Cara Vasquez is a trained big law lawyer with over a decade of experience specializing in complex commercial disputes for clients in state and federal courts and in arbitration. Cara believes in building real partnerships with her clients in order to achieve their goals—those that show up on a financial statement and those that are more difficult to measure.
Cara has a track record of success representing petrochemical, energy, construction, refining, industrial, and business clients in disputes of all sizes. As well as litigating complex commercial disputes, Cara has experience in the area of construction defects, trade secrets, and products liability.
Cara’s clients particularly value her ability to manage and distill voluminous information to its essence in an efficient way, yielding consistently better and more cost-effective results.
Cara Vasquez is a trained big law lawyer with over a decade of experience specializing in complex commercial disputes for clients in state and federal courts and in arbitration. Cara believes in building real partnerships with her clients in order to achieve their goals—those that show up on a financial statement and those that are more difficult to measure.
Cara has a track record of success representing petrochemical, energy, construction, refining, industrial, and business clients in disputes of all sizes. As well as litigating complex commercial disputes, Cara has experience in the area of construction defects, trade secrets, and products liability.
Cara’s clients particularly value her ability to manage and distill voluminous information to its essence in an efficient way, yielding consistently better and more cost-effective results.
REPRESENTATIVE ENGAGEMENTS
- Successfully represented insurance company business owner (through pre-suit negotiations and contentions discussions) in recovery of millions of dollars from business partner.
- Lead counsel for consulting company defending claims for defamation, business disparagement, tortious interference and fraud, among other claims. Secured summary judgment dismissals of all tort claims, with the matter resolving soon thereafter.
- Lead counsel for national fuel supplier in Pennsylvania litigation involving claims for serious personal injuries at dealer-owned gas station and convenience store.
- Lead counsel for a global petrochemical company in complex dispute involving a $1 billion polyethylene plant construction project in La Porte, Texas. Defended the company from claims by the contractor seeking over $175 million and prosecuted the company’s claims against the contractor for damages including overcharges, substantial delays, work quality deficiencies, poor productivity, and other claims. Following a 7-week bench trial the Court ruled in favor of our client and against the contractor, ruling that the contractor take nothing on its claims, that the company recover $1.1 million in additional damages, and also resulting in the company retaining $36 million in set-offs that it had withheld from payment—thus resulting in a net recovery of $37.1 million.
- Represented one of the world’s largest universities in a wrongful jurisdiction matter
- Represented petrochemical owner in over $100 million dispute with contractor for delayed and overbudget construction of facility
- Regularly represents owners in navigating building and inspection code issues with the relevant municipal bodies
- Represented a Latin American state-owned energy company in US$400 million litigation resulting from an off-shore failure caused by a defective component
- Represented a petrochemical company in $50+ million litigation against a general contractor in both federal and state court
- Represented petrochemical company in dispute against engineering companies resulting from improper design of major equipment
- Represented an independent E&P company in trade secret litigation in federal court
- Represented two EPC contractors in a confidential US$120+ million arbitration against the owner resulting from delays to the project and increased project costs
- Represented a carbon-black manufacturer in federal court in Indiana and subsequent Seventh Circuit Appeal against anticipatory repudiation claims
- Represented a Texas-based bank in various litigation involving business tort claims
- Represented an oil and gas operator in an interpleader action of over 150 potential mineral interest owners
- Audited a pharmaceutical company’s speaker programs across the nation
- Represented an insurance company in a $400 million coverage dispute that successfully resolved through arbitration
- Represented high-density polyethylene pipe manufacturer in multi-party litigation in New Jersey filed by plaintiffs alleging property damage and personal injury due to a major gas line explosion; secured dismissal of all claims against client following intensive analysis of pipe components and associated gas line system
- Successfully represented one of the nation’s most prestigious universities in early dismissal of claims based on jurisdiction challenge
EDUCATION
- J.D., South Texas College of Law 2012
- Moot Court advocate, Hispanic National Bar Association and National Latino Law Students Association tournaments
- Won Best Brief and the Scribes Brief-Writing Award
- Graduated Cum Laude
- B.S., Public Relations, University of Texas 2009
- Certification in Business Foundation
PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS
- Co-presenter: “Texas Business Court Legislation: A Review of the Legal, Political, and Practical Issues,” Winter 2023
- Co-presenter: “Identifying and Engaging Your Expert and Preparing the Expert Report: How to Avoid Daubert Challenges, Preserve Work Product, and Enhance the Expert’s Effectiveness,” June 2022
- Co-presenter: Construction Law CLE, “Lump Sum Contracts–The Whole Pie and Some Avoidable Crumbles,” Fall 2018 and Spring 2019
- Author: Zachry v. Port of Houston Authority: Texas Supreme Court rules for contractor despite no-damages-for-delay clause, September 2014
- Author: Personal jurisdiction defense accepted in convention enforcement proceedings, March 2013
PRO BONO WORK
- Cara believes in a lawyer’s duty to provide pro bono services to those in need. She has extensive experience in assisting domestic violence survivors. She regularly collaborates with nonprofits like Tahirih Justice Center to assist their most severely traumatized clients suffering from dissociation and memory lapses. Cara has represented clients in a wide range of immigration applications, like T Visa, VAWA, U Visa, and SIJ.
- Vasquez Waite PLLC is a designated Equal Access to Justice Champion firm through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers organization.
- While most devoted to immigration work, she regularly assists other deserving pro bono clients in a variety of areas like veterans’ rights, education, and homelessness.