John C. Landa, Jr., Angela M. Nolan, Lucille King, Kealy Christian, Julie Anderson, and Andrea Schwab have devoted their careers to the representation of hospitals, nurses and physicians. They have handled multitudes of cases in every field of medicine and nursing, with a special concentration in the defense of obstetrics cases and other claims involving serious injury or death.

Collectively, our defense team has over 175 years of experience in health care litigation. They have developed a deep respect for the dedication, compassion, and sacrifice required of nurses, hospital administrators, and physicians in the challenges and demands of their daily work. In particular, they embrace the representation of nurses as the defense of the hard working “underdog” in the arena of medical malpractice litigation defense, where nurses are so frequently the target of attorneys seeking to pin liability on a hospital perceived to have “deep pockets.” Their years of experience have acquainted them with the nuances of nursing and medical practice, hospital operations, and the key issues of medical causation that are at the heart of defending malpractice cases.

John was a pre-med student at Duke University before deciding that his talents were better suited for the legal profession. Defending hospitals, nurses and physicians allows him to combine his passion for medicine and his aptitude for the law. After graduating from Duke magna cum laude he attended The University of Texas School of Law where he graduated with honors, and earned the award for Highest Achievement in the Study of Medical Malpractice Law. Since 1985, the defense of hospitals and other health care providers has comprised the majority of John’s work. Much of his practice is concentrated in the area of obstetrics, and he continues to handle a variety of cases involving death and serious injury in all facets of hospital, nursing and medical care. A fourth generation Texan, he regularly participates in nurse education on medico-legal issues.

Lucille grew up in a small town in central Texas. From an early age she knew she wanted to practice law, and, after graduating cum laude from Texas A&M University, she attended the University of Houston Law Center. Since becoming licensed to practice law in 1994, Lucille has focused her practice primarily on the representation of hospitals, nurses and physicians. She is a legal scholar with an in-depth knowledge of, and seasoned ability to quickly identify, the nursing, medical, and administrative issues that are central to malpractice cases.

Angela, formerly a Partner with Law, Feehan & Adams, joined Lapin & Landa as a Partner in 2021. A native of Houston, she graduated from Baylor University in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, and earned her law degree from South Texas College of Law, graduating in 1996. She has devoted her career to the representation of health care providers and has deep experience in all aspects of trial and appellate work. She serves as a Member of the Board of the Greater Houston Society of Health Care Risk Management, and is a frequent speaker on health care law.

Kealy, a native of Beaumont, has over 20 years of litigation experience representing health care professionals, healthcare systems, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers in matters throughout the United States.  Prior to joining Lapin & Landa, LLP, Kealy practiced for over 20 years at another prominent defense litigation firm in Houston, where she developed extensive knowledge and experience representing clients throughout all phases of litigation, from pre-suit resolution, to trial, to post-verdict appeals.

Julie’s first career was as a registered nurse. She graduated from Vanderbilt magna cum laude, received a Master’s Degree in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University, and practiced for 13 years doing clinical nursing, nursing administration, and teaching in a baccalaureate nursing program. Since her graduation in 1989 from the University of Houston School of Law, where she earned the highest grade in the Medical Malpractice Law course, she has focused on the representation of hospitals and nurses. Also a Houston native, Julie brings a wealth of insight and insider experience to her practice of defending health care institutions and professionals.

Andrea Schwab has been Of Counsel to Lapin & Landa since 2014. A former Associate General Counsel of the Texas Medical Association, she has gained invaluable experience advocating on behalf of Texas physicians and patients before the Texas Legislature and state agencies. Andrea works with Lapin & Landa on a wide variety of matters relating to health law and the defense of health care providers. Andrea also maintains a separate law practice and clientele in Austin, which is independent from Lapin & Landa, LLP.

Lapin & Landa is not built on a traditional defense litigation model, in which firms seek to attract volume business and delegate to associates in training. Rather, it is a litigation boutique comprised only of experienced attorneys–our years in practice range from 20 to 39 years. We typically handle a small volume of serious cases, so that we can be in a position to aggressively and thoroughly work up the health care provider’s defense, it being our belief that such an approach yields better results for clients-more nonsuits, summary judgments, and victories at the courthouse.

Lapin & Landa, LLP is proud to have established nursing education scholarships in the Houston area, with over $100,000 in funding by the firm and its founding partners to promote educational opportunities for hospital employees to advance their careers by becoming RN’s, LVN’s, or graduate nurses. Their scholarship efforts have been focused, in particular, on improving such opportunities through local community colleges, and to give impetus to hard working health care workers who have the desire, but not the financial resources, to earn a professional degree that will enable them to advance their careers and improve the health care system in our community.