Display All Attorneys

John B. Beckworth
Partner

Mr. Beckworth is a Texan who commenced law practice in 1983 following completion of his legal education at the University of Texas School of Law. He joined the Litigation Section at Fulbright & Jaworski, LLP where he became a partner and continued his practice there until starting his own law practice in 1994. He has been Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law for over 20 years and today focuses his law practice in commercial litigation and arbitration with substantial involvement in business disputes of all types, oil and gas, employment and media litigation. Mr. Beckworth serves as a frequent arbitrator in domestic and international business and energy disputes and in complex matters in Texas and other states. He has successfully tried multiple lawsuits to jury verdicts in Texas and other jurisdictions and has argued successfully cases in the Texas Supreme Court and in the United States Courts of Appeals. Occasionally Mr. Beckworth also serves as a mediator in complex matters.

Mr. Beckworth has an active litigation docket. He has represented clients in state and federal courts in Texas and across the United States. He is licensed to practice in Texas by the Supreme Court of Texas, the U.S. District Courts in all Texas Districts, in the District of Arizona and the Eastern District of Michigan, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Ninth Circuits, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has been recognized by Thomson Reuters as a Texas and Houston Super Lawyer for 2003-2010, and he has been selected to be included in Houston’s Top 100 Lawyers and The Best Lawyers in America for 2005-2010. He is an Associate Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a member of the Houston, Texas, and American Bar Associations, and he is a Life Fellow in the Houston and Texas Bar Foundations.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

  • The University of Texas at Austin, B.A., 1980, High Honors
  • The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 1983

PROFESSIONAL HONORS & ACTIVITIES

  • Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 2003-2011
  • SuperLawyers, 2003-2011 (recognized by Thomson Reuters, published in Texas Monthly)
  • Associate Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Member, College of The State Bar of Texas
  • Member, Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee
  • Course Certification, University of Houston Law School A. A. White Dispute Resolution Center, Advanced Commercial Arbitration Course
  • Basic Mediation Training in compliance with Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code Ann. §154.052
  • Member, ABA Section of International Law and International Commercial Dispute Resolution Committee Member and Advisory Board Member, Institute for Transnational Arbitration
  • Member and Advisory Board Member, Institute for Transnational Arbitration
  • Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation and Houston Bar Foundation
  • Former Adjunct Professor and Lecturer, The University of Texas School of Law

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE (RECENT)

  • Litigation for state and local public entities in labor and employment termination
  • Litigation for local agency in lawsuits involving document management/retention
  • Litigation for public energy companies in environmental, oil and gas, audit, and property acquisition
  • Litigation for financial organizations in employment and unfair competition
  • Arbitrator in large-scale oil and gas infrastructure dispute
  • Arbitrator in offshore oil and gas consulting and acquisition dispute
  • Arbitrator in oil and gas divestiture / joint venture dispute
  • Arbitration of oil and gas merger PSA  and title dispute
  • Arbitration of partnership/fiduciary duty dispute involving division of partnership property 
  • Representation and litigation for media companies in First Amendment prepublication advice and disputes
  • Litigation of royalty/working interest owner claims in offshore PSC
  • Litigation for plaintiffs and defense in products liability, wrongful death, and serious personal injury cases nationwide, including representation of U.S. and foreign clients

(Details and references available upon request and subject to prior client permission.)

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS

  • Board Certified, Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • American Bar Association
  • Texas Bar Association
  • Houston Bar Association
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
  • Houston Bar Foundation, Life Fellow

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT AND INTERESTS

Trustee, The University of Texas Law School Foundation
Trustee and former Chairman of the Board, The Kinkaid School, Houston, Texas
Director, The University of Texas Ex-Students' Association
 

John B Beckworth
jbeckworth@wattbeckworth.com
D: +1 713.333.9102

1800 Pennzoil Place
South Tower
711 Louisiana Street
Houston, TX 77002
T: +1 713.650.8100
F: +1 713.650.8141

Practice Areas
Business Litigation
Oil & Gas Litigation and Advising
Employment Law
Media Representation and Litigation
Arbitration and Mediation
Personal Injury, Torts,
and Products Liability Law