Jim Bartlett is a partner in the Houston office. Since joining the firm in 1999, he has successfully represented numerous corporations and individuals in complex litigation matters, including corporate transactions litigation, civil RICO litigation, commercial litigation, securities litigation, products liability litigation, regulatory litigation, defamation litigation, class action litigation, and employment litigation, among others. Jim has been awarded an AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating—the highest peer review rating—by Martindale-Hubbell.
Jim received his law degree from South Texas College of Law, where he served on the Law Review. He was also a member of numerous varsity moot court and mock trial teams, winning tournaments at the regional and national levels, and receiving Best Individual Oral Advocate honors at the TYLA State Moot Court Competition.
Notable Representations
- CEO of Southern Union Company (“Southern Union”), a major natural gas pipeline company, as defendant in suits brought in Delaware and Texas by shareholders alleging, among other things, breach of fiduciary duty in connection with negotiations relating to the company’s multibillion dollar merger. This action is pending.
- CrossCountry Energy, LLC (“CCE”), as plaintiff in an action brought in Delaware against a major energy corporation and its subsidiary (“Defendants”) seeking a declaratory judgment that the Defendants did not have a right of first refusal to pipeline assets included in CCE’s multibillion dollar merger. Obtained an agreed judgment declaring that Defendants had no right of first refusal to the pipeline assets at issue.
- Southern Union, as defendant in a Delaware action relating to claims brought by a major energy corporation (“Third-Party Plaintiff”) that: (i) the Third-Party Plaintiff was entitled to a right of first refusal to key assets involved in the merger of CCE with a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, L.L.P. (“CCE Merger”); and (ii) Southern Union is liable to the Third-Party Plaintiff for alleged breach of a capital stock agreement and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing in connection with the CCE Merger. Obtained an agreed judgment denying all relief sought by the Third-Party Plaintiff and declaring that the Third-Party Plaintiff had no right of first refusal concerning the assets at issue.
- Florida Gas Transmission Company, LLC (“FGT”), a major natural gas pipeline operator, as plaintiff in a products liability action seeking millions of dollars in damages from the manufacturer of components used in a pipeline expansion project which FGT contended were defective. Obtained a confidential settlement.
- Hoechst Celanese Corporation, a major chemicals and plastics corporation manufacturer, as defendant in a suit brought in federal court in Houston, Texas alleging violations of civil RICO and numerous common law torts and seeking billions of dollars in damages. Obtained a complete dismissal with prejudice of all of plaintiffs’ claims and successfully defended the dismissal on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.
- Celanese Corporation, a major chemicals and plastics manufacturer, as defendant in a suit asserting federal and state claims of alleged unlawful discrimination, unlawful retaliation, and defamation. Obtained a complete dismissal with prejudice of all of plaintiff’s claims and successfully defended the dismissal on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
- DraftWorldwide, Inc. (“Draft Worldwide”), a global marketing agency, as plaintiff in a suit to recoup several hundred thousand dollars in fees relating to DraftWorldwide’s creation of an advertising campaign for a major petrochemical company. Obtained a settlement constituting the full amount of the outstanding fees plus attorneys’ fees.
- Armstrong World Industries, Inc., a major residential and commercial flooring products company, as defendant in a suit asserting nationwide class action tort and statutory claims relating to alleged product defects. Obtained a final judgment denying class certification, effectively terminating the case.
- Hoechst Celanese Corporation and Hoechst Celanese Chemical Group, Inc., major chemical and plastics manufacturers, as defendants in a suit asserting nationwide class action claims relating to alleged violations of the Lanham Act, civil RICO, and common law torts. Obtained a complete dismissal with prejudice of all of plaintiffs’ claims and successfully defended the dismissal on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court.
- CNA Holdings, Inc., a major chemical and plastics corporation, as plaintiff in an adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court for contribution and indemnity against a manufacturer of plastic plumbing. Obtained a confidential settlement.
Representative Appellate Decisions
- Summit Props., Inc., et al. v. CNA Holdings, Inc., et al., 214 F.3d 556 (5th Cir. 2000), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 1132 (2001)
- Richard v. Hoechst Celanese Chem. Group, Inc., 355 F.3d 345 (5th Cir. 2003), cert. denied, 125 S. Ct. 46 (2004)
- Garrett v. Celanese Corp., No 03-11033, 2004 WL 1418772 (5th Cir. June 22, 2004)
Professional Honors
- Thomson Reuters' Texas Super Lawyers “Rising Star” in litigation, Texas Monthly magazine, 2007
- Houston Young Lawyer Association’s “Outstanding Young Lawyer of Houston” Award, 2005
- President’s Award for Outstanding Service to HYLA, 2001-2002
- President’s Award for Outstanding HYLA Committee Chair, 1999-2000
- Outstanding Male Graduate Award, South Texas College of Law, 1995
- Dean’s Outstanding Student Advocate Award, South Texas College of Law, 1995
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Related Information
Education
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South Texas College of Law
(J.D., Phi Delta Phi, Order of Barristers, 1995)
Assistant Articles Editor, Law Review
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University of Houston
(B.A., 1992)
Court Admissions
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U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas, 1996
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U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, 1999
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U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas, 1999
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U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, 1999
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U.S. Supreme Court, 2000
Associations / Memberships
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