Otway Denny is Chair of the firm's global Litigation Department and has been a partner in the Houston office since 1981. He has litigated numerous cases in state and federal courts, including products liability cases involving chemicals, automobiles and other vehicles and construction equipment. He has extensive experience in the defense of personal injury claims and other tort matters. He has handled matters involving plant and refinery explosions, including incidents at major facilities in the Gulf Coast area. He has also handled cases involving professional liability litigation and commercial litigation.

• Represented as lead counsel for a large energy company regarding a plant explosion that resulted in 15 deaths and over 4000 claims. Several cases were tried that resulted in settlements favorable to the client. All claims were eventually resolved.
• Represented as lead counsel a Houston-headquartered, international chemical company in several explosions at a refinery. One explosion resulted in 23 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The other two accidents resulted in one and two deaths. Several cases were tried and resulted in favorable verdicts for the client.
• Represented a regional transportation company when a bus rear-ended a private automobile in a Houston HOV lane which resulted in the death of a child. The case was settled favorably.
• Represented as lead counsel one of the world's leading manufacturers in which a tractor-trailer rig fell over, crushed and burned a vehicle containing a family resulting in the death of several members of the family. The case was resolved.
• Represented as lead counsel a metal components manufacturer in an explosion of a vessel at a facility in Houston resulting in the death of eight people. The cases settled with very little contribution from our client.
• Represented as lead counsel a Texas energy company when four employees were murdered in Pakistan. The case was tried resulting in a defense verdict.
• Represented as lead counsel a large valve manufacturer in an explosion at a Houston refinery resulting in significant property damage. The case settled prior to trial.
• Represented a Houston crane company which dropped a piece of equipment at a refinery causing an hydrofluoric acid release. Several thousand people made claims. Numerous cases were settled and one case was tried to a favorable verdict.
• Represented as lead counsel a large manufacturer and distributor of access and safety equipment in North America whose scaffolding fell off a large high rise in Houston resulting in four deaths. The cases were resolved favorably to the client.
• Represented as lead counsel an international chemical company after a polyethylene explosion in a refinery causing the death of six people. The case was tried to a defense verdict.
• Represented as co-counsel a Texas pipeline company when an explosion of a natural gas pipeline under a trailer park south of Houston caused the death of several people and a number of people were severely burned. Those cases all settled successfully for the client.

• American Bar Association, Delegate in the House of Delegates
• American Bar Foundation, Fellow
• State Bar of Texas, Board of Directors, past Chair
• Texas Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow
  • Board of Trustees, past Chair
• Houston Bar Association, past President
• Houston Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow
  • Board of Directors, past Chair
• Houston Young Lawyers Association, past President
• International Association of Defense Counsel
  • Defense Counsel Trial Academy, trial faculty, 1994
• American Board of Trial Advocates, past Chapter President
• Defense Research Institute
• Texas Association of Defense Counsel
• South Texas College of Law, Board of Directors 

• "Texas Top Rated Lawyer," LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell (2013)
• International Academy of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
• American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
• Chambers & Partners, USA
  • Litigation (2004 - 2009, 2011, 2012)
  • Products Liability (2006 - 2012)
• Expert Guides
  • The Best of the Best USA (2012)
  • Litigation and Product Liability Lawyer (2012)
• The International Who's Who of Product Liability Defense Lawyers
• Who's Who in America
• Who's Who in American Law
• The Best Lawyers in America
  • "Lawyer of the Year," Mass Tort Litigation/Class Actions: Defendants - Houston, Best Lawyers (2013)
• Texas Lawyer, "Go-to Lawyer," - Personal-injury Law (2012)
• Lawdragon 500, leading lawyers in America
• Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters
  • "Texas Super Lawyers" (2003 - 2012)
  • "Top 100 Houston Lawyers" (2006 - 2012)
  • "Top 100 Texas Lawyers," (2007, 2009) 
•  Benchmark Litigation
  • "Highly Recommended" in Texas - General Commerical (2013)
  • "Renowned for his toxic torts, environmental, construction, products and professional liability practice" (2009)
  • "Leading litigator in the country" (2008)

Otway has been a frequent speaker and contributor to programs and publications in various areas of tort and commercial litigation.

1973 - J.D., cum laude, Baylor Law School
1971 - B.A., Political Science, Texas A&M University

While in law school, Otway was Editor-in-Chief of the Baylor Law Review. He was admitted in 1973 to practice law in Texas. He is also admitted in the U. S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas and in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits.

• Texas