Michael Cowen is a nationally recognized authority in trucking and company vehicle accident litigation. He is the author of Big Rig Justice: A Comprehensive Guide to Maximizing Value in
Truck Accident Cases, the leading resource for attorneys handling these cases.
Michael has tried more than 120 jury trials and handled thousands of personal injury cases, achieving numerous multimillion-dollar results for his clients. He understands that behind every case is a person whose life has been turned upside down—someone dealing with catastrophic injuries, mounting medical bills, lost wages, and an uncertain future.
A sought-after speaker, Michael presents at legal conferences across the country, teaching lawyers how to achieve exceptional results in trucking and company vehicle cases. He is also the founder and host of Cowen’s Big Rig Bootcamp, an annual event that draws attorneys nationwide to learn his proven strategies for winning truck accident cases.
He began his legal career clerking for Judge Reynaldo G. Garza before joining the nation's oldest and prestigious corporate law firm in New York City. Michael realized his true calling was representing individuals rather than corporations. Since 1997, he has devoted his practice exclusively to personal injury law, fighting for people who have been wronged.
Michael is licensed to practice in Texas, New Mexico, New York, and Georgia, as well as federal courts across multiple states. He has successfully litigated truck accident cases nationwide, taking on trucking companies and their insurers wherever justice demands it.
Michael continually hones his skills, working not only on behalf of his clients but also with the nation's top trial coaches and consultants, ensuring his clients benefit from the most advanced legal strategies available.
- Board-certified in Truck Accident Law and Personal Injury Trial Law, with a top score on the Texas Bar Exam.
- Host of Cowen’s Big Rig Boot Camp and the Trial Lawyer Nation podcast, contributing to legal education and community knowledge.
- On a mission to pay $100 million in referral fees over the next five years.
- Chair of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys
Education
- Board Certified in Truck Accident Law (2019-current)
- Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law (2001-current)
- University of Texas at Austin School of Law, J.D. (1995)
- Texas A&M University, B.A. (1991)
Bar Admissions
- New Mexico
- New York
- Texas
Courts of Admittance
- Eastern District of Texas
- Southern District of Texas
- Western District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Areas of Practice
- 18-wheeler and commercial vehicle cases involving death and catastrophic injury
Professional Associations & Memberships
- Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (ATAA) – Board Member & Board Certified
- American Association for Justice (AAJ) – Board Member & Co-Chair for Membership
- Attorneys Information Exchange Group (AIEG) – Board of Directors; Trucking Committee
- San Antonio Bar Association (SABA)
- San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association (SATLA)
- Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) – Board of Directors; CLE Committee
- Trial School Faculty
- Von’s Vision Executive Board at Texas A&M
Honors & Awards
- Texas Super Lawyers
- Best San Antonio Lawyers, San Antonio Scene (2015-2016 & 2021)
- Top 20 Verdicts in Texas, TopVerdict.com (2020)
- Top 50 Personal Injury Plaintiff Lawyers, San Antonio Scene (2017-2019)
- Top 100 Verdicts in Texas (2017)
Published Works
- Cowen’s Big Rig Boot Camp – Annual CLE Trucking Law Seminar (2018-current)
- Building Towers of Evidence Captured by Cell Phones
- Maximizing Trucking Commercial Motor Vehicle Cases
- Secrets to Winning 8-Figure Injury Cases
Recent Speaking Engagements
2022
February 24, 2022
“Show and Tell: Using Language and Visuals to Persuade Twenty-First-Century Jurors”
TTLA 2022 Rio Grande Valley CLE Seminar
2021
December 3, 2021
“The Nuts and Bolts of a Zoom Jury Trial – Beginning to End”
TexasBarCLE Advanced Personal Injury Law Course 2021
November 12, 2021
“Advocatus: Annual Meeting 2021”
Oklahoma Association for Justice
July 13, 2021
“How to Make Your Best Appearance on Zoom”
AAJ Annual Convention
June 4, 2021
“Beyond Tractor Trailers: Rules & Standards Applicable to Company Vehicle Cases”
Kentucky Justice Association Trucking Seminar
March 30, 2021
“Trial by Zoom: Trial Prep Tips for the Zoom Era”
DTLA March Meeting
February 25, 2021
“Let’s Talk Trucking Litigation”
Advocate Capital
February 24, 2021
“Preparing for a Zoom Trial”
ATAA Special Webinar
February 10, 2021
“Preparing for a Zoom Trial”
AAJ Winter Convention
2020
October 23, 2020
“Filing a Direct Negligence Claim”
AAJ Trucking Litigation Webinar Series
October 8, 2020
“Shipper/Broker Liability & Finding Additional Ccoverage”
TTLA Commercial Vehicle & Trucking CLE Webinar
September 25, 2020
“Ethics in Assessment and Argument of Value of Cases ”
ATAA Virtual Symposium
September 21, 2020
“Understanding the Transportation Cycle”
ATAA Virtual Symposium
April 27, 2020
“Trying Complicated Cases ”
UT Austin School of Law
Presentation & Discussion
March 27, 2020
“Changing to Court Operations & Using Zoom for Depositions”
TTLA Live Info Sharing
Live Panel Discussion and Q&A
2019
ility in Trucking Cases”
Nashville, TN
ATAA Annual Symposium
August 16, 2019
“Negligent Training Cases – Dealing with a Recent Supreme Court Case and Stipulation of Course and Scope”
Horseshoe Bay, TX
TTLA Commercial Vehicle, 18-Wheeler & Oilfield CLE
July 28, 2019
“Presenting Hope and Harms for Trial”
San Diego, California
Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group CLE Program
July 27, 2019
“Decoding the Truck Crash”
San Diego, California
Trucking/Bus Litigation Group CLE Program
July 26, 2019
“New Discovery Issues in Dram Shop Cases”
San Antonio, TX
SBOT Advanced Personal Injury Law CLE
June 13, 2019
“Identifying and Overcoming Obstacles and Stereotypes”
Austin, TX
Women and Law Section
May 16, 2019
“Cell Phone Discovery”
South Padre Island, TX
Soaking Up Some CLE
May 15, 2019
“Finding the Villain in Truck Crash Cases”
Lubbock, TX
South Plains Trial Lawyers Association
May 9, 2019
“Trucking Regulations in Depositions”
Atlantic City, NJ
New Jersey Association of Justice, Trucking Litigation Group
May 2, 2019
“Preserving Evidence from Cell Phones”
Columbus, OH
2019 OAJ Annual Convention
May 1, 2019
“Negligent Training Cases”
Webinar
ATAA
January 31, 2019
“Just Say No: The Many Reasons Why Lawyers Are Sometimes Required to Decline Cases”
SAYLA – Eggs and Ethics
2018
December 6, 2018
“Ethical Legal Marketing” panel
Plano, TX
TTLA Annual Conference
December 2, 2018
Trucking 101
Miami, FL
Keynote Speaker for Law Firm Attorney Retreat
December 1, 2018
Washington, D.C.
AAJ Members Only Conference
November 29, 2018
Getting to Punitive Damages Through Lack of Training
Washington, D.C.
AAJ Members Only Conference
November 16, 2018
Prosecuting & Defending Truck of Auto Collision Cases
San Antonio, TX
Data Mining the Person: Cell Phones, Fitbits, Apple Watches, GPS Mapping
September 22, 2018
ATAA 2018 Annual Symposium
Nashville, TN
Getting Personal: Who is the Real Villain in the Truck Crash Case
August 16, 2018
TTLA Advocates Meeting
San Antonio, TX
Trucking 101
July 7, 2018
AAJ Annual Conference
Denver, CO
Trucking Cases and the FMCSR
May 18, 2018
State Bar of Texas (SBOT) Advanced Evidence and Discovery Seminar
San Antonio, TX
Social Media in Discovery
May 17, 2018
State Bar of Texas (SBOT) Soaking Up Some CLE
South Padre Island, TX
Commercial Motor Vehicle Crashes
April 27, 2018
360 Advocacy Auto Crash Litigation 5.0
Las Vegas, NV
Cell Phone Data and Forensics
April 6, 2018
State Bar of Texas (SBOT) Advanced Evidence and Discovery Seminar
Dallas, TX
Social Media in Discovery
March 24, 2018
American Association for Justice (AAJ) Trucking Litigation Group (TLG) – Trucking College
Scottsdale, AZ
Live Demo of Focus Group – Testing the Hidden Motor Carrier Case
February 22, 2018
Attorney Information Exchange Group (AIEG) Paralegal Seminar
San Antonio, TX
Cutting-Edge Exhibits
February 16, 2018
Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA) Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Seminar
New Orleans, LA
Casting Your Villain: Focusing the Case on Corporate Misconduct
November 17, 2017
TexasBarCLE, Prosecuting and
Defending Truck and Auto Collision Case
San Antonio, TX
Cutting Edge Trial Tactics: The Plaintiff’s Perspective
October 6, 2017
Multidisciplinary Advocacy Training
Conference on Child Abuse
Edinburg, TX
Cell Phone Data and Forensics In Any Case lunch keynote speaker
September 18, 2017
Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys
(ATAA) Annual Symposium
Nashville, TN
Presenter for plaintiffs in live focus group
July 23, 2017
American Association for Justice
(AAJ) Annual Convention
Boston, MA
Using Cell Phone Data to Prove Fatigue, Log Falsification, and Distracted Driving to AAJ Trucking Litigation Group
May 18, 2017
TexasBarCLE, Soaking Up Some CLE
South Padre Island, TX
Damages
March 2, 2017
Texas Trial Lawyers Association
(TTLA) Car Wrecks Seminar
Houston, TX
Distracted Driving and Fatigue Through Cell Phone Forensics and Analysis of Call Detail Records