Andrew Garza

Andrew Garza is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who has served as lead counsel in cases resulting in seven-, eight-, and nine-figure jury verdicts. As Co-Founder and Lead Trial Attorney at Claggett, Sykes & Garza Trial Lawyers, Andrew handles high-stakes personal injury cases and is regularly called upon by lawyers across the country to consult and co-try complex cases and share the methods behind his approach in the courtroom.

Among his most significant results is a $100 million jury verdict for a catastrophically injured client and his wife, a record-setting result that marked the largest bodily injury verdict in Connecticut history. Beyond his own cases, Andrew consults on high-exposure litigation and uses focus groups and Big Data research to better understand how juries receive and evaluate a case.

Trial lawyers across the country recognize Andrew as a teacher and leader in the profession. He speaks nationally to plaintiffs’ lawyers and has taught trial skills through Trial Lawyers’ University, the Keenan Trial Institute (KTI), and trial lawyer associations across the country. In recognition of his landmark verdict and his contributions to the trial bar, the KTI named him its Trial Lawyer of the Year in 2022.

His work has also earned recognition throughout the legal profession. Andrew was named Attorney of the Year at the New England Legal Awards and to the Hartford Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty. He has been selected to Connecticut Super Lawyers every year since 2016 and has been recognized by Best Lawyers for his work in plaintiff’s personal injury litigation.

For Andrew, giving back is closely connected to where he started. Raised in public housing in Groton, Connecticut, he worked his way through school and became the first in his family to attend a four-year university. Today, he helps create opportunities for students facing financial barriers through scholarships provided by Claggett, Sykes & Garza Trial Lawyers.

His commitment to philanthropy is also deeply personal. After Andrew and his wife, Jennifer, experienced a life-threatening complication during her pregnancy with their identical twin daughters, fetal surgery saved their babies’ lives. That experience inspired Heartbeats for Hope, a fundraising initiative that brings together colleagues, local businesses, and supporters to raise funds for The Fetal Institute Foundation and help advance lifesaving fetal medicine.

Andrew earned his Juris Doctor from New England Law, where he was named a New England Scholar and served on the executive board of the New England Law Review.

Andrew is happiest surrounded by the people closest to him. He builds furniture in his workshop, coaches his children’s baseball teams, enjoys a round of admittedly mediocre golf, and is always ready to host family and friends at home.

Education

• New England Law | Boston, cum laude, J.D.
  • Law Review, Executive Editor; National Trial Competition; Public Service Honor Roll
• University of Connecticut, B.A.

Professional Associations & Memberships

• Connecticut Bar Association – Member
• American Association of Justice – Member
• Connecticut Trial Lawyers Associations – Member
• Hartford County Bar Association – Member
• Outer Realm – Founding Member
• Trial Lawyers University – Speaker/Professor
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum – Member
• Million-Dollar Advocates Forum – Member

Bar Admissions

• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• Federal District of Connecticut
• U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
• The United States Court of Federal Claims

Awards

• Top 100 – National Trial Lawyers (2025)
• Trucking Trial Lawyers Top 10 – National Trial Lawyers (2025)
• Lawyer of the Year – New England Legal Awards (2023)
• Top 40 Under 40 – Hartford Business Journal (2023)
• Trial Lawyer of the Year – KTI (2022)
• Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum (2022 – Present)
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum (2018 – Present)
• Top 40 Under 40 – National Trial Lawyers (2017)
• New Leaders of the Law – CT Law Tribune (2015)
• Super Lawyer – Super Lawyers (2015 – Present)
• Super Lawyers Rising Stars
• The National Trial Lawyers – 2016 – 2018
• Trial Lawyer of the Year, Keenan Trial Institute, 2022
• Lawyer of the Year, New England Legal Awards, 2023
• The American Society of Legal Advocates – ASLA – Top 40 Under 40 – 2016 – 2018
• American Institute of Legal Counsel – 2016
• Avvo Client’s Choice – 2013 – 2016
• National Academy of Jurisprudence – 2016
• National Academy of Family Law Attorneys – Top 10 attorneys under 40 -2015
• Connecticut Law Tribune – New Leader in the Law – 2025
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum – 2018
• New England Legal Awards and Law Magazine – 2023
• K. Trial Institute, Graduate (2022);
• K. Trial Institute, Masters Graduate (2023);
• K. Trial Institute, Instructor (2023-2024);
• Trial Lawyer of the Year (Nov. 2022), K. Trial Institute;
• Attorney of the Year (Sep. 2023), New England Legal Awards;
• Forty Under Forty (July 2023), Hartford Business Journal;
• Best Places to Work (March 2024), Hartford Business Journal;

Practice Areas Focus

• Personal Injury
• Catastrophic Injury
• Wrongful Death
• Medical Malpractice
• Sexual Abuse
• Products Liability

Case Victories

• $100 million – Cruz et al. v. Spec Personnel et al.
  • Served as lead counsel and obtained a $100 million verdict on behalf of a paralyzed man and his wife, which was the largest verdict in Connecticut history. (Hartford Courant).
• $13.1 million – Beyer v. Brownstone Exploration & Discovery Park
  • Obtained a $9 million verdict for a man severely injured due to the negligence of a water park in 2024, which was reported as the largest verdict in Middletown history. The verdict was increased to $13.1 million with pre-judgment interest due to the insurer’s failure to accept a reasonable offer to settle. (Hartford Courant)
• $3.34 million – Mondal et al. v. Clavette et al.
  • Obtained a $3.34 million motor vehicle collision verdict on behalf of a woman and her family after she was permanently injured due to the recklessness of another driver.

Speaking & Teaching

• Courtroom Stores and Tactics, Podcast, Sharif Gray.
• Oct. 8, 2025 – Elawvate: Build & Grow Your Law Firm, Podcast, Ben Gideon & Jeff Wright, “Building Comes Down to Balance.”
• August 20, 2025 – The Result, Podcast, Joe Douglass, Andrew Garza, Andrew Ranks, Alexa Mahony, “A $100 Million Verdict, a Key Piece of Excluded Evidence–and the Lawyers Who Made it Work.”
• August 20, 2025 – Make Your Case, Podcast, Joe Douglass, Andrew Garza, Andrew Ranks, Alexa Mahony, “The Strategy Behind a $100M Verdict: A Packaging Failure, Excluded Evidence, and Trial Lessons.”
• April 12, 2025 – On Premises, Podcast, Landon Stinson, Andrew Garza, Alexa Mahony, “$9M verdict against a waterpark in Connecticut.”
• February 27, 2025 – JusticeHQ, MCLExtravaganza, CLE Speaker, Andrew Garza – “How to Get Good Information from a Bad Witness the Right Way.”
• December 10, 2024 – JuryBall, CLE Presentation, Andrew Garza, Alexa Mahony – “Work Days, Big Data & Focus Groups.”
• November 7, 2024 – Ohio Association of Justice, Winter Convention, CLE Speaker, Andrew Garza, Alexa Mahony – “Leveraging Big Data & Focus Groups to Try Your Best Case: Lessons Learned from 7-, 8-, and 9- Figure Verdicts.”
• October 25, 2024 – Law Di Gras, Speaker, CLE Workshop, Harry Plotkin, Andrew Garza, Ed Ciaromboli, etc. – “Jury Selection”
• October 18, 2024 – Trial Lawyers University, CLE Presentation, Andrew Garza, Sean Claggett, Will Sykes – “Devastating Depositions: Exposing Defense Lies in Your Case.”
• October 18, 2024 – Trial Lawyers University, CLE Workshop, Andrew Garza, Alexa Mahony, Jak Kocienda – “Inside Strategies from the Dark Side”
• October 17, 2024 – Trial Lawyers University, CLE Workshop, Andrew Garza, Alexa Mahony – “Marrying Big Data to Traditional Focus Groups: Approaches and Analysis from 7-, 8-, and 9- Figure Verdicts”
• June 6, 2024 – Trial Lawyers University, CLE Presentation, Andrew Garza, Will Sykes – “Advanced Deposition Techniques.” Huntington Beach, CA.
• February 12-13, 2024 – Keenan Trial Institute, Instructor, “Focus Groups.” Atlanta, GA.
• January 25, 2024 – Connecticut Bar Association, CLE, Andrew Garza, Alexa Mahony, Andrew Ranks – “Civil Trial Bootcamp: The Basics from Pre-Trial Preparations to Closing Arguments”. Meriden, CT.
• November 10, 2023 – “$100 Million Day,” Andrew Garza, Alexa Mahony, Andrew Ranks – Full Day CLE Speaker. Boston, MA.
• October 25, 2023 – New England Law | Boston, Lecturer, Andrew Garza, “Torts in Practice: A $100M Verdict Against Signify N.A.” Boston, MA.
• October 9-10, 2023 – Keenan Trial Institute, Instructor, “Focus Groups”, Atlanta, GA.
• July 20, 2023 – “The Jury Thinks What?”, Podcast, Saul Gruber, “Tips on Trying the Catastrophic Injury case to a Verdict of $100M!”
• June 24, 2023 – Wyoming Trial Lawyers Association, Annual Convention, CLE Lecture, Andrew Garza, “Riding High: Wrangling a $100 Million Verdict.”
• April 10, 2023 – Elawvate: The Trial Lawyer Podcast, Podcast, Rahul Ravipudi & Ben Gideon, “The Road to a $100 Million Verdict with Andrew Garza”
• March 9, 2023 – Keenan Edge, Podcast, Jenna Labourr, “100 Million Dollar Verdict with Andrew Garza & Alexa Mahony”
• November 30, 2022 – Connecticut Trial Lawyers’ Assn., Presentation, General Tort Committee Meeting.
• November 17, 2022 – Connecticut Trial Lawyers’ Assn., Speaker, “2020 Verdict Dinner”
• October 28, 2022 – Trial Lawyers University, CLE Presentation, Andrew Garza, Alexa Mahony, Andrew Ranks – “A Historic $100M Verdict Against Philips/Signify N.A. Corp.”
• November 10, 2020 – University of Connecticut, Occupational Health PUBH 5465, Lecturer, “Connecticut Workers’ Compensation and COVID-19.”
• July 21, 2020 – Advocate Capital, Podcast, Michael J. Swanson, Andrew Garza – “Client of the Quarter” & “How David Beats Goliath.”
• May 19, 2020 – Law Practice Channel, Podcast, Michael J. Swanson, Andrew Garza, “How to Use Focus Groups to Get Better Results for Your Clients”
• June 25, 2019 – Tiger Bites, Podcast, “No Half Measures”