This week, partner Don Jackson is protecting clients at the Hall of Justice in the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.

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Ware, Jackson, Lee, O’Neill, Smith & Barrow LLP is proud to announce that four of its lawyers have been recognized as 2019 Texas Rising Stars – a Thomson Reuters publication. The lists are compiled by using a multi-phase selection process based on peer nomination, independent research, and peer evaluation. This year’s Super Lawyer – Rising Star honorees include partners Wesley Jackson, Tyler Henkel, Knox Nunnally and Michelle Meriam.

Ware Jackson attorneys Wes Jackson and Knox Nunnally are examining certain actions producers may have taken in relation to royalty payments owed to mineral owners under their leases of property in the Permian Basin.

The Firm is currently investigating whether or not certain producers may be engaging in practices which cause a reduction in the amount of royalty payments made to certain land and royalty owners. If true, the result of these practices is that the land or royalty owner is paid a lower royalty, and the producer is able to keep the additional money it would have paid as royalty for itself.

Our law firm has experience in litigating oil and gas claims and has been involved in royalty litigation in the Eagle-Ford Shale for the past several years.

We believe that each and every lessor should be provided with the opportunity to take part in this investigation and determine whether or not money might be owed to you. If you would like to pursue this potential claim or simply have questions regarding our investigation into these royalty payment issues, please do not hesitate to contact our firm at our toll-free number (888) 746-0804.

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle as Partner.

Ware, Jackson, Lee, O’Neill, Smith & Barrow, LLP is proud to announce that it has been named in U.S. News and World Report and Best Lawyers list of “Best Law Firms”.  According to U.S. News and World Report “Firms included in the 2019 “Best Law Firms” list are recognized for professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.”

National Tier 2

• Litigation – Construction
• Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs

National Tier 3

• Litigation – Labor & Employment

Metropolitan Tier 1- Houston

• Commercial Litigation
• Litigation – Construction
• Litigation – Labor & Employment
• Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants
• Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs

Metropolitan Tier 2- Houston

• Litigation – Environmental
• Litigation – Trusts & Estates

Ware Jackson lawyers secured a take-nothing jury verdict for Edward Mattingly, Peter Schwab, and Thomas Blackburn, III who were unjustly accused of fraud, securities violations, and breaching their fiduciary duties involving their roles as outside directors to the well-known Houston based Compressor Engineering Corp. (CECO). CECO is a closely held corporation whose ownership is shared by the family of its founder, Ernest G. Hotze.

The lawsuit was filed by two of Ernest Hotze’s sons who alleged that nearly every transaction of CECO over the past four years had been handled improperly. They claimed that three of their brothers along with the outside directors of CECO had breached their duties when they saved CECO from foreclosure in 2014 and 2015. The trial centered on the question of whether the directors of a closely held corporation breached their corporate duties by approving a conversion of debt to equity.

The jury had a 65-page charge and 45 questions to answer after a five-week trial. With up to $30 million in damages at stake, jurors awarded the plaintiffs nothing.

“The evidence showed that our clients, the outside directors of CECO, in every instance exercised their honest business judgment in the best interest of the company. Working shoulder to shoulder with the owners who were willing to invest to save the company, the outside directors were critically important in saving the business.” said Ware Jackson partner Don Jackson. Jackson added, “As I told the jury in final argument, Ed Mattingly, Pete Schwab, and Tommie Blackburn were three of the finest gentlemen we have ever had the privilege to represent. They never should have been dragged into this family fight. Credit for the victory goes primarily to them.”

The plaintiff brothers left CECO in 2014 when the company was facing foreclosure and the loss of over 400 jobs. Trial evidence showed that the other three brothers with support of the outside directors took over and managed the company through difficult times, earning a “Turnaround of the Year” award in 2016 from the Turnaround Management Association.

Ware Jackson partner Don Jackson served as lead counsel for the trial team, which included partners Paul Smith and Eileen O’Neill. The style of the case is Cause No. 2016-36300, David Hotze v. IN Management, LLC et al., in the 61st Judicial District Court of Harris County, Texas.

Ware, Jackson, Lee, O’Neill, Smith & Barrow, LLP or “Ware Jackson,” is a Houston-based law firm that is home to true trial and appellate lawyers with a 25 year track record in complex commercial litigation, including energy and construction, intellectual property, and business dispute cases. When trials are in your future look to Ware Jackson.