlisted Kurt to try their cases.
The key to Kurt’s success is his compassion for his clients and his refusal to take “no” as an answer. He cares deeply about everyone he represents, so he refuses to let at-fault parties off the hook for harming his clients. To him, one of the most rewarding aspects of his job is beating companies that refuse to own up to what they did. His team’s commitment to justice and advocacy makes Kurt proud to be one of Arnold & Itkin’s cofounders.
At 19 years old, Kurt graduated from the University of Texas with High Honors. At 22, he graduated in the top 5% of his class from the University of Texas Law School with Honors. He is licensed to practice law in Texas, Pennsylvania, before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and before the U.S. Supreme Court.
He and his wife Tara, a fellow attorney, live in Houston with their son Jaxon and daughter Isla. They are members of St. Paul’s Methodist Church and support numerous charities as founders of the Arnold & Itkin Foundation.
Education
- University of Texas, B.A. in Government with High Honors
- University of Texas Law School, J.D. with Honors
Admissions
- United States Supreme Court
-
United States District Court,
Southern District of Texas -
United States District Court,
Eastern District of Texas -
United States District Court,
Western District of Texas -
United States District Court,
Northern District of Texas - Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Second Circuit Court of Appeals
- Third Circuit Court of Appeals
- State Bar of Texas
- State Bar of Pennsylvania
Awards
- Member of the Inner Circle of Advocates
- Best Lawyers® for Admiralty and Maritime Law (2016-2024)
- Best Lawyers® for Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs (2018-2024)
- Best Lawyers® for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Action – Plaintiffs (2022-2024)
- Best Lawyers® for Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs (2024)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2017-2023)
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers (2019-2023)
- The National Law Journal’s Elite Trial Lawyer Top 50 List
- Texas Super Lawyers® List - One of the Youngest Lawyers in Texas History to Receive This Honor (2013-2023)
- Texas Super Lawyers® Rising Stars℠ List (2005-2006, 2009-2013)
- Top 100: Texas Super Lawyers (2017)
- Top 100: Houston Super Lawyers (2015 - 2018)
- Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the National Trial Lawyers
- Top 40 Under 40 by the National Trial Lawyers
- Member of the Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum®
- Top 40 Under 40 Award by the Houston Business Journal
- Top Lawyers for the People by H Texas Magazine
- Founding Member of the Nation's Top 100 Attorneys by the National Association of Distinguished Counsel