Polly Benton Fohn

Polly Fohn has argued to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and Texas appellate courts and has been involved in appeals of some of the largest jury verdicts in Texas since graduating from Harvard Law School in 2008.

Named a “Rising Star” by Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars, Thomson Reuters, from 2013-2021, Polly has achieved victories for her clients even when the odds were stacked against them. For example:

• Persuaded a court of appeals to stay execution on a multimillion dollar judgment pending appeal even through her client could not post a supersedeas bond.
• Convinced a trial court to render a take-nothing judgment in the face of an adverse multimillion dollar jury verdict.
• Obtained an emergency stay within hours of seeking relief from the court of appeals and ultimately went on to achieve mandamus relief for her client.
• Successfully petitioned an en banc court of appeals to reverse a panel decision and render judgment for her client.

In addition to her work in the courts of appeals, Polly regularly collaborates with trial teams to obtain summary judgment, exclude or protect key expert witnesses, and draft and argue jury charges in high-stakes litigation.

Polly is also an active member of the legal community. She currently serves as chair of the Houston Bar Foundation which is the charitable arm of the Houston Bar Association and is a former Editor-in-Chief of The Houston Lawyer magazine. Polly is also a regular speaker on recovery of attorneys’ fees, preservation of error and summary judgment practice at State Bar of Texas CLE programs.

Polly gives back to her community as a Young Leader of the United Way of Greater Houston.