Jeff Potts

Lawyers who have worked with Jeff say that it is “a great experience, he is very smart, he is a fine strategist, and it is a pleasure to work with him on a case.”  

Jeff works hard in every case to be the best-prepared lawyer.  Judges and juries typically find the best-prepared lawyer the most credible; they look to that lawyer as the one they can trust.  If being the best-prepared means mastering a new area of law, Jeff does so without additional charge to his client.

He also continuously evaluates with his clients their objectives and the litigation end game, and has had significant successes in finding strategies to derail an opposing case before trial.  In a case regarding the development of an oil and gas project, he managed to exclude the plaintiffs’ damages experts and damages model before trial.  Not only did his client prevail in defending the case, but also was awarded damages for its counterclaims and attorney fees. 

Jeff is also tenacious in pursuing his client’s interests.  In a patent case, it took four motions and a mandamus to the Federal Circuit before a case was transferred from the plaintiff’s preferred court to another district.  The case then settled favorably for Jeff’s client.

Knowing that lawyers are in the service business, Jeff believes that all clients and co-counsel should get a measured, informed response within a very few hours, and never more than 24 hours.  He encourages continuous feedback from his clients and co-counsel, to make sure that his clients’ interests are best-served.

Bankruptcy

• Plaintiff counsel for Trustee seeking recovery of fraudulently transferred funds.

Breach of contract / commercial torts

• Plaintiff counsel in breach of contract and fraud cases by Houston hospital system against a number of managed care companies. Defense co-counsel for New York hedge fund in oil and gas partnership dispute involving claims and counterclaims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and fraud, where final judgment awarded nothing on plaintiffs’ claims and a successful settlement on the hedge fund’s counterclaims. Plaintiff co-counsel obtaining a verdict for a working interest owner against an E&P company for failing to act as a prudent operator.

Patents

• Plaintiff counsel for a mail processing company.  Defense co-counsel for an oil and gas services company in a patent infringement case regarding shearing of tubular in a blowout preventer. Defense co-counsel for oil and gas services company in cases involving patents relating to the offshore acquisition of seismic data. Defense co-counsel for oil and gas company for patents relating to drill ship configuration. Plaintiff co-counsel in infringement cases relating to remote control of personal computers.

Trade secrets

• Plaintiff counsel in case involving theft of trade secrets regarding reinforced thermoplastic pipe.  Plaintiff co-counsel for a trading company claiming trade secret theft, tortious interference with contract and unfair competition with respect to derivatives information. Plaintiff counsel for companies and defense counsel for individuals in multiple cases involving trade secrets and departing employees.

Antitrust

• Defense co-counsel for an Italian chemicals company in the resolution of a federal antitrust and tort case brought by an American chemicals company claiming $700 million in compensatory damages.

Government investigations

• Defense counsel for individuals subject to Department of Justice (DOJ) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) investigations.

Medical malpractice, defense

• Defense co-counsel in labor and delivery, brain-injured baby cases for a hospital system.

Personal injury, plaintiff

• Plaintiff counsel in case involving employee death from explosion at a chemical company. Plaintiff counsel for person permanently injured in a rear-end collision caused by commercial truck.

Unfair competition

• Defense counsel in the successful resolution and dismissal of a Lanham Act case brought against a plastic surgeon. Defense counsel in case involving alleged cyber-squatting and Lanham Act passing off claims.