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Biography
John Sullivan, who recently joined Watt Beckworth Thompson & Henneman, L.L.P. as a
partner from a large national firm, has been practicing law in Texas since 1987. He has
handled a wide range of litigation including complex business disputes, products liability
cases, class actions, mass torts, pharmaceutical litigation, legal malpractice cases, fiduciary
duty cases against directors and officers, and intellectual property disputes. John has tried
numerous cases to both judge and jury, argued cases before state and federal courts of appeals
and has also successfully represented clients in class certification proceedings. John has
advocated for clients in more than a hundred mediations, in arbitrations as well as in other
forms of alternative dispute resolution. He has been certified as a specialist in the separate
fields of Civil Trial Law and Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal
Specialization since 1993.
John is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society. While attending law school, he was elected a
member of the Order of the Coif Honor Society and was an associate editor of the Houston Law Review.
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| Areas Of Practice: |
Civil Litigation Defense
Mass Tort
Complex Business Disputes
Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices
Catastrophic Accidents
Intellectual Property and Technology
Class Actions
Energy
Professional Services
Entertainment and Sports
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| Bar Admissions: |
Texas, 1987
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas
U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
U.S. District Court Western District of Texas
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| Representative Experience: |
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With 20 years of legal experience, John's practice encompasses many areas of litigation. Some of John's recent matters include:
- Representation of directors sued in shareholder derivative actions as a result of an announced going-private transaction Representation of officers and directors of a failed dot com selling furniture on-line against breach of fiduciary duty claims
- Representation of a large energy company against claims brought by more than two hundred and fifty individuals that arose from the largest national disaster in Austria
- Representation of a international security detection company in dispute over ownership of intellectual property used to detect the presence of a human heartbeat
- Representation of an insurance company against a putative class seeking damages for the company's deductible reimbursement practice
- Representation of a technology company on claims of misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of contract
- Representation of an engineer in commercial dispute over multi-million dollar developers fee relating to relocation of a purified terephathalic acid (PTA) plant
- Representation of an information technology staffing company sued by a competitor for an alleged breach of an asset purchase agreement
- Representation of a telecommunications company in breach of contract suit relating to development of software system
- 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 a major oil and gas company against hundreds of products liability claims
- Representation of a retail sporting goods store in a putative class action relating to the sale of an allegedly unlawful product
- Representation of a large pharmaceutical company against hundreds of suits relating to a withdrawn medicine
- Representation of a fractional jet airline against wrongful discharge claims
- Representation of an employer against a former employee for misappropriating trade secrets
- Representation of an employer from claims by a competitor for allegedly "raiding" key employees
- Representation of a tax attorney in a legal malpractice action for alleged improper advice and representation
- Representation of a seat belt manufacturer against wrongful death and injury claims for alleged defects
- Representation of an insurance company in a declaratory judgment action to avoid a multi-million dollar judgment resulting from collusion between the plaintiff and its insured
- Representation of a large insurance company in a putative class action for its manner of issuing salvage titles after a total loss of vehicles
- Representation of a commercial builder sued by his partner for the alleged breach of the partnership agreement
- Representation of professional tennis players in dispute with league over eligibility rules
- Representation of a major oil and gas company against commercial claims for alleged property damage to trucking fleet and alleged loss of business
- Pro Bono representation of a minor immigrant in immigration and deportation proceedings
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| Education: |
1987 - J.D., cum laude, University of Houston Law School
1984 - B.B.A. (Finance Major), magna cum laude, University of Oklahoma
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| Professional Associations and Memberships: |
American Bar Association
Houston Bar Foundation,Fellow
Texas Bar Association
International Association of Defense Counsel
Houston Bar Association
Texas Association of Defense Counsel
Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
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| Civic Involvement: |
Houston House Foundation, President
The Kirk Edwards Foundation, Trustee
The Children's Fund, Alumnae Member
Junior Achievement Volunteer
Catholic Charities, Advisory Board Member
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| Professional Honors: |
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)
"Super Lawyer in Civil Litigation Defense," Texas Monthly magazine (2004, 2006, and 2007)
Featured in The American Lawyer: The Asylum Wars (February 2006)
Featured in Houston Lawyer Magazine: The Year of the Volunteer, Local Heroes (May/June 2007)
American Immigration Lawyers Association Pro Bono Award Recipient (2006)
Child Advocacy Award Recipient 2006 presented by the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division
AV Rating--Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rating for Ethical Standards and Legal Ability
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| Speeches: |
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John has spoken on numerous subjects including the following:
- "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?," ACC--DFW/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
- "Deposing Expert Witnesses," Houston Bar Association
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| Interests: |
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John is an outdoor sports enthusiast and enjoys competitive tennis, recreational golf, fishing, snow skiing, cycling,
hiking and attending sporting events. John's wife and four daughters also enjoy sports and other activities. When
not playing or watching sports, John enjoys cooking, reading and traveling.
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