Amar Raval
Top ERISA Services Provider 2023

Amar Raval Partner

Amar Raval has been a Partner with Berg Plummer Johnson & Raval, LLP since 2017. He focuses his practice on insurance claims and insurance litigation, including but not limited to working with policyholders with claims disputes regarding health insurance, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and disability insurance. Amar has worked in the legal industry since 2004, working with legal industry veteran and accomplished trial lawyer Jim Plummer for his entire career. In addition to his current work, he has also represented clients in personal injury matters and in business litigation. Amar is a true trial lawyer with extensive and successful experience at every stage of litigation, from filing lawsuits through appeals.

What Amar enjoys most about being a lawyer is helping people who need the help fighting their own insurance companies for the benefits they are entitled to. Policyholders have an insurance contract where their insurer made a promise and he makes sure they honor their promise. Whether it’s disability, accidental death, health, or life insurance, he helps someone and their loved ones with nowhere else to turn because an insurance company broke its promise to them.

Of what it’s like to work with Amar, his attorney peers say, “I have worked with Mr. Raval before and find him to be extremely knowledgeable and professional, and he gets the job done” and “Amar Raval is an outstanding attorney! He goes above and beyond for all his clients, peers, and community in any capacity he can. He will fight aggressively and persistently to ensure justice and maximum recoveries for his clients. I would absolutely trust him to protect me and my loved ones in health insurance, life insurance, ERISA, and all insurance related matters. He will continue the fight as far as needed into litigation. An absolute diamond of an attorney!”

Amar’s clients have left him numerous grateful online reviews, including statements such as “I had issues with receiving payment on valid, current policies after a cancer diagnosis, and received every excuse the insurance company could think of not to pay the claims. Thanks to Amar’s support, both the short-term disability and cancer policies were approved. Hiring Amar Raval to handle these horrid insurance companies will be the best decision you can make!”

Amar is licensed to practice in both Texas and California, as well in the United States District Courts for the Southern District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Central District of California, and Northern District of California. He is also admitted to practice before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. He graduated from Houston Baptist University with a Bachelor of Science in History and Bachelor of Science in Political Science, summa cum laude. Subsequently, he obtained his law degree from Loyola Law School in 2003.

In addition to achieving and maintaining a Martindale Hubbell AV Preeminent Rating, he was selected by his peers for inclusion in Texas Super Lawyers (2021-2023). In 2023, he was recognized by Manage HR as one of the Top ERISA Services Providers in the country. Amar has also been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in Commercial Litigation (2024). Amar won the State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section’s Best Lawyer Under 40 Award in 2018. He was also selected as a Texas Bar Foundation Life Fellow in 2015, an invitation-only honor he maintains to this day. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Texas Bar College, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, South Asian Bar Association of Houston, Texas Minority Attorney Program, Asian American Bar Association of Houston, and State Bar of Texas. He serves as the Diversity Vice-Chair to the Life, Health and Disability Insurance General Committee of the American Bar Association (2023-2024). He was also appointed Chair of the State Bar of Texas Diversity in the Profession Committee for the 2023-2024 term. The committee works to enhance employment and economic opportunities for minorities in the profession and to increase involvement by minorities in the bar.

Practice Areas

  • Business Litigation
  • Disability Insurance Claims
  • ERISA
  • Health Insurance Claims
  • Life Insurance Claims
  • Bad Faith Insurance Litigation
  • Personal Injury Litigation
  • Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance Claims

Berg Plummer Johnson & Raval, LLP
Partner
February 2017 – present

Plummer | Raval
Partner
January 2015 – January 2017

Plummer & Associates
Associate
September 2004 – December 2014

  • Loyola Law School, Juris Doctorate, 2003
    • Bourne Trial Advocacy Team
  • Houston Baptist University, Bachelor of Science in History and Bachelor of Science in Political Science, summa cum laude, 2000
  • Texas, 2004
  • California, 2003
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
  • United States District Court for the Central District of California
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of California
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • United States Supreme Court
  • American Bar Association, 2003 – present
    • Diversity Vice-Chair; Life, Health and Disability Insurance General Committee, 2023 –2024
  • Texas Bar College, 2013 – present
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Life Fellow, 2015 – present
  • Texas Trial Lawyers Association, 2010 – 2017
  • Houston Trial Lawyers Association, 2006 – present
    • Board of Directors, 2018 – present
    • Nominating Committee, 2020
    • Vice President of Diversity and Outreach, 2020 – present
  • South Asian Bar Association of Houston, 2011 – present
    • Secretary 2013 – 2014
    • Treasurer 2014 – 2015
    • President-Elect 2015 – 2016
    • President 2016 – 2017
  • State Bar of Texas
    • Asian Pacific Interest Section, 2017 – present
      • Immediate Past Chair, 2022 – 2023
      • Chair, 2021 – 2022
      • Chair-Elect, 2020 – 2021
      • Vice Chair, 2019 – 2020
      • Treasurer, 2018 – 2019
    • Diversity in the Profession Committee, 2018 – present
      • Chair, 2023-2024
      • Vice Chair, 2020 – 2023
  • Texas Minority Attorney Program, Course Director, 2019 – present
  • Asian American Bar Association of Houston
    • Board of Directors, 2022 – present
  • 2024, represented homeowners in lawsuit against former contractor. Bench trial led to seven figure judgment on breach of contract, violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, and fraud.
  • 2023, represented client in health insurance claim. Once suit was filed, insurance company retroactively covered claim, reimbursed client, and paid Mr. Raval’s attorneys’ fees.
  • 2022, represented client in long term disability claim. Once suit was filed, insurance company paid all past due benefits, put client back on claim, and paid interest and Mr. Raval’s attorneys’ fees.
  • 2021, Accidental Death insurance claim regarding whether insured’s death after contracting COVID-19 was an accident or disease. Case settled following litigation.
  • 2021, Midkiff v. Prudential Insurance Company of America, ERISA long term disability claim in which Court ruled in favor of client, granting all past due benefits, ordering Prudential to put client back on claim, pre-and post-judgment interest, and awarding attorneys’ fees. Served as local counsel.
  • Katherine P. v. Humana Health Plan, Inc., 959 F.3d 206 (5th Cir. 2020). Argued before 5th Circuit regarding how to apply the de novo standard of review in an ERISA case involving denial of health insurance benefits for serious mental illness.
    • Listen to oral argument by Mr. Raval here.
    • More information about the case and opinion can be found here.
    • Commentary about both Katherine P. v. Humana and Ariana M. v. Humana can be found here.
  • 2019, Benson v. MetLife, ERISA life insurance claim regarding whether client was still eligible for waiver of his life insurance premiums because he was disabled. Claim settled following litigation.
  • 2019, represented claimant in health insurance denial regarding whether treatment was medically necessary. Settled claim favorably with insurer agreeing to pay all of Mr. Raval’s attorneys’ fees.
  • 2018, Ariana v. Humana Health Plan of Texas, Inc., 884 F.3d 246 (5th Cir. 2018): 5th Circuit overturned 26 years of jurisprudence stemming from Pierre v. Conn. Gen. Life Ins. Co., 932 F.2d 1552 (5th Cir. 1991) and concurred with every other Circuit that applies the de novo standard of review to both legal and factual determinations, thus paving the way for the Texas ban on discretionary clauses to trigger de novo review of benefit denials of health and disability benefit claims.
    • Link to panel oral argument by Mr. Raval here.
    • Case summary in ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section found here.
  • 2017, Prashant v. Liberty Life Assurance Company of Boston, et al, No. 4:16-CV-1459, 2017 WL 10109450 (S.D. Tex. Feb. 22, 2017): Court ruled that the Texas ban on discretionary clauses in insurance policies is enforceable because Texas should be able to regulate the insurance policies sold to its citizens.
  • 2017, (confidential arbitration) represented claimant in confidential arbitration between former husband and wife over post-divorce asset distribution. Settled favorably on eve of hearing.
  • 2015, Hamsher v. North Cypress Medical Center Operating Company, Limited, 620 Fed. Appx. 236 (5th Cir. 2015): 5th Circuit reviewed an appeal from former nurse insured by North Cypress over whether her employer abused its discretion in denying her health insurance claim. Court overruled District Court’s denial and granted summary judgment for Hamsher.
  • 2015, Humana Health Plan, Inc. v. Nguyen, 785 F.3d 1023 (5th 2015): 5th Circuit reviewed a matter involving ERISA subrogation rights and clarified the rights between Plan Administrators and ERISA fiduciaries. Court remanded case to District Court to determine if Plaintiff had standing to pursue subrogation claim against Plan participant.
  • 2012, Benson v. Hartford, ERISA Long Term Disability claim where Hartford made offer of judgment awarding all past due benefits and reinstated the claim for continuing disability status.
  • 2010, Fuller v. Hartford, ERISA Long Term Disability claim settled following litigation.
  • 2010, Urbanski v. Hartford, ERISA Long Term Disability claim settled following litigation.
  • 2009, Huggins v. SunLife, ERISA Short Term and Long Term Disability claim reinstated after litigation. Lump sum payment and future benefits until age 65.
  • 2009, Irish v. Reliance Standard, ERISA Long Term Disability claim settled following litigation.
  • 2008, Pevey v. Lincoln Financial, Non-ERISA Long Term Disability Claim reinstated following appeal. Lump Sum payment with future benefits until age 65.
  • 2007, Peters v. CIGNA, ERISA Long Term Disability claim settled following litigation.
  • 2006, Johnson v. The Standard, ERISA Long Term Disability Claim settled following litigation.
  • Mediating Employee Benefits Cases,Joint Committee on Employee Benefits, American Bar Association, 2024
  • Mediating Employee Benefits Cases, 47th Annual Midwinter Symposium on Insurance and Employee Benefits, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association, 2024
  • ERISA is for Everyone: Catch the Tiger by its Tail, State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section Conference, 2023
  • Courts During and After COVID, State Bar of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section, 2021
  • Recent Developments in ERISA Disability Benefits Litigation: Standard of Review and Discovery, 47th Annual Midwinter Symposium on Insurance and Employee Benefits, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association, 2021
  • What Employment Lawyers Should Know About ERISA, National Employment Lawyers Association Houston Chapter, 2020
  • Use of Social Media in Life Insurance Claims, 46th Annual Midwinter Symposium on Insurance and Employee Benefits, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, American Bar Association, 2020
  • ERISA Pitfalls: What to Know About ERISA Claims, Appeals, and Litigation, Houston Bar Association, 2018
  • Attorneys’ Fees: Setting, Earning, and Keeping Fees in Law Firms, Houston Young Lawyers Association Solo/Small Firm Committee, 2018
  • Substantive Legal Skills: Litigation Focus, Houston Young Lawyers Association Boot Camp, 2018
  • Hazards, Hurdles, and Pitfalls: How to Avoid Malpractice in ERISA Claims, Houston Northwest Bar Association, 2017
  • Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, South Asian Bar Association of Houston, 2016
  • Hazards, Hurdles, and Pitfalls: How to Avoid Malpractice in ERISA Claims, Houston Trial Lawyers Association, 2015
  • Bellaire Board of Adjustment, 2013 – 2017
  • Chinmaya Mission Houston, 10th grade teacher, 2016 – 2018