Founding Attorney
Omar Ochoa has been nationally recognized as one of the best young trial lawyers in the country. He's represented clients in federal and state courts and arbitrations throughout the United States and internationally. He is highly experienced in a wide range of complex litigation and has handled a variety of cases including antitrust, class actions, insurance matters, securities, oil and gas, trade secrets, construction law, environmental law, qui tam, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, employment matters, private equity transactions, and breaches of contract. He has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients of all types — from individuals to mid-sized business owners to multi-national companies.
Mr. Ochoa was instrumental in recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for car buyers who suffered at the hands of a global conspiracy within the automotive parts industry. Parts makers colluded among themselves to rig bids and artificially raise the price of dozens of auto parts — from spark plugs, to radiators, to seat belts — sold to car companies such as Toyota, Honda, and Ford. As a result, car buyers in the United States paid more for their vehicles than they should have.
To date, the total recovery in the auto parts antitrust litigation has been the largest in U.S. history for indirect purchasers. For his work on the case, Mr. Ochoa was awarded the Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement by a Young Lawyer award from the American Antitrust Institute at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The auto parts case and Mr. Ochoa's efforts have been chronicled in publications and news programs across the country.
Mr. Ochoa has also successfully prosecuted anti-kickback and Medicare and Medicaid fraud claims against healthcare providers and medical equipment suppliers. He has recovered millions for taxpayers and whistleblowers who bravely came forward to report fraud. Although other lawyers turned the case down, Mr. Ochoa's litigation skills and strategy resulted in a substantial settlement for the government and his clients.
Omar Ochoa was born and raised in Edinburg, TX. His father, Joe Ochoa, the Mayor of Edinburg from 1993 to 2003 and 2006 to 2009, and his mother, Lydia Ochoa, a certified public accountant (CPA), grew up as migrant laborers and went on to receive professional degrees from prestigious universities. Like many parents in the Rio Grande Valley, they raised their children to value education and hard work.
All of his life, Mr. Ochoa took these lessons to heart and excelled in his pursuits in hopes of making his family and community proud. Graduating from Edinburg North High School after passing 12 advanced placement tests, Mr. Ochoa attended the University of Texas at Austin on a full scholarship and earned degrees in business administration, accounting, and economics, and graduated from the prestigious Business Honors Program. While at UT, Mr. Ochoa was elected student body president (the first Latino to serve in the position) and represented over 50,000 students to the university administration, faculty, and staff, and the Texas Legislature.
After earning a master's degree in professional accounting, Mr. Ochoa became a certified public accountant and relocated to Detroit to work for General Motors as a senior financial analyst. As part of the CFO's financial analysis team, Mr. Ochoa analyzed global and regional business results and helped prepare presentation materials for GM's CEO and Board of Directors. While living in Detroit, Mr. Ochoa also completed an Ironman race consisting of a 2.4-mile swim through the Ohio River, a 112-mile bike ride over rolling hills, and a 26.2-mile marathon run — all in one day.
Mr. Ochoa later returned to the University of Texas for law school, where he was the editor in chief of the prestigious Texas Law Review, becoming the first Latino to serve in that position. Mr. Ochoa also won a national championship in moot court, graduated with high honors, and became a member of the Order of the Coif. After law school, Mr. Ochoa completed prestigious federal clerkships with two of the nation's top judges: Judge Amul Thapar of the Eastern District of Kentucky (now a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit) and Judge Raymond Kethledge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Mr. Ochoa then returned to Texas to practice law at Susman Godfrey L.L.P., frequently recognized as the best trial firm in the nation, that hires only the country's best and brightest young lawyers. At Susman Godfrey L.L.P., Mr. Ochoa excelled in trial practice and quickly became the go-to lawyer on his cases.