Yana S. Posey is an associate in the Houston office of Lewis Brisbois and is a member of the Medical Malpractice Group. Prior to joining the Lewis Brisbois team, Yana was a medical malpractice defense attorney defending healthcare providers in complex litigation. She has worked both the plaintiff and defendant’s sides of medical malpractice law, which puts her in a unique position to understand healthcare-related legal issues from both perspectives. Yana uses her diverse experience in clinical research, psychology, and law to take a holistic approach to every legal matter, regardless of its complexity. She prides herself on practicing law with an eye for detail, civility, and humility.

Yana was born and raised in Estonia. Having a strong interest in government affairs, public service, and justice, Yana attended the Estonian Sisekaitseakadeemia (National Defense Academy) where she graduated as a Senior Customs and Taxation Official from the College of Finances. After immigrating to the United States in 2008, she worked as a paralegal in Houston handling matters involving asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer, traumatic brain injury, maritime law, personal injury, bankruptcy, and general liability matters.

In 2016, Yana obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of St. Thomas in Houston. During that time, Yana was a member of the neuropsychology team at the Center for Optimal Brain Health, assisting with neuropsychological assessments and psychometrics of patients with Alzheimer’s, dementia, and brain trauma. Yana was also a research collaborator on several cross-cultural and mixed-methods studies at the C.L.A.S.S. Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. She is a published co-author of multiple peer-reviewed journal articles on the topic of autism in the U.S. and Japan. Before attending law school, Yana worked for several years in the Developmental Neuropsychology Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston as a member of a clinical trial team investigating the safety and efficacy of a clinical study drug.

In 2023, Yana earned her Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws in Health Law from the University of Houston Law Center. During law school, Yana was an intern in the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, where she worked on cases involving healthcare fraud, including Medicare and Medicaid fraud, nursing home cases, and research-related fraud. Yana supported litigation matters involving parallel proceedings, the False Claims Act, the Stark Law, and the Anti-Kickback Statute. She also interned with the City Attorney’s Office of League City working on transactional and municipal matters, as well as assisting the city’s prosecutor. As a legal clerk with a personal injury law firm, she worked on personal injury matters, medical malpractice, dram shop liability, premises liability, and other general liability matters.

Outside the practice of law, Yana is an avid advocate for animal rights. She devotes her time to her family and rescued animals. You can often find Yana at the ranch spending time with her two horses, a 29-year-old Arabian mare named Oso and a 16-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding named Rogue. Yana also enjoys connecting with nature through hiking, camping, and gardening.

Publications

Foreign Language Proficiency

Professional Presentations

• Porter, N., Loveland, K.A., Morimoto, K., Yamane, T., & Posey, Y.S. (2020, May). A comparison of parenting stress in mothers of children with autism between Japan and the US: A qualitative analysis of interviews with mothers. Poster session presented at the International Society for Autism Research, Seattle, WA.
• Porter, N., Posey, Y.S., Saroukhani, S., Morimoto, K., Fukuda, E., Rahbar, M.H., & Loveland, K.A. (2019, May). Association of child autistic characteristics with parenting stress in mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A comparison between the United States and Japan. Paper presented at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada.
• Porter, N., Loveland, K.A., Posey, Y., Carberry, C., & Morimoto, K. (2017, May). Cultural differences in symptom recognition, diagnosis, and time lag of autism: A comparison between Japan and the US. Poster session presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, San Francisco, CA.
• Porter, N., Loveland, K., Carberry, C., & Posey, Y. (2017, April). Comparing parenting stress in mothers of children with autism: Japan and the US. Poster session presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Austin, TX.
• Posey, Y., Porter, N., & Loveland, K. (2017, March-April). Financial burden, wellbeing, and parenting stress in mothers of children with ASD. Poster session presented at the Southwestern Psychological Association Convention, San Antonio, TX.
• Loveland, K., Harrison, K., & Posey, Y. (2016, June). Autism spectrum or mental illness? Assessing the previously undiagnosed adult. Paper presented at the Texas Autism Research and Resource Center, Austin, TX.
• Harrison, K. B., Loveland, K. A., Reddy, M. K., Engstrom, A. E., & Posey, Y. (2016, May) Personality profiles in intellectually able adults with ASD. Poster session presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research, Baltimore, MD.
• Posey, Y. (2016, May). A union or a rivalry: Can we accept the success of our loved ones? Poster session presented at the Midwestern Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
• Posey, Y. (2016, April). A union or a rivalry: Can we accept the success of our loved ones? Poster session presented at the Southwestern Psychological Association, Dallas, TX.
• Posey, Y. (2015, April). A union or a rivalry: Can we accept the success of our loved ones? Poster session presented at the 21st Research Symposium, University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX.

Admissions

• State Bar Admissions
  • Texas

Associations

• American Health Law Association
• Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court
• American Bar Association
• International Law Society
• The Advocates
• Animal Legal Defense Fund
• Houston Young Lawyers Association

Education

University of Houston Law Center

Master of Laws, Health Law, 2023

University of Houston Law Center

Juris Doctor, 2023

University of St. Thomas

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 2016

Sisekaitseakadeemia (National Defense Academy)

College of Finances, Senior Customs and Taxation Official, 2007