Virginia Pederson is a Partner in the Houston office of Mayer LLP, where she leads a respected litigation practice group serving clients across the sports and entertainment, recreation, hospitality and retail, transportation, and construction industries. Her practice is statewide, spanning both state and federal courts, and includes the defense of high-stakes cases involving catastrophic injury, premises liability, event security, products liability, and complex contractual disputes.

With clients ranging from Olympic-affiliated organizations to national hotel chains, athletic associations, national recreation chains, and major venue operators, Virginia is known for her ability to navigate not just the legal complexity of each matter, but the reputational and media exposure risks that often accompany high-profile cases. Her work frequently involves defending claims tied to incidents involving athletes at the Olympic, collegiate, and high school levels, and addressing liability issues at concerts, sporting events, and large-scale entertainment venues.

Virginia's thought leadership extends to her contributions to industry discussions on sports and entertainment liability, hospitality liability, and complex transportation matters. For example, in a recent episode of the national SERMA podcast, she analyzed the legal implications of high-profile incidents, such as a recent highly-publicized  golf cart matter, focusing on areas like venue liability, assumption of risk, and the enforceability of waivers. Her insights provided valuable guidance to golf course operators and insurers on mitigating risks associated with recreational activities. Through such engagements, Virginia demonstrates her commitment to educating stakeholders on proactive risk management strategies in the sports and entertainment sectors.

Virginia is routinely engaged in high-stakes litigation involving complex party dynamics, where strategic motion practice and liability allocation are key. She is accustomed to leading trial preparations while simultaneously advancing dispositive motions and navigating conflicts of interest to preserve the integrity of the defense. She brings a practical understanding of how jury perceptions shift based on the size and nature of the entity being defended, particularly in challenging venues across Texas. Virginia also plays a central role in vetting and coordinating with expert witnesses and investigative teams, ensuring that each case is supported by a solid evidentiary foundation from the outset.

Virginia is licensed to practice in all Texas state courts, all four U.S. District Courts in Texas, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Services

• Litigation

Education

• University of Houston Law Center, J.D., 2007
• Louisiana State University, B.A., 2003

Admissions

• State Bar of Texas, 2007
• 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
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit