For nearly four decades, Robert “Robby” Alden has been one of the most respected and credentialed trial lawyers in Texas. Robby holds three board certifications in trial law: dual certification in Personal Injury Trial Law and Civil Trial Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and additional certification in Civil Trial Law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He serves individuals and families who have been seriously injured through no fault of their own, as well as plaintiffs in business disputes.

Robby came to this work with a clear purpose. After building his reputation in commercial litigation, he made a deliberate decision in 2001 to switch sides, leaving defense work behind to fight for the people who had been hurt. “I switched to plaintiff work from defense work because I like helping people with problems that often are the most significant problem in their lives and are beyond their ability to deal with on their own,” he says. “It feels good to help people in need like that, especially in the area of personal injury, because they’re people who have had their lives turned upside down.” His years on the defense side give him a strategic edge that few plaintiff’s attorneys can match, because he understands exactly how insurers and defense counsel evaluate cases.

Robby is a trial lawyer by both training and temperament. He prepares every case as though it will go to a jury, because he believes that thoroughness is the only way to achieve the best possible outcome, whether at the settlement table or in a courtroom. “To some extent, a jury trial reminds of when I was a teacher before going to law school. Teaching a jury about your case is like teaching a class — you have people you need to educate. I enjoy that,” he says. “But there’s definitely a competitive aspect to it. It gets your adrenaline going. It can be a real battle of wits, especially when you’re dealing with good opposing counsel or opposing expert witnesses.” That approach has produced significant results for clients, including a verdict for more than $112,000,000 for a mother and daughter seriously hurt by a drunk driver and irresponsible alcohol servers; an $8.2 million verdict for a child seriously injured by a Capital Metro bus driver; and a verdict for $8,114,874 for a wife and daughters of a man killed by a distracted driver. More of his cases are described below. He has also been named Best Lawyers’ Lawyer of the Year in Plaintiff’s Personal Injury Litigation in Austin (2012) and Lawyer of the Year in Bet-the-Company Litigation in Austin (2019).

Robby’s record has earned him membership in the most selective trial advocacy organizations in the United States, all invitation-only, with candidates nominated confidentially by existing members and accepted only after a thorough review of their trial ability, professionalism, and civility. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, an Advocate of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), a Fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and a Fellow of the International Society of Barristers. He has also served in leadership positions of these organizations: Texas State Chair of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Trustee of the ABOTA Foundation, President of TEX-ABOTA (the Texas Chapters of ABOTA), President of the Austin Chapter of ABOTA; and Texas State Chair for the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

Best Lawyers in America lists Robby in three categories: plaintiff’s personal injury litigation, commercial litigation, and Bet-the-Company litigation. Texas Monthly’s Super Lawyers lists Robby in the category of plaintiff’s personal injury litigation, and for the last 10 years it has listed him in Super Lawyers Top 50 lawyers for all categories in Central and West Texas. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Western, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of Texas.

Robby earned his undergraduate degree with honors from The University of Texas at Austin in 1980, graduating from the prestigious Plan II liberal arts honors program. He received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from the UT School of Law in 1987, graduating with high honors and earning the designation of Chancellor, the Law School’s most prestigious honor society, awarded to the eight students with the highest grade-point average in their graduating class. He also served on the Editorial Board of the Texas Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. He simultaneously earned a Master of Public Affairs degree in 1987 with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Representative Jury Trials

Personal Injury – Motor Vehicle

$112,917,470 jury verdict in Carpenter et al v. Wings L.L.C., et al. Robby represented Caitlin Carpenter and her 6-year-old daughter Willow, as well as Caitlin’s boyfriend Lorenzo Marquez, who were passengers in a car rear-ended by a drunk driver. The defendants included the drunk driver, the restaurant where he was served and drank 96 ounces of beer over the course of 2 hours, and 2 of the servers. Willow suffered a serious brain injury and was in a coma for months. Her brain injury has left her permanently disabled. Willow’s damages totaled $73,098,313. The jury found the drunk driver 60% at fault, and the dram shop defendants 40% at fault. This case was tried in Travis County, Texas in September 2025. It was the largest jury verdict for a personal injury case in Travis County in 2025.

$8,114,874 jury verdict in Krasniewski, et al v. Naiser. Robby represented the wife and 2 daughters of a man killed by a distracted driver. The driver was checking text messages as he drove down the highway, and crossed the center line into oncoming traffic. The case was tried in Lockhart, Caldwell County, Texas in November 2025. It was the largest personal injury jury verdict in Caldwell County in 2025.

$1,001,057.34 judgment in Gabeletto v. Freedman. Robby represented Frank Gabeletto, who was injured when the defendant pulled out of a parking lot and t-boned Mr. Gabeletto as he drove down a busy highway in Giddings, Texas. Mr. Gabeletto suffered a serious hip injury. The case was tried in April 2023 in Houston, Harris County, Texas.

$904,377.58 judgment in Wallace v. Barfield. Robby represented a dentist who suffered neck and shoulder injuries when she was rear-ended by a teenage driver. The case was tried in Austin, Travis County, Texas in June 2014.

$8,200,000 jury verdict in Calvert v. Johnson. Robby and his partners Kevin Henrichson and Don Davis represented a young child that was injured while riding in a vehicle driven by a day care operator in a collision with a city bus. The young boy suffered a traumatic brain injury. The jury found both drivers at fault, and divided responsibility 65% for the driver of the day care vehicle, and 35% for the bus driver.

Personal Injury – Products Liability

$3,859,817.67 jury verdict in Brochtrup v. Mercury Marine and Sea Ray. Robby represented a young man who was struck by a Mercury Marine outboard propeller on a Sea Ray boat. The boat backed into Mr. Brochtrup, almost completely severing one of his legs at the hip. He was in cardiac arrest for over an hour, and his mere survival was considered a medical miracle. Mercury Marine and Sea Ray were sued for an unreasonably dangerous product because they refuse to put a protective guard around boat propellers. The jury found Mercury Marine and Sea Ray 66% responsible for the harm. The case was tried in federal court in Austin, Texas 3 times, in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The first 2 trials ended in a hung jury. The judgment of the district court was upheld on appeal.

Personal Injury – Construction Workplace

$3,136,561.92 jury verdict in Rodriguez et al v. Boyce Industries Inc., et al. Robby represented a mother and three children of a construction worker that fell to his death when guardrails were not properly installed. The subcontractor responsible for improperly removing and then reinstalling the rail settled prior to trial. The only defendant at trial was the general contractor, who the Travis County jury found to be 99% responsible.

Commercial and Bet-the-Company Litigation

$2,452,803 jury verdict in Yarrington Road Materials, LP v. Waukesha-Pearce Industries, Inc. and Kolberg-Pioneer, Inc. Robby represented the plaintiff who had purchased a sand and gravel plant from Kolberg, with Waukesha-Pearce acting as the sales agent. The Hays County jury found that the defendants had made misrepresentations, committed fraud, and breached their contract because of the defects and deficiencies in the equipment they sold to the plaintiff.

$1,277,941.01 judgment in John Barger and Barger Broadcast Brokerage v. Pierre Sutton and Inner City Broadcasting. Robby represented John Barger and Barger Broadcast Brokerage in this breach of contract case. Mr. Barger sued the defendants to collect an $890,000 commission due him for his services as a broker for Inner City in the purchase of radio stations from Clear Channel Communications. The case was tried to a jury in Federal Court in San Antonio. The jury returned a verdict in Plaintiff’s favor for the $890,000 commission, and a judgment adding interest, attorney’s fees and court costs was entered for $1,277,941.01.

In Poole, et al v. The City of Austin, Robby and his partner Don Davis represented a class of plaintiffs consisting of all multi-family residential customers who purchased their electricity from the City of Austin. Plaintiffs claimed that the City’s drainage fee discriminated against multi-family residential customers and violated the requirements of the Texas Municipal Drainage Utility Act. In this bench trial, the judge ruled in favor of the Plaintiffs and held that the City of Austin’s drainage utility fee was unlawful and unenforceable.

In Gauglitz v. Tyrex Services Group, Ltd., Robby represented the Plaintiff suing his former employer for breach of contract for failing to pay the compensation that had been promised, including the value of his equity interest in the company. The Judge ruled in favor of Plaintiff awarding full recovery of damages and attorney’s fees.