Pierre J. Riou

Partner

pjriou@cb-firm.com

Pierre Riou was born in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Riou attended Texas A&M University at Galveston as a Piper Scholar. He was a recipient of the Gathright Award, Academic Advisor for the Corps of Cadets and co-captain of the soccer team. Mr. Riou graduated summa cum laude in 1980 with a B.S. in Marine Biology and a U.S. Coast Guard license as Third Mate.

After completing his undergraduate work, Mr. Riou sailed as a deck officer aboard U.S.-flag tankers and freighters trading to Africa, South America and Europe, raising his license to Chief Mate. Prior to beginning graduate studies he also served as ballast control operator of a semi-submersible drilling vessel in the North Sea.

In 1992, Mr. Riou completed a Masters Degree in Public Administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio. As part of the MPA program he worked as an intern at the Greater Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council, where he assisted in organizing the 1992 Cuatro Caminos Conference promoting trade between the United States and Mexico.

Mr. Riou graduated from the University of Texas School of Law with honors in 1995. While a law student he participated in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities. As a staff member of The Review of Litigation, Mr. Riou authored the Note, "General Jurisdiction Over Foreign Corporations: All That Glitters is not Gold Issue Mining", 14 Rev. Litig. 741 (1995). This Note was selected as one of the national finalists for the 1994 Judge John R. Brown Award for Excellence in Legal Writing and was republished in the South Texas Law Review, 36 S. Tex. L. Rev. 327 (1995).

Mr. Riou was also the recipient of the 1995 Dean's Achievement Award in Maritime Injury Litigation and a member of both the Legal Research Board and the Board of Advocates. He was a team member of the national champions at the Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition in 1995 and author of the competition's Best Brief Overall.

During law school Mr. Riou gained experience as a summer associate at two Houston law firms. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in November 1995 and is a member of the American Bar Association and the Travis County Bar Association. Since joining Cantilo & Bennett, L.L.P. in 1996, Mr. Riou has practiced primarily in the areas of civil litigation, insurance litigation, insurance insolvency and professional liability.  Mr. Riou is admitted to practice before all Texas courts and the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Not Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization