Justin B. Jones

Partner

Mr. Jones focuses his practice in civil litigation, with a particular emphasis on bad faith and insurance litigation, commercial litigation, construction liability and defect litigation, products defect litigation, premises liability, and personal injury litigation.  He attended Texas Tech University where he double majored and received a B.B.A. in Marketing and B.B.A. in Management in 2008.  In 2012, Justin earned his J.D. from Tulane University Law School where he was a Member of the Sports Lawyers Journal and received a Certificate of Concentration in Sports Law.  His experience includes representation of individuals, small businesses, and Fortune 100 companies from pre-litigation through trial.  He has represented clients in both state and federal court and has counseled clients in varying capacities in over thirty (30) Texas counties.  Mr. Jones also has extensive experience in multidistrict litigation and was the lead associate at hearings in front of the three judge pretrial panel for the largest MDL in Texas legal history.

In addition, Justin has a wide range of experience in working with small businesses and entrepreneurs in addressing a variety of topics such as entity formation issues with limited liability companies and 501(c)(3) organizations, contract drafting and analysis, and identifying potential litigation exposure in business agreements.  He has helped digital artists protect their work, guided small businesses through Federal trademark registration, and advised musicians and filmmakers on recording and release agreements.

Representative Matters

Construction Defect and Products Liability

• Represented general contractor in multi-party lawsuit involving building envelope and water intrusion issues.
  
  
• Represented plumbing component-product manufacturer in products liability action involving water damage.
  
  
• Represented concrete subcontractor in lawsuit brought by homeowners involving alleged foundation and trade sequencing issues.
  
  
• Counseled roofing company in breach of contract and trespass dispute regarding water damage to commercial building.
  
  
• Represented flooring contractor in breach of contract and Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act dispute.
  
  
• Represented general contractor in lawsuit against homeowner involving foundation soil movement issues.
  
  
• Represented general contractor in lawsuit against homeowner regarding groundwater and water retention issues.
  
  
• Represented residential design company in multi-party construction defect dispute.  Successfully and quickly obtained complete dismissal for clients without payment to any other party.
  
  
• Represented homebuilder in gas explosion case that involved both alleged construction defects and personal injuries.
  
  
• Successfully obtained summary judgment for roofing company in construction defect matter.
  
  
• Represented general contractor in construction defect dispute involving adjoining townhomes.
  
  
• Represented developer and contractor in multi-party construction defect lawsuit involving alleged demolition damage.  Plaintiffs sought multi-million dollar damage model.  Obtained favorable resolution for clients.

Insurance

• Presented opening and closing arguments in first party bad faith lawsuit involving allegations including breach of contract and alleged Texas Insurance Code Violations.  Jury returned complete defense verdict in approximately fifteen minutes.
  
  
• Obtained complete dismissal in first party bad faith lawsuit involving Texas Insurance Code and Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act claims via death penalty sanctions.
  
  
• Lead associate at hearings in front of the three judge pretrial panel for the largest MDL in Texas legal history.
  
  
• Obtained favorable result for client in first party lawsuit involving UM/UIM and bad faith allegations.  Jury awarded significantly less than pre-trial demand.
  
  
• Quickly obtained non-suit of all claims for insurance carrier client after preparing motion for summary judgment on policy language of California Auto policy.
  
  
• Drafted successful summary judgment motion for insurance company involving the statute of limitations.
  
  
• Authored successful summary judgment on spoliation and breadth of settlement release.
  
  
• Authored and successfully argued summary judgment in roofing coverage dispute.
  
  
• Successfully drafted and argued summary judgment regarding fire coverage dispute.

Commercial Litigation / Small Business Assistance

• Represented small business in conversion lawsuit involving auto financing.  Successfully obtained swift resolution with favorable result for client.
  
  
• Counseled growing Texas business in contract drafting and review, entity formation issues, and creation of subsidiary.
  
  
• Assisted website design company in contract redrafting that helped the company avoid problems they had frequently encountered in the past.
  
  
• Advised beverage manufacturing client on federal trademark registration and statutory guidelines regarding maintenance and renewal.
  
  
• Represented musicians and filmmakers with recording and release agreements.

Premises Liability and Personal Injury

• Presented opening argument and obtained favorable result for client in premises liability lawsuit where Plaintiff claimed lower extremity injuries and a torn ACL.
  
  
• Successfully struck four (4) experts in personal injury case where Plaintiff claimed a head injury and demanded millions of dollars in alleged damages.  The Fifth District Court of Appeals denied mandamus relief when the Plaintiff asserted the motion to strike amounted to an unjust sanction.
  
  
• Authored successful traditional and no-evidence motion for summary judgment in premises liability case for apartment complex.
  
  
• Drafted successful motion for summary judgment in premises liability case for landscaping contractor.
  
  
• Authored successful traditional motion for summary judgment regarding negligent hiring and negligent supervision matter.

Authored Articles/Seminars

• Texas Bar Journal (cover article) – Frame-Breaking Change Name, image and likeness compensation for student athletes, October 2022.  Link: Texas Bar Journal : October 2022 (mydigitalpublication.com)  The NIL article is also highlighted on the Texas Bar Blog and the State Bar of Texas official Twitter account @statebaroftexas.
  
  
• Dallas Bar Association Headnotes – Name Image and Likeness Compensation for Student Athletes, March 2022.
  
  
• 2020 CLE Presentation – Rule 91a Motion to Dismiss – Now dismiss claims based on an affirmative defense.
  
  
• 2020 CLE Presentation – The 2020 NFL CBA – New changes, key issues, and bargaining away future concussion litigation.
  
  
• 2022 CLE Presentation – Rockwall County Bar Association – Name Image and Likeness Compensation for Student Athletes – One Season After Alston v. NCAA
  
  
• 2022 CLE Presentation – Dallas Claims Association Fall CE Seminar – Handling Trucking Litigation