Rodrigo R. De Llano

About Rod

Rod De Llano's career reflects an unusual combination of economics and law. After earning his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Princeton University, he pursued his Juris Doctor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, graduating in 1993. That same year he was admitted to the State Bar of Texas under license #00786666 and, alongside Paul Danziger, founded the Houston-based firm that would become Danziger & De Llano, LLP.

Princeton economics is not a typical background for a trial lawyer. It shaped the way Rod approaches litigation. Asbestos cases involve not only legal strategy but economic analysis — calculating the lifetime earnings losses of a client who can no longer work, projecting the future medical costs of an aggressive cancer, valuing the economic contribution of a family member whose death triggers a wrongful death claim. These calculations determine the real value of a case in settlement negotiations and at trial. Rod does this work with quantitative depth that few attorneys bring to the table.

He also brings something rarer in the profession: the disciplined analytical approach that economics training instills. In a field where emotion can easily override careful analysis, Rod's work consistently reflects measured evaluation of probability, damages, and strategic options. That discipline is particularly valuable in complex multi-party litigation, where the consequences of every tactical choice ripple across 20 or more defendants simultaneously.

Focus: Complex Multi-Party and Class Action Litigation

Asbestos cases are paradigmatic examples of complex multi-party litigation. A typical mesothelioma lawsuit may name 15 to 30 defendants. Each defendant has its own legal team, its own corporate history, its own product line, and its own exposure profile at every workplace where the plaintiff worked. Coordinating this complexity — filing the lawsuit, managing discovery, negotiating with each defendant separately or jointly, tracking settlements as they come in from different parties at different times — is its own kind of expertise.

Rod has spent three decades building that expertise. He understands how to structure a case so that defendants have incentives to settle early (reducing cost and uncertainty for plaintiffs), how to use class action mechanics when they fit the facts, and how to coordinate cases filed in multiple state and federal jurisdictions. These are not skills a general personal injury attorney develops through occasional asbestos cases. They require years of concentrated practice.

“Asbestos cases are rarely about a single defendant or a single exposure. They're about coordinating claims across dozens of parties, often spanning decades. The work is methodical, unglamorous, and decisive. Do it right and the client gets every dollar they're owed.” — Rod De Llano

Economics-Informed Damages Analysis

Every asbestos case eventually comes down to a damages question: what is reasonable compensation for what the client lost or will lose? The answer depends on:

• Lost wages — actual income the client would have earned from diagnosis until expected retirement, adjusted for projected raises, benefits, and retirement contributions
• Future medical expenses — the cost of mesothelioma treatment over the client's remaining life, including specialist consultations, surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, palliative care, and end-of-life care
• Pain and suffering — non-economic damages calibrated to the severity of the disease and its trajectory
• Loss of consortium — damages to the spouse for loss of companionship, household contributions, and intimate relationship
• Wrongful death damages — when the client passes, the economic and emotional losses to surviving family

Rod's economics background gives him quantitative credibility in each of these calculations. In settlement negotiations, defense attorneys push for lower values; strong economic analysis pushes back. At trial, jurors need accessible explanations of why a damages number is reasonable. Economics training provides both.

Co-Founder, Danziger & De Llano, LLP

Rod and Paul Danziger founded Danziger & De Llano, LLP in 1993 as a Houston-based firm focused on representing individuals and families against well-funded corporate defendants. Over more than three decades, the firm has grown into one of the most significant asbestos litigation practices in the country, with more than \$2 billion in recoveries for clients.

The firm's model reflects the choices Rod and Paul made at the outset: deep expertise over broad practice areas, resources to pursue complex multi-defendant cases, and direct partner involvement in significant matters. Through the Whitman Mesothelioma Law Firm extension — operating from Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Sacramento under Michelle Whitman's leadership — the firm now serves California clients with the same model.

Multi-Jurisdictional Practice

Mesothelioma cases often involve plaintiffs, defendants, and exposure events spread across multiple states. A California shipyard worker may have been exposed to products made by a company headquartered in Pennsylvania, installed on a ship built in Virginia, that he worked on in California during his Navy service. Where does the lawsuit get filed? Where is the best jurisdiction? These are strategic decisions that significantly affect case outcomes.

Rod has handled multi-jurisdictional litigation for 30 years. The firm regularly files cases in Texas, California, Illinois (Madison County is a historic asbestos jurisdiction), Missouri (St. Louis), and other major asbestos litigation centers. Each jurisdiction has its own rules, its own judicial patterns, and its own evidentiary considerations. Knowing which jurisdiction fits which case is part of the craft.

Credentials & Recognition

Frequently Asked Questions