TEXAS LEGAL AWARDS: REID COLLINS FINALIST FOR LITIGATION DEPARTMENT OF YEAR, TSAI FOR INFLUENTIAL WOMAN OF THE YEAR
Texas Lawyer magazine and Law.com have named Reid Collins & Tsai LLP and its Managing Partner Lisa S. Tsai as finalists in two categories for the 2025 Texas Legal Awards.
The firm has been recognized as a finalist in the “Litigation Department of the Year” category, while Tsai has been named a finalist for “Influential Woman of the Year.” This is the second consecutive year that both Tsai and the Firm have made both lists.
The editors and reporters of Texas Lawyer and Law.com research the field to highlight professional excellence and identify the firms and practitioners in the State of Texas with the most impressive wins and track records of success in recent years.
The winners and finalists will be honored at the Texas Legal Awards dinner in Dallas on September 25, 2025.
Click here to view the finalists and honorees.
FIFTH CIRCUIT AFFIRMS CIVIL RIGHTS TRIAL VERDICT OBTAINED BY REID COLLINS RELATED TO POLICING INCIDENT
After a long road that included a trial and two separate appeals, Reid Collins has once again prevailed for client De’Shaun Johnson.
On July 17, 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a Louisiana jury’s $185,000 damages award for De’Shaun’s cruel treatment at the hands of the St. Tammany Parrish Sheriff’s Office.
Mr. Johnson is the son of Teliah Perkins, who was violently arrested at her own home in Slidell, Louisiana in May 2020 in response to a minor traffic violation she did not commit. Reid Collins represents Mr. Johnson and Ms. Perkins pro bono in partnership with the ACLU of Louisiana’s Justice Lab initiative.
On May 5, 2020, officers Kyle Hart and Ryan Moring arrested Ms. Perkins while her son and nephew watched and tried to record the incident on their phones. Hart and Moring tackled Ms. Perkins to the ground and held their body weight on her as she told officers “You’re choking me!” As Johnson started to record the incident on his phone, Deputy Moring stepped in front of him to prevent him from capturing the incident. Moring pushed Mr. Johnson (14 years old at the time) in the chest and aimed his Taser directly at him. When Mr. Johnson objected “You can’t Tase a child,” Deputy Moring responded: “Watch me.”
Since the incident, Mr. Johnson was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and received treatment as a result.
In May 2024, an Eastern District of Louisiana jury, composed of citizens of the greater New Orleans area, awarded Mr. Johnson $185,000 for the intentional infliction of emotional distress by Moring. This marked the first jury trial-to-verdict victory for the ACLU of Louisiana’s Justice Lab (https://aclujusticelab.org/). Reid Collins is proud to be a part of the Justice Lab’s litigation campaign to challenge racially discriminatory policing practices and combat police violence against people of color. Congratulations to our trial team, Partners Keith Cohan and Ryan Goldstein and Associate Emma Culotta, on their ongoing success representing Mr. Johnson.
The case is captioned Teliah C. Perkins et al. v. Kyle Hart et al., U.S.D.C. Eastern District of Louisiana, Civil Action No. 2:21-CV-00879.
Press coverage of the 2024 trial verdict:
LAWDRAGON NAMES SEVEN UP-AND-COMING REID COLLINS STARS TO ITS 500 X – THE NEXT GENERATION OF AMERICA’S LEADING LAWYERS LIST
In its look at practitioners who have carved out impressive early careers, Lawdragon has named seven partners of Reid Collins to the Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation of America’s Leading Lawyers.
The list, based on independent research and vetting by peers, highlights “mesmerizing, multi‑talented, dedicated [and] focused” lawyers who “provide a forecast of the fascinating future of global law practice” and have “proven themselves early in private practice, accruing credentials, deals and cases early and often.”
Congratulations to: Brian Bah, Aaron Brown, Dylan Jones, Robert LaCroix, Morgan Menchaca, John Hammel ‘JH’ Strauss, and Ben Thomas for being recognized by Lawdragon.
Click here to view the 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation.
