Who We Are Drives What We Do

Joshua F. Richardson

Joshua Richardson joined Forrest Weldon Law Group in 2021 following his clerkship for the Honorable Amos L. Mazzant of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Since joining Forrest Weldon Law Group, Joshua has played a pivotal role as a member of the trial team having taken multiple cases to verdict.  Notably, he was integral in securing the third-largest jury verdict of 2023, amounting to $1.562 billion.

Ben Kelly

Senior Counsel

Ben Kelly has almost two decades of experience in high-stakes and high-profile civil litigation. During that time, Ben has managed or led significant disputes for publicly traded or privately held companies involving material damages demands. He has represented clients in courts around the country, in international arbitrations, and on appeal, often in complex technology cases. Before joining Forrest Weldon Law Group, LLP, Ben was a Partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP and Associate at Sidley Austin LLP, where he formulated winning strategies at every stage of litigation.

Elijah Stone

Associate

Elijah Stone began his legal career at the law firm of Jones Day, a global litigation powerhouse consistently ranked as one of the top law firms in the world.  While at Jones Day, Elijah honed his skills working on novel, bet-the-company litigation.  His experience runs the gamut, from pre-litigation strategic planning to post-judgment appeals (and everything in between).  He has extensive experience researching and drafting winning briefs and critical motions on cutting-edge legal issues—often questions of first impression for the court—including successful appellate submissions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas, California Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Texas.  The depth and breadth of Elijah’s capabilities set him apart as an advocate who can confront even the most formidable opponents with calm and competent clarity.

Pat Vickery

Associate

Pat Vickery is a trial lawyer with experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil cases across state and federal courts. His practice spans a variety of areas, including personal injury, intellectual property, trade secrets, and contract disputes, serving clients from individuals to large corporations. Previously, Pat completed two prestigious federal clerkships for United States District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III and United States Circuit Judge Edith Brown Clement and worked at top litigation firms McKool Smith and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He earned honors at the University of Texas School of Law, where he also served as a Featured Content Editor for the Texas Law Review.

Elaine Rudzinski

Firm Administrator and Paralegal

Elaine Rudzinski started her law career in 2011 working as a deputy court clerk for the state court. Elaine went on to become an in-court clerk for multiple magistrate judges, assisting with various court proceedings. She ultimately moved into the role as legal assistant to two district court judges, handling both civil and criminal dockets. Elaine relocated to Texas and began working at a large law firm where she supported multiple attorneys through all phases of complex litigation at the state and federal court levels.

Derek Lindy

Paralegal

Derek is a certified ABA paralegal from the University of San Diego.  Derek began his legal career in 2009 and, since then, has worked for several large law firms, handling all phases of civil litigation in both federal and state courts.  Derek is proficient with numerous docket and document management systems.  He has spent his career assisting with, among other things, legal research, drafting pleadings and discovery requests, obtaining documents through the Freedom of Information Act, and performing case-critical tasks during the discovery process, as well as at trial.

J.D. Rankin

Paralegal

J.D. began his paralegal career in 2007 by obtaining paralegal certification at the University of San Diego, graduating with honors. From 2008–2021, J.D. worked for the San Diego District Attorney’s Office supporting prosecutors in various civil and criminal divisions.  In addition to witness coordination and specializing in courtroom technology to support trials, J.D. also trained fellow paralegals, assisted deputy attorneys in organizing and creating training seminars for attorneys, as well as spearheaded an overhaul of the office’s CODIS database protocol to address backlog and efficiently identify & link DNA hits in the CODIS database to current and prior cases. In August 2023, J.D. began his tenure with Forrest Weldon Law Group, implementing the knowledge and skills gained from his prior experience in public service including motion practice, e-discovery, and courtroom technology.