JOHN F. SULLIVAN III
Partner
John F. Sullivan III is a trial lawyer who joined WattBeckworth as a partner in 2008. He practiced the first 20 years of his law career at Fulbright & Jaworski LLP (12 years as a partner).
Mr. Sullivan primarily handles complex Business Litigation, including matters that arise from Contracts, Trade Secrets, Intellectual Property, Officer and Director responsibilities, Unfair Competition, Non-competition Agreements, Shareholder Oppression, and Indemnity Rights. Mr. Sullivan also has significant experience in Tort Litigation, including Breach of Fiduciary Duty, Products Liability, Legal Malpractice and Pharmaceutical cases. He has also handled numerous Catastrophic Accident cases that involved serious Personal Injury and Wrongful Death claims. Since joining WattBeckworth, Mr. Sullivan has also focused on cases in the Oil & Gas industry as well as on Environmental matters.
Mr. Sullivan is a passionate advocate and has tried numerous lawsuits to both judge and jury, litigating in both state and federal courts. He has argued to the courts of appeals (including the Fifth Circuit), has effectively represented clients in class certification proceedings, and has tried many injunction matters. Regarding Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mr. Sullivan has advocated for clients in more than a hundred Mediations and in Arbitrations. Mr. Sullivan is certified as a specialist in the separate fields of Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, first receiving the dual certification in 1993.
Mr. Sullivan is admitted to the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third and Fifth Circuits, and the federal district courts and state courts of Texas.
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
- 1987 - J.D., cum laude, University of Houston Law School
- 1984 - B.B.A. (Finance Major), magna cum laude, University of Oklahoma
Mr. Sullivan is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society. While attending law school, he was elected a member of the Order of Coif Honor Society and was an associate editor of the Houston Law Review. He was admitted to practice in Texas in 1987.
PROFESSIONAL HONORS
- Selected for inclusion in 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in Commercial Litigation
- "Super Lawyer in Civil Litigation Defense," 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011(recognized by Thomson Reuters, published in Texas Monthly)
- AV Rating–Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rating for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability
- Who's Who in American Law
- Who's Who in America
- Who's Who in South and Southwest
- United Who's Who, Honors Edition (2005 - 2006)
- Featured in The American Lawyer: The Asylum Wars (February 2006)
- Child Advocacy Award Recipient 2006 presented by the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division
- Featured in Houston Lawyer Magazine: The Year of the Volunteer, Local Heroes (May/June 2007)
- American Immigration Lawyers Association Pro Bono Award Recipient (2006)
- The Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, Member (2008)
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
With over 23 years of legal experience, Mr. Sullivan's practice has encompassed many areas of litigation. Below are some representative matters in different practice areas:
Business Litigation
Contracts
- Representation of an information technology staffing company sued by a competitor for an alleged breach of an asset purchase agreement
- Representation of a large hotel chain in a suit for breach of a joint venture agreement brought by the purchaser of the rights of the joint venture partner
- Representation of large chemical company in breach of contract and UCC action for failure of supplier to provide styrene
- Representation of privately held company and officers on suit by discharged employees for alleged breach of shareholders agreement
- Representation of financial investment firm in contract dispute with consultant
- Representation of an engineer over alleged oral contract to pay multi-million dollar developers fee from relocation of a purified terephathalic acid (PTA) plant from France to India
- Representation of a commercial builder sued by his partner for the alleged breach of the partnership agreement
- Representation of a major oil and gas company in defense of breach of warranty claims for property damage to trucking fleet and loss of business for allegedly defective lubricant
- Representation of an individual in suit over breach of oral partnership agreement to start new company
- Representation of manufacturer of ethanol in suit for breach of contract and conversion against purchaser
Officer and Director
- Representation of directors of publicly traded company sued in shareholder derivative actions as a result of going-private transaction
- Representation of directors of closely held corporation in defense of shareholder oppression claims
- Representation of a president of company to joint venture in defense of claims brought by other joint venture partner’s principals alleging fraud and misappropriation of assets
- Representation of officers and directors of on-line furniture company in defense of breach of fiduciary duty claims
Intellectual Property
- Representation of international security detection company in lawsuit over ownership of intellectual property used to detect the presence of a human heartbeat in closed container
- Representation of a telecommunications company in breach of contract suit relating to development of software system
- Representation of specialty chemical company on claims against former employee and competitor for misappropriation of trade secrets and tortious interference
Class Actions
- Representation of an insurance company in defense of a putative class action seeking damages for the company's deductible reimbursement practice
- Representation of a retail sporting goods store in a putative class action relating to the sale of an allegedly unlawful product
- Representation of insurance company in a putative class action for its manner of issuing salvage titles after a total loss of vehicles
Unfair Competition, Non-Competition Agreements and Trade Secrets
- Representation of a technology company on claims of misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract
- Representation of four individuals sued by international valve company for alleged unfair competition relating to work with industrial valves
- Representation of an employer against a former employee for misappropriating trade secrets in high tech industry
- Representation of an employer from claims by a competitor for allegedly “raiding” key employees
- Representation of professional tennis players who sued league for unfair competition rules and anti-trust violations because of change in tournament eligibility rules
- Representation of a fractional jet airline in defense of wrongful discharge claims
Tort Litigation
Products Liability and Catastrophic Accidents
- Representation of a major oil company in defense of products liability claims brought by survivors of over 150 individuals killed on ski train in Austria (Austria’s largest, non-wartime national disaster)
- Representation of industrial burner manufacturer on death and injury claims from plant explosion
- Representation of Japanese industrial crane manufacturer in defense of products liability claim in wrongful death case
- Representation of personal safety equipment manufacturer in defense of wrongful death claims
- Representation of hotel in suit over death of passenger on shuttle bus
- Representation of helicopter company in death and injury cases
- Representation of Japanese industrial valve company in defense of products claims for catastrophic burn injuries at plant
- Representation of Japanese manufacturer of steel rollers used in plastic plant in defense of products claims for disabling injury
- Representation of large pharmaceutical companies against hundreds of suits relating to withdrawn medicines
- Representation of Japanese seat belt manufacturer in defense of product liability claims in several wrongful death and injury cases
Insurance-Fraud and Collusion
- Representation of an insurance company in arbitration to avoid a multi-million dollar judgment resulting from collusion between the plaintiff and its insured
- Representation of an insurance company in declaratory judgment action to avoid large collusive judgment
Legal Malpractice
- Representation of a tax attorney in a legal malpractice action for alleged improper advice and handling of tax affairs and returns
- Representation of transactional attorney for alleged breach of fiduciary duties to other parties to partnership agreement
Oil and Gas
JOA's, PHA's and Farm-outs and Fraud
- Representation of an oil & gas company in lawsuit that alleged breach of joint operating agreement and fraud and in which over $100 million in damages was sought
- Representation of an oil & gas company on breach of processing and handling agreement and farm-out agreement
- Representation of an oilfield supply company on breach of agreement and fraud action
Environmental
- Representation of major oil & gas producer on claims of groundwater and soil contamination and issues of remediation as well as indemnification rights
- Representation of commercial real estate owner sued for soil contamination and remediation
SPEECHES & ARTICLES
- "Ins and Outs of Indemnity," 35th Annual Page Keeton Civil Litigation Conference, October 28, 2011
- “Threshold Issues in Trade Secret Litigation,” 32nd Annual Page Keeton Civil Litigation Conference, October 31, 2008
- “The Subprime Crisis: Hot Issues for Officers, Directors and General Counsel,” January 16, 2008
- “Litigating Against DHS on Arbitrary Denials of Specific Consent,” sponsored by AILA, December 7, 2007
- “What is Pro Bono and Why Do We Do It?,” ACCDFW/Fulbright & Jaworski Pro Bono Summit, March 8, 2007
- “Stock Options Backdating,” State Bar of Texas CLE Webcast, February 6, 2007
- “The Enron Trial Verdict: What We Can Learn from this Landmark Case,” June 20, 2006
- “Corporate Governance Roundtable,” sponsored by H.S. Grace & Co., October 5, 2006
- “Stock Options Backdating,” The Houston Bar Association Securities and Arbitration Section, November 16, 2006
- “The E-Discovery Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure,” November 29, 2006
- “The Odyssey of a Pro Bono Attorney Representing Unaccompanied Immigrant Children,” Key Note Speaker, Bi-National Conference on Procedures, Protections & Due Process for Unaccompanied Children, April 20, 2006
- “Corporations Under Siege; Juror Perspectives of Large Companies,” May 2005
- “Gandy: What Practitioners Would Like to Tell the Supreme Court,” sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, November 2004
- “Trade Secrets: How to Stop Your Former Employee From Exploiting Your Most Valuable Assets,” Legal Issues Forum, May 16, 2002
- “Indemnity and Other Extraordinary Contract Provisions,” May 1998
- “Ethical Considerations in Client Reporting,” South Texas College of Law 1995
- “Deposing Expert Witnesses,” Houston Bar Association 1992
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & MEMBERSHIPS
- American Bar Association
- Texas Bar Association
- Houston Bar Association
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Houston Bar Foundation, Fellow
INTERESTS
In addition to his involvement with his church and various ministries, Mr. Sullivan is an outdoor sports enthusiast and enjoys competitive tennis, recreational golf, fishing, snow skiing, cycling, hiking and attending sporting events. When not playing or watching sports, he enjoys cooking, reading and traveling. His wife, four daughters and adopted son also enjoy sports and travel.
CIVIC INVOLVEMENT
- FORGE for Families, Board Member
- Boys and Girls Country, Board Member
- The Kirk Edwards Foundation, Trustee
- Grace Bible Church, The Heights
John F. Sullivan III
jsullivan@wattbeckworth.com
D: +1 713.333.9126
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
Contracts
Officer and Director
Trade Secrets and Non-Competes
Unfair Competition
Class Actions
Indemnity
Tort Litigation
Catastrophic Accidents
Products Liability
Legal Malpractice
Insurance–Collusion and Fraud
Oil & Gas
Environmental