Historically, the justice dispensed by courts of law has been represented symbolically by the image of a set of scales in perfect balance.  Ashish Mahendru embodies that balance.  It is his goal to decide all cases on a timely basis and not create hardship on litigants by unnecessarily dismissing cases or delaying trials.  To best serve the citizens of Harris County, a candidate for judge ought to bring this temperament to the bench, have the patience to treat those who are caught up in the whirlwind of events that have brought them to court with respect and due consideration, and exhibit the compassion to create an atmosphere in which everyone feels that the court understands their circumstances and will deal with them fairly.

Ashish Mahendru will bring this experience to the Harris County bench.  Throughout his career, he has represented clients involved in complex disputes.  He has successfully litigated a broad range of cases in State courts and Federal courts, including those involving personal injury, employment, consumer, commercial, intellectual property and medical malpractice disputes. Ashish Mahendru has represented individual litigants, class action litigants, and corporate litigants.  He has the distinct perspective of representing both sides of the docket--plaintiffs and defendants.  In addition, Ashish Mahendru has first chair jury trial experience in Texas State District Courts where he has obtained effective verdicts for his clients.  He has been honored to receive several Guardian Ad Litem and Attorney Ad Litem appointments from Harris County District Courts.  He has been admitted to and practiced in good standing in state courts in Texas and Massachusetts.

Ashish Mahendru was born in India in 1971.  When he was a month old, he moved to the United States.  His ties to Houston date back to 1980 when his father was hired by Aramco, and the Mahendru family underwent orientation in Houston before shipping off to an overseas assignment.   

In 1986, the Mahendru family relocated permanently to Texas.  Ashish Mahendru attended Westwood High School in Austin.  From there, he moved on to the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated from the Plan II Honors Liberal Arts Program in 1993.  He was awarded the Dean’s Distinguished Graduate Endowed Presidential Scholarship and attended the honors program while contributing to his educational expenses by establishing and running his own business.

Following graduation from UT-Austin in 1993, Ashish Mahendru stayed in Austin to attend the University of Texas School of Law, one of the premier law schools in the country.  While there, he continued to run his own business and he graduated in 1996.  While in law school, he served on the editorial board of the Texas International Law Journal and received Dean’s Achievement Awards for his academic performance.

After graduating, he first began working for Davis & Wilkerson in Austin, Texas.  In 1999, Ashish Mahendru joined a team of three lawyers that started the Austin office of Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons, an established Dallas-based law firm.  In 2000, Ashish Mahendru married his wife Sameera, and moved to Boston, Massachusetts to be near her family.  In Boston, he worked for Lucash, Gesmer & Updegrove, a boutique law firm representing technology clients.  By 2001, Ashish Mahendru felt the tug and pull of his home State of Texas and relocated with his wife to Houston where he began his own litigation practice, fulfilling a lifelong dream and goal in the process.

In 2005, Ashish Mahendru spearheaded the Houston Bar Association fundraising efforts for tsunami victims.  He has authored articles on the subject of guardians ad litem and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.  He has been invited to lead continuing legal education seminars.

Ashish Mahendru lives in the Houston Heights with his wife, Sameera Kapasi Mahendru, an Assistant City Attorney, their young sons, Rohan and Aarav, and their yellow Labrador Retriever, Gubbar.