Robert C. Houser, Jr.
Hon. Robert C. Houser, Jr. (Ret.) is a shareholder at the firm. He has been an attorney for more than 45 years, serving as both a practicing lawyer and an Arizona Superior Court Judge. His practice emphasizes complex litigation in the areas of contracts, torts, antitrust, intellectual property, unfair competition and family law in state and federal courts at both the trial and appellate court levels. He also provides mediation, arbitration, and special master services.
Professional History
- 2009 - present - Franks Cool Houser & McVey and its predecessors in name; Shareholder and/or Of Counsel
- 2002 – 2009 - Arizona Superior Court. Judge Houser was appointed to the Maricopa County Superior Court by Governor Jane Hull and served rotations in the Civil, Family, Juvenile and Appeals Departments. He also served as a member of the Judicial Executive Committee for the Superior Court. Since his retirement from the bench, Judge Houser has been called back from time to time to cover Civil, Family and Juvenile Court calendars. Prior to his appointment to the bench, Judge Houser served as a Judge Pro Tempore on the Maricopa County Superior Court for both Criminal and Civil calendars. In addition, Judge Houser has served as a Judge Pro Tempore on the Arizona Court of Appeals—Division One.
- 2000 - 2002 - Law Offices of Robert C. Houser, Jr., PC; sole practitioner
- 1998 – 2000 - Partner, Jaburg & Wilk, P.C., Phoenix, AZ
- 1995 – 1998 - Partner, Quarles & Brady, Phoenix, AZ
- 1992 – 1995 - Partner, Morrison & Hecker, Phoenix, AZ
- 1978 – 1992 - Shareholder, Brown & Bain, P.A., Phoenix, AZ
- 1974 – 1978 - Associate, Foley, Lardner, et al., Washington, D.C.
Bar Memberships and Court Appointments
- 1975 - District of Columbia Bar
- 1975 - United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- 1975 - United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- 1978 - Supreme Court of the United States
- 1979 - State Bar of Arizona
- 1979 - United States District Court for the District of Arizona
- 1980 - United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- 1986 - United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Education
- Harvard University, Bachelor of Arts, cum laude in economics, 1971
- Georgetown University Law Center, J.D., 1974. Executive board of the International Law Journal.
Associations and Professional Activities
- Arizona Supreme Court Family Court Improvement Committee
- Arizona Judge’s Association, Retired Judges Representative (2013 to date)
- Arizona Judges Association, Maricopa County Superior Court representative (2009)
- Lawyer representative to the Arizona Commission on Judicial Performance Review (2000-2002)
- State Bar of Arizona Committee on Rules of Professional Conduct
- State Bar of Arizona Civil Practice and Procedure Committee
- State Bar of Arizona Technology Task Force on Low-Cost Access
- State Bar of Arizona Trial Practice Publications Subcommittee
- State Bar of Arizona Business Law Bar Convention Committee
- Maricopa County Bar Association Bench Bar Committee
- Maricopa County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Committee
- Maricopa County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project Committee
- Lorna Lockwood Inn of Court (Co-President 2007-2008)
- ABA Judicial Division, National Conference of State Court Trial Judges and Arizona State Delegate to the National Conference of State Court Trial Judges
- ABA Antitrust and Intellectual Property Sections
- ABA Sherman Act Section One Committee
- ABA Intellectual Property Section IP/Antitrust Committee
- ABA Litigation Section Trial Practice Committee and Law and Literature Subcommittee (Co-Chair)
Publications and Speaking Engagements
- Arizona Attorneys’ Fees Manual, Chapter Two: A.R.S. § 12-341.01, 2022 (7th edition, Hon. Bruce E. Meyerson & Hon. Patricia K. Norris, eds.) State Bar of Arizona/Phoenix, Arizona (Judge Houser also authored Chapter Two in the previous six editions of the Manual published in 1987, 1992, 1998, 2003, 2010, and 2017, as well as Supplements published in 2006 and 2014.
- The Domain-Name Game: New Rules Speed Wins for Trademark Owners Arizona Attorney, October/2000, at p. 16
- New Technology Produces New Legal Issues, Arizona Business Gazette, December 14, 1995
- Antitrust and the Foreign Government Trader: The Impact of Pfizer, Inc. v. Government of India, Law and Policy in International Business, Volume 10, 1978 (pp. 719-67) Georgetown University/Washington, D.C., reprinted in Corporate Counsel’s Annual, Volume 2, 1979 (pp. 1149-98) (Jeremiah J. Spires & Edward J. Burchell, eds.) Mathew Bender & Co./New York, New York.
- Arizona Supreme Court Domestic Relations Conference (Bankruptcy and Family Law Issues)
- Arizona Judicial Conference (Attorney’s Fee Awards)
- Maricopa County Superior Court Civil Department Training (Attorneys’ Fee Awards)
- State Bar of Arizona and Maricopa County Bar Association CLE programs (Trial Practice, Computer Evidence Issues, Attorneys’ Fees Issues and Intellectual Property Litigation)
- CLE International Condemnation program (Ethics Issues)
- New Judge Orientation Program (Awards of Attorneys’ Fees)
- New Judge Orientation (Awards of Attorneys’ Fees in Civil, Family Law and Probate Cases)
- Lorna Lockwood Inn of Court (administrative law)
- Guest lecturer at Arizona State University College of Law clinical program on trial practice