Andrew Gould leads Arnold & Itkin's appellate practice. He oversees the firm's cases on appeal, while providing complex legal support to the firm's trial lawyers at all phases of trial.
An experienced appellate advocate, Andrew has served as lead counsel in approximately 225 appeals before various federal and state appellate courts, including the U.S. and Texas Supreme Courts. He has conducted 35 oral arguments, including 25 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His extensive experience has led to his recognition by Chambers & Partners as one of the top appellate lawyers in Texas. The publication describes him as having cultivated “a rising profile for his sterling appellate practice, which features particular expertise in handling high-stakes personal injury, product liability and negligence disputes on behalf of plaintiffs.”
At Arnold & Itkin, Andrew's mission is to ensure that that the firm’s clients have the highest level of legal representation, both at trial and on appeal. He believes that individuals harmed by the wrongdoing of others deserve the same sophisticated appellate support that corporations get. To that end, as one person has noted, Andrew “has helped even the playing field in disputes against big companies.” His written and oral advocacy has resulted in numerous victories in appellate courts, including upholding successful jury verdicts and reversing erroneous trial-level rulings. And in trial courts, Andrew has provided substantial assistance with crafting jury charges, preserving error, and complex motion practice.
Before joining Arnold & Itkin, Andrew began his legal career as a law clerk to two federal judges: first to the Honorable Raymond M. Kethledge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and then to the Honorable Lee H. Rosenthal of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. He then practiced complex commercial litigation at a large corporate law firm in Washington, D.C. before returning to Houston, where he entered public service by serving in the U.S. Attorney's Office. As a federal appellate prosecutor for nearly seven years, Andrew was honored to win awards for his work on cases at all stages of prosecution: trial, appeal, and postconviction.
Andrew is active in the Houston legal community, which allows him to closely interact with the city’s talented bench and bar. He serves as President-Elect of the Federal Bar Association’s Southern District of Texas Chapter and on the Executive Committee of the Garland Walker American Inn of Court. He is a member of the Appellate Sections for the Houston Bar Association and the State Bar of Texas, as well as a Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation. Outside of Houston, Andrew has served on the Vanderbilt Law Review’s Alumni Advisory Committee since its foundation in 2014.
Andrew regularly writes and speaks outside of his day-to-day work. His written works appear in the Vanderbilt Law Review and Duke Law Journal Online. He also serves on the editorial board for Bearings’ Texas Civil Litigation: Rules & Commentaries. And he has given numerous CLE presentations on various topics, ranging from appellate litigation to the Fourth Amendment.
Andrew graduated with the highest honors from the University of Michigan and Vanderbilt University Law School, where he served as Executive Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review and was selected to Order of the Coif. His undergraduate thesis at Michigan received the History Department's Arthur Fondiler Award, while his student note at Vanderbilt received the Law Review's Morgan Prize.
Andrew and his wife, Rebecca, are proud supporters of Rice University and the Houston Symphony. When Andrew isn’t reading or writing a legal brief, you can usually find him cooking, running or spinning, watching college football or basketball, or chasing one of his two young sons.
