Kurt Arnold and Jason Itkin are co-founders of Arnold & Itkin LLP, a nationally recognized trial law firm based in Houston, Texas. The law firm specializes in catastrophic injury, maritime, energy and workplace litigation.
On January 23, both Arnold and Itkin were named to the 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, in the Plaintiff Litigation category.
The pair have built their careers on securing record-setting verdicts and settlements for clients injured in major accidents.
Read more: Maine crash: Plane carrying 8 people crashes at Bangor airport – what we know
Trial lawyers with notable track records
Jason Itkin was the attorney in multiple billion-dollar jury verdicts in high-stakes litigation. One of them includes an $8 billion judgment against Johnson & Johnson.
According to his firm's biography, Itkin has also achieved unprecedented results in a $2.25 billion Roundup cancer verdict, as well as numerous other awards and settlements exceeding $100 million.
Itkin was able to effectively defend the families who lost fathers and spouses when the El Faro cargo ship sank in a hurricane. The biography also mentioned that Itkin took up most of the cases of the wounded workers after the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
{{/usCountry}}Itkin was able to effectively defend the families who lost fathers and spouses when the El Faro cargo ship sank in a hurricane. The biography also mentioned that Itkin took up most of the cases of the wounded workers after the Deepwater Horizon explosion.
{{/usCountry}}Jason received an invitation to join the Inner Circle of Advocates as the youngest member in 2013. He was recognized as one of Houston's finest business leaders under 40 and has been included on numerous Super Lawyer lists.
Kurt Arnold shares a similarly impressive resume. Arnold, too, reached great results with several multi-million dollar cases, including a $117 million single-plaintiff personal injury verdict in Louisiana and a $44 million single-amputation verdict in the United States.
He has worked with Itkin in the Deepwater Horizon explosion. His and Itkin's clientele received exceptional settlements as a result of his unceasing efforts, guaranteeing their long-term well-being.
Kurt has been honored by The Best Lawyers in America for his exceptional work in both personal injury litigation and maritime and admiralty law. Kurt has also been listed by Lawdragon as one of America's Top 500 Lawyers and one of its Top 500 Consumer Plaintiff Attorneys.
Arnold and Itkin met in college
Arnold and Itkin met as undergraduates and remained close through law school. The duo later co-founded their trial practice with a shared mission to “fight for catastrophically injured individuals against powerful corporate defendants.”
Since its establishment in 2004, their firm, Arnold & Itkin LLP, has accumulated over $20 billion in verdicts and settlements for clients across the nation, making it one of the most prosperous plaintiff litigation firms in the nation.
Read more: Plane crash in Bangor, Maine: Small passenger aircraft overturns at airport
Why is their name coming up now?
At Bangor International Airport in Maine, a private business plane crashed during a snowfall on takeoff around 7:45 p.m. on January 25.
The Bombardier Challenger 600 that crashed was reportedly carrying eight people. Emergency personnel arrived on the scene almost instantly after the plane overturned and caught fire. According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, seven people were killed, and a crew member survived with serious injuries.
It is being speculated that the owner of the Bombardier Challenger 600 that the jet is registered to KTKJ Challenger LLC, which is registered under Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold. However, none of the information is confirmed by credible sources, and it is not clear if Jason Itkin and Kurt Arnold were on board.