Murtaza Sutarwalla

From billion-dollar deals in Dubai to billion-dollar settlements in Texas, Murtaza Sutarwalla’s legal journey is anything but ordinary.

In this episode of Celebrating Justice, Murtaza traces his path from elite corporate law to the frontlines of human trafficking litigation. Early in his career, he represented governments and major corporations, drafting M&A contracts and shaping foreign law — but he ultimately traded prestige for purpose. Now a founding partner at ESS Law Partners in Houston, Murtaza applies his insider knowledge of corporate defense to fight for the vulnerable.

Listeners will hear how Murtaza helped craft and later litigate Texas’s landmark biometric privacy law — culminating in a historic $1 billion settlement against Meta. He also opens up about his firm’s focus on labor and human trafficking cases, and how undocumented workers and vulnerable teens are too often exploited in silence. For Murtaza, law is more than advocacy — it’s a divine responsibility. “Every client that walks through my door was sent by God,” he says.

In his powerful Closing Argument, Murtaza reflects on the dual roles listed on his bar license — attorney and counselor at law—  and why both titles define his mission: “If I do my job as an attorney and a counselor at law, to me, that means that I have done the best job possible for my clients… and helped them heal.”

Key Takeaways

• Experience in corporate law can be a major asset in plaintiff litigation, especially against large institutions
• Human and labor trafficking cases are becoming central to the modern fight for justice.
• Strategic venue selection can shift power dynamics in high-stakes litigation
• Trial lawyers can and should help clients heal— not just win.
• Laws written decades ago can resurface as vital tools in present-day litigation.

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