Steven R. Rech
Practice Areas
Industries
Education
- Southern Methodist University School of Law, J.D., 1990
- International Lawyer, leading articles editor, 1989-1990
- Louisiana State University, B.S., cum laude
Bar & Court Admissions
Steve is a partner in the Vorys Houston office and a member of the litigation group. He has 30 years of experience representing businesses involved in complex commercial disputes. Steve has successfully tried dozens of cases (both jury and non-jury) in state and federal courts. He also has extensive experience trying significant disputes in arbitral forums. Steve’s work focuses mostly on assisting clients in the energy and real estate industries. Steve also devotes a portion of his practice to real property tax valuation disputes and appeals, including regularly litigating such matters throughout the state of Texas.
Career Highlights:
- Pursued an engineering, design and construction firm and its insurers through six weeks of arbitration in a case involving a fire in the hydrogen unit of a refinery and resulting property and business interruption damages.
- Obtained defense verdict after a two and a half week jury trial for a refinery in which a major natural gas marketer sought $50 million, claiming an index replacement clause in a natural gas purchase agreement had been triggered.
- Successfully defended five weeks of arbitration in a case involving allegations that a major refinery overcharged its customer tens of million dollars for steam under a shared services agreement.
- Successfully defended a major refinery in an H2S exposure case in which the plaintiff alleged that the exposure at the coker resulted in his being in a permanent vegetative state.
- Represented operator in week long arbitration concerning JOA operating rights over a $1.0+ billion project in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Represented bankruptcy trustee in a week-long jury trial involving theft of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty and fraudulent transfer claims. Took and collected a multimillion dollar judgment.
- Obtained a take nothing judgment after a week-long adversary trial involving allegations of self-dealing and breach of fiduciary duty.
- Represented operator in dispute arising from JOA that involved, at the time, was the second largest coal bed methane discovery in the world in a matter involving JIB disputes, development issues and the attempted replacement of the operator
- Represented working interest owner in dispute involving a unit operating agreement and claims for underpayment of royalties.
- Shepherded integrity management contractor and its employees through class case and federal/state investigation and trial related to the San Bruno Pipeline Explosion
- In a pro bono matter, filed amicus brief on behalf of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf in a case involving the refusal to provide appropriate accommodations to a medical student with a profound hearing loss
Steve has authored numerous publications on litigation related matters, including “When to Hire Appellate Counsel and How to Use Them” and "Preservation of Error in the Trial Court." He has also given numerous presentations on litigation and legal ethics, including a presentation titled “Ethical Considerations in Lawyer-Judicial Relationships.”
Steve is a past chair of the Houston Bar Association’s Litigation Section. He is also a member of the Texas Bar Foundation, the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society and the International Association of Defense Counsel.
Steve received his J.D. from the Southern Methodist University School of Law,where he was the leading articles editor for International Lawyer. He received his B.S. cum laude from Louisiana State University in Shreveport.
Professional and Community Activities
- American Cochlear Implant Alliance, Board Member, 2012 - 2018
- Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Board of Directors, First Vice President, 2005 – 2008; Children's Rights Coordinator, 2001-2005
- Auditory-Verbal International Inc., Secretary and member of the Board of Directors, 1998 – 2005; President, 2003 - 2005
- Houston Center for Hearing and Speech, Board of Directors, Member, 1999 – 2005; Co-chair of the Annual Gala, 2002.
- Houston Ear Research Foundation, Board of Directors, Member, 2000 - present.
- St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Faith Formation Teacher, 2004 - 2005; Member of Pastoral Council, 2005 - 2007
- Galveston Houston St. Thomas More Society; Secretary/Treasurer, 2009 - 2018
Honors & Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2015-2022
- Texas Super Lawyers, Business Litigation, 2013 - 2019
- Texas Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2004 - 2005
News
- 8/19/2021One hundred and sixteen lawyers from Vorys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America® 2022 edition. In addition, 34 Vorys attorneys were named to the 2022 Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.
- 8/20/2020One hundred and twelve lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America® 2021 edition. In addition, 26 Vorys attorneys were named to the inaugural Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.
- 8/29/2019Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP is pleased to announce that Carey Jordan and Steve Rech have been named to the 2019 Texas Super Lawyers List.
- 8/15/2019One hundred and thirteen lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2020.
- 9/6/2018Vorys is pleased to announce that Carey Jordan, Steve Rech and Dick Schwartz have been named to the 2018 Texas Super Lawyers List.
- 8/15/2018One hundred and thirteen lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2019.
- 8/17/2017One hundred and eight lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2018.
- 8/15/2016One-hundred and eleven lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2017.
- 8/17/2015One-hundred and eighteen lawyers from Vorys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2016.
- 12/16/2014Vorys announced that nine trial lawyers, with diverse civil litigation backgrounds, will join the firm’s Houston office. The attorneys will start at the firm on January 5. Their arrival continues the firm’s expansion in Houston and strengthens Vorys nationally recognized litigation and energy groups.
Events
- 9/9/2021Vorys is proud to host a complimentary, 5-part webinar series for commercial bankers. The series begins on May 4th, 2021 and continues through September 9th.
Insights
- 4/8/2022Perhaps the most significant change in decades to Ohio real property tax valuation contests has been adopted by the Ohio General Assembly and was signed into law by Governor DeWine on April 21, 2022.
- 3/2022Covering real property taxation across the United States
- 3/2022Taxpayers seeking to contest real property tax values established by assessing jurisdictions across the country often have a short window of opportunity to contest their new valuation.
- 2/10/2022The State of Ohio requires counties to reappraise real property tax values every six years. In the interim, the counties are required to update values in the middle of that cycle.
- Fall 2021
- Taxpayers seeking to contest real property tax values established by assessing jurisdictions across the country often have a short window of opportunity to contest their new valuation.
- 3/11/2021On Wednesday, March 10th, the House passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the third major federal COVID-19 relief act following the CARES Act and the December 2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act. President Biden is expected to sign it into law Friday.
- 2/9/2021The State of Ohio requires counties to reappraise real property tax values every six years. In the interim, the counties are required to update values in the middle of that cycle.
- Winter 2021
- 12/27/2020Late on December 27, the President signed a $900 billion relief package that will provide aid to individuals and businesses still struggling with the economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Both the House and the Senate passed the proposal last week.
- 10/2020
- 4/23/2020Following weeks of negotiations, today Congress passed the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act providing a relief from the widespread economic injury caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency.
- 4/1/2020In addition to the CARES Act, a number of states have enacted legislation, implemented relief programs, or made available state resources to further assist businesses in combating mounting economic hardships. This alert summarizes the state-specific relief efforts in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
- 3/30/2020In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed House Bill 197 into law on March 27, 2020, a bill that had passed unanimously in the Ohio General Assembly.
- 3/26/2020Following days of often tense negotiations, the United States Senate has passed the third phase of federal coronavirus relief legislation, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act), which will provide $2 trillion in economic aid to individuals and businesses impacted by the coronavirus public health emergency.
- 3/25/2020On March 24, 2020, County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a “Stay Home, Work Safe” order (the Order) for Harris County and the city of Houston.
- 3/24/2020The Vorys real property tax team is monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on property tax filings and deadlines.
- 3/24/2020As part of the government’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, state and federal courts around the country are adjusting their operations.
- 3/20/2020Since the first known case of COVID-19 in the United States was discovered in late January, the federal government has taken several steps to both fight the spread of the disease and blunt its economic impact on the American economy.
- Winter 2020This article outlines states/jurisdictions with upcoming real property tax appeal deadlines.
- Winter 2020
- 11/5/2019