Ryan Sullivan is a highly skilled litigator, who focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation.
With over a decade of experience, Ryan has successfully second-chaired trials in both state and federal court. He has litigated a broad range of commercial disputes, including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, shareholder litigation, misappropriation of trade secrets, deceptive trade practices and business disparagement, among others. For both plaintiffs and defendants, Ryan develops creative litigation strategies that serve clients’ goals.
Representative Experience
- Obtained dismissal of all shareholder claims in a shareholder derivative suit against his clients, the officers and directors of a certified B Corporation that sells reusable storage bags. As part of dismissal, the Court entered an award of attorneys’ fees and sanctions against the shareholders.
- Secured a directed verdict for a Texas-based federal credit union at trial in a tortious interference action.
- Successfully argued for “death-penalty” sanctions in a breach-of-contract action against a Texas-based real-estate developer. As a result, the Court struck the developer’s pleadings and entered default judgment in favor of the client.
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- Obtained dismissal of a medical practice’s claims of breach of contract, breach of warranty and unjust enrichment against his client, a manufacturer of surgical guidance systems for spinal and brain surgery.
- Successfully defended a roofing company in commercial arbitration, defeating the plaintiff’s claims of breach of contract, fraud, negligence and deceptive trade practices.
- Secured a favorable settlement for his pro bono client—a victim of prison sexual assault—in federal court claims against a Texas county and its sheriff’s office.
- Successfully appealed the Anti-SLAPP dismissal of a dental consulting firm’s petition in a business-disparagement action.
- Obtained dismissal of claims for breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, breach of contract, and violations of the Defend Trade Secrets Act and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act against an officer of security at an engineering firm.
- Secured a favorable settlement for his client, a radiology practice, in arbitration against teleradiology conglomerate.
- Defended bill pay servicer in multiple lawsuits under federal and state consumer protection statutes.
- Obtained a favorable settlement for his client, a medical professional, in a contract dispute with a Maryland hospital.
- Advised a medical education entrepreneur in business divorce, resulting in favorable sale of the entrepreneur’s stake in the business.
- Achieved a favorable settlement for a coffee entrepreneur in earn-out dispute with buyers.
- Represented Fortune 500 tech company in dispute over construction of its campus.
- Represented Fortune 500 network infrastructure company in contractual dispute with a telecommunications vendor.
Professional Highlights
- Recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America in Commercial Litigation (2022 – 2025)
- Recognized by Texas Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (2018 – 2024)
- Top 50 Attorneys of San Antonio, Attorney Intel (2022)
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- “Texas’ New Business Court: What We’ve Learned from Its First Two Months,” Texas Lawyer, Nov. 7, 2024
- Quoted in “Musk’s Legal Fights Boost Longshot Texas Bid to Become Court Hub,” Bloomberg Law, Aug. 28, 2024
- “Questions Linger over Texas Business Court’s Jurisdiction,” Law360, Nov. 21, 2023
- “Should You Reconsider Your Motion to Reconsider?,” Defense Research Institute, 2015
- “Tort Law Desk Reference: A 50-State Compendium,” Maryland Chapter, 2015. Co-editor.
- “Fourth Circuit Report: Medical Monitoring Class Action Thwarted by Daubert Inquiry at Certification Stage,” Defense Research Institute, 2015
- “Apparent but Not Obvious: A Managed Care Organization’s Liability Under Apparent Agency,” Inside Medical Liability, 2014
Education
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J.D., The George Washington University Law School, 2014
M.Sc., The University of Texas at Austin, 2007
B.A., Occidental College, 2001
Admissions
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Texas
District of Columbia
Maryland
Courts
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U.S. District Courts for the Western, Northern and Southern Districts of Texas
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland