Christian A. "Chris" Garza Photo: John Everett
While a Yale Law School student, Texas native Christian A. "Chris" Garza says he never imagined he'd be doing the work he does today.
"In law school, you didn't really know what in-house practice was," says Garza, director, general counsel and secretary for Cosentino North America in Houston. "At Yale, most aspire to become politicians or professors or law firm partners."
Cosentino is a privately held business that manufactures and supplies stone and quartz construction surface products such as bathroom and kitchen counters. The company has manufacturing facilities in Europe and about 700 employees in the United States in warehouse, fabrication and display centers, he says. Garza joined the company in January, and his legal department includes one other lawyer and three nonlawyer managers.
But initially, like many of his classmates, Garza imagined himself working toward partnership at a law firm.
Garza grew up in San Antonio and earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and government at the University of Texas in Austin.
"I always wanted to be a lawyer; my dad was a lawyer," he says. His father, Richard Garza, of the Law Offices of Richard L. Garza, practices family and personal injury law in San Antonio. "I met a lot of lawyers growing up. I always wanted to be like my dad."
After graduating from law school in 2001, Garza worked as an associate with the appellate group of Vinson & Elkins in Houston where he had been a summer associate. He was with V&E for almost a year before beginning a one-year clerk's position with 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Carolyn Dineen King in Houston, who was then the chief judge.
After the clerkship he joined King and Spalding in Houston where the firm was developing an appellate group.
About four years later, in 2007, Garza decided to make a career change.
"I realized appellate practice was not best suited for my personality and skill set," he says. "I enjoyed writing — but not 90 percent of the time. I wanted more interaction with clients. I wanted to get more business knowledge."
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