Mr. Hovnatanian is the head of Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom’s Appellate Section. Mr. Hovnatanian is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a former Chief Staff Attorney of a court of appeals, and a product of the nationally-renowned Appellate Advocacy Program at South Texas College of Law, where he won several championships and numerous individual awards. He handles civil appeals in appellate courts across the state and in federal courts, as well. His appeals are frequently on the cutting edge of the law, most recently in the areas of class action litigation, employment law and insurance contract construction. In addition to handling appeals and original proceedings, Mr. Hovnatanian frequently works with clients and trial attorneys on trial court matters such as law-intensive motions, charge conferences, and all types of error preservation. He writes and speaks on appellate topics. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor in the South Texas College of Law Appellate Advocacy Program and has coached numerous teams to a championship.

• Order of the Barristers

• Phi Delta Phi • South Texas College of Law Outstanding Individual Advocate, 1987-88

• South Texas College of Law Outstanding Individual Advocate, 1988-89

• Dean’s Student Advocacy Service Award, 1989

• “Super Lawyer”; 2004, 2005, 2006 by Texas Monthly Magazine

• All Texas Courts

• United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

• Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom, L.L.P., October 2000 - Present

• The Holman Law Firm, P.C., October 1998 – September 2000

• Feldman & Rogers, L.L.P., May 1997 – September 1998

• Chief Staff Attorney, First Court of Appeals, January 1996 – May 1997

• Senior Staff Attorney, First Court of Appeals, May 1993 – January 1996

• Research Attorney, First Court of Appeals, December 1991 – May 1993

• Marshall, Gonzalez & Carlson, April 1988 – October 1991

• Lecturer in Appellate Advocacy, South Texas College of Law, 1989 - Present

• South Texas College of Law, J.D. 1988

• Baylor University, B.A., 1982

• State Bar of Texas

• Poetry in Motions: Motion Practice in the Court of Appeals, State Bar Appellate Practice Institute, 1998

• Motion Practice in the Courts of Appeals: What You Should Say and How You Should Say It, South Texas College of Law, 1997

• Techniques of Persuasion: Drafting an Effective Legal Argument, Houston Bar Association Appellate Law Section, 1998 (Co-Author)