Houston, Texas
- Dallas (Principal Office)
- (214) 780-1400
Savannah H. Benac
Savannah H. Benac
Partner
-
717 Texas Ave.
27th Floor
Houston, Texas 77002
- Texas, 2018
- U.S. District Courts, Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Districts of Texas
Baylor Law School
J.D., 2018
Baylor Law Review
Baylor Barrister Society
Stetson Law National Pre-Trial Competition, Second Place Team
Abilene Christian University
B.A., Political Science, 2015
Summa Cum Laude, Valedictorian
Presidential Scholar
Honors College Graduate
Professional & Community Involvement
- Houston Baylor Lawyer Steering Committee, Member
- Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, Equal Access to Justice Society Member
- Houston Young Lawyers Association (HYLA), Member
- Christian Legal Society, Houston Chapter Communications and Connection Committee Member
- The Federalist Society, Houston Chapter Member
- Texas MS 150, Fundraiser & Cyclist
- Houston Young Lawyer Foundation, 2021 Fellow
Publications
- Co-author, “Colorado Enacts Sweeping Regulatory Changes to Oil and Gas Industry,” Oil & Gas E-Report, Institute for Energy Law, June 2019
- Co-author, The Hydraulic Fracking Blog – Norton Rose Fulbright, 2019
About Savannah H. Benac
Savannah Benac is a litigation partner in Shackelford’s Houston office. She has considerable experience handling commercial disputes involving complex contracts and significant exposure in the insurance and energy industries. She regularly provides clients with insurance coverage analysis and has defended numerous insurers and insurance adjusters in state and federal lawsuits involving breach of contract, insurance bad faith, fraud, and deceptive trade practice claims. She also represents a variety of parties in complex construction and energy-related disputes. In 2025, she was named a “Rising Star” by the Texas Super Lawyers Magazine—a peer-nominated honor that is limited to the top 2.5% of up-and-coming lawyers in Texas.
In addition to her commercial litigation practice, Savannah utilizes her legal skills and business acumen as a member of the Alumni Advisory Board for Abilene Christian University, the Houston Baylor Lawyers Steering Committee, and the Board of Directors for Radiate Coalition, a nonprofit that provides housing, education, therapy, and other aftercare services to abused and trafficked girls.
Savannah and her husband, Dylan Benac, also a lawyer in Houston, frequently work together to provide pro bono legal services and support charitable legal initiatives. In February 2026, the Texas Lawbook is releasing an article regarding their collaborative efforts to help develop a transitional facility in North Houston for girls aging out of foster care. In 2025, ACU Today also featured their work to create a scholarship program to cover the cost of LSAT prep courses.
They are actively working with lawyers and judges across Texas to promote the Wildcat Bar Association, which launched in January 2026 and will help provide sustainable funding for the scholarship program. Savannah is also a 2021 Fellow of the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation and previously spearheaded the firm’s participation in the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation’s Adopt-an-Angel gift drive.
Case-Specific Results & Notable Experiences in State and Federal Courts
• Trial counsel in obtaining dismissal of plaintiff’s contractual and extracontractual claims against commercial property insurer in claim involving roofer’s faulty workmanship in performing repairs that caused damage to the property’s interiors. AXIS Surplus Ins. Co. v. Mercer, 577 F.Supp.3d 563 (N.D. Tex. 2021).
• Trial counsel in obtaining a Rule 91a dismissal of plaintiffs’ contractual and extracontractual claims regarding missing wine at a prominent country club. Cause No. 2023-04154; Maria L. Rincon, et al. v. ACE Am. Ins. Co., et al.; In the 164th Judicial District Court for Harris County, Texas (settled on appeal).
• Trial counsel for multi-national refinery and court-ordered member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the extensive, ongoing multi-district litigation involving thousands of parties in the 2019 TPC plant explosion in Port Neches, Texas.
• Trial counsel representing a construction contractor in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit brought by a shrimp processing company concerning the construction of a marine bulkhead in Southeast Texas.
• Trial counsel representing an interior designer in a multi-million-dollar lawsuit brought by a developer regarding hotel interior design services for a 14-acre commercial development in California.
• Trial counsel in obtaining summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s contractual and bad faith claims and appellate counsel in appeal affirming the trial court’s summary judgment. Oaks on the Lane Condominium Association v. United Specialty Insurance Company, No. 05-24-00128-CV, 2026 WL 50763 (Tex. App.—Dallas, Jan. 7, 2026, no pet.).
• Trial counsel in obtaining a summary judgment dismissal of the plaintiff’s contractual and bad faith claims regarding an insurance claim for hail damage to a commercial strip mall. No. 067-332042-22, 3PPS LLC v. Certain Underwriters; In the 67th Judicial District Court of Tarrant County, Texas.
• Trial counsel in obtaining summary judgment dismissal of plaintiff’s contractual and bad faith claims regarding multiple commercial properties reportedly damaged by Hurricane Hanna. Esqueda v. Axis Surplus Ins. Co., No. 7:22-CV-00286, 2023 WL 4466533 (S.D. Tex. July 11, 2023).
• Trial counsel in obtaining an order precluding the recovery of attorney’s fees due to the plaintiff’s failure to provide a timely pre-suit notice. Freiheit Investoren LLC v. Allied World Assurance Co. (U.S.) Inc., No. 1-24-CV-00677-JRN, 2025 WL 825368 (W.D. Tex. Jan. 21, 2025).
