Jason E. Williams is a commercial trial lawyer with a focus on energy, corporate fiduciary and securities, and construction litigation. He has first-chair trial and arbitration experience. He has also argued as lead counsel before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before attending law school, Jason worked for four years as a mechanical engineer in the manufacturing and construction industries.
Representative Experience
Education
Honors & Awards
Employment
Speeches & Publications
Professional Affiliations
Civic Involvement
Admissions
Career Highlights
Houston, Texas 77019
713-524-8811
F 713-583-8341
bowslaw.com
Jason E. Williams : Partner
713-452-2611
E: jwilliams@bowslaw.com
Jason E. Williams is a commercial trial lawyer with a focus on energy, corporate fiduciary and securities, and construction litigation. He has first-chair trial and arbitration experience. He has also argued as lead counsel before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before attending law school, Jason worked for four years as a mechanical engineer in the manufacturing and construction industries.
Representative Experience
Corporate Fiduciary
Defense of Oil Field Services Company in Fiduciary Duty Litigation
Petroleum Products Trading Company Shareholder Oppression and Fiduciary Duty Litigation
Fuel Oil Trading Company Shareholder Oppression and Fiduciary Duty Litigation
Securities
Recovery of Losses for Investor in Municipal-Bond Mutual Fund Arbitration
Energy and Technology
Trial for Drilling Contractor
Defense of downhole tool manufacturer
Commercial Real Estate, Finance, and Banking
Defense of $12,000,000 Fraudulent Inducement Claims Regarding Commercial Property
Trade Secrets, Noncompetes, and Executive Compensation
Dismissal of Theft of Trade Secrets and Tortious Interference Claims
Judgment Against Competitor that Claimed Theft of Trade Secrets
Tort and Policyholder
Construction
Representation of Municipal Utility District Against Engineering Firm
Representation of Pipeline Owner in Construction Matters
Representation of Commercial Developer Against Surveyor
Representation of Owner Against Construction Lender and Contractor
Defense of a Bank Against Claims of Undisclosed Construction Defects
Education
- J.D., magna cum laude, University of Houston Law Center, 2004
- Order of the Coif
- Houston Law Review, Articles Editor
- Order of the Barons
- B.A., Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, 1997
Honors & Awards
- Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2021-2025
- Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters Legal, 2020-2024
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2024-2025
Employment
Before joining Bissinger, Oshman, Williams & Strasburger LLP, Jason was a Senior Associate with Fulbright & Jaworski LLP.
Speeches & Publications
- Co-speaker and co-author, “Why Didn’t You Tell Someone? – A Review of Good and Bad Quality Assurance/Quality Control Case Studies,” ABA Forum on the Construction Industry Annual Meeting, February 2012, Houston, Texas
- Co-presenter, “Dealing with Code Upgrade Coverage Issues,” presented at the WIND Texas Symposium, Houston, Texas, April 2009
- Co-presenter, “Construction Contracts 101,” presented at the Annual Conference of the Association of Water Board Directors, San Antonio, Texas, July 2008
- “Republican Party of Minnesota v. White Threatens Judicial Impartiality in Texas,” 41 Houston Law Review 202 (2004)
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association (Member, Litigation and Construction Sections)
- Federal Bar Association
- Houston Bar Association
- Securities Litigation and Arbitration Section, Chair (2017) Construction Law Section; Oil and Gas Section; LegalLine Committee, Co-Chair (2005)
- Houston Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- State Bar of Texas, Member
- Antitrust and Business Litigation; Business Law; Construction Law; Litigation Section; Oil, Gas, and Energy Resources Law
Civic Involvement
- Houston Achievement Place, Board of Directors (2011 – present)
- Bayou Breakfast Club, Member (2009 – present)
- Houston Racquet Club (Member 2012-present)
Admissions
- State Bar of Texas
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Westerm District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Career Highlights
Corporate Fiduciary and Securities
- Defended oilfield supply company against claims of aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duty and fraud and theft of trade secrets brought by publicly traded oilfield service company alleging $65 million in damages. We defended the case by attacking the plaintiff’s own internal controls and accounting practices, drawing upon our substantial knowledge of internal controls over financial reporting and public company accounting rules. We were able to obtain a good settlement before trial and before the plaintiff obtained a substantial verdict against the remaining co-defendants.
- Represented minority shareholder, who was also an executive vice president, in direct and derivative claims for breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract against shareholders and directors of wholesale marketer of refined petroleum products located in Georgia. The case settled after we defeated the defendants’ motion to dismiss after extensive briefing.
- Represented Trustee in FINRA arbitration concerning unsuitability of municipal bond funds. Case settled favorably before final hearing.
- Defended majority shareholder of marine services company in dispute with minority shareholder claiming shareholder oppression and breach of fiduciary. Due to our aggressive strategy, our client bought out the minority shareholder’s interest for less than fair market value.
- Represented minority shareholder of an oil trading company in suit against majority shareholders involving shareholder oppression and breach of fiduciary. The case settled favorably the day after the court granted our motion for partial summary judgment. (as lead associate at prior firm)
- Defended investor in publicly-held company in private securities litigation alleging a pump-and-dump and fraud. (as lead associate at prior firm)
Construction
- We represented owners in lawsuit in Montgomery County, Texas against their general contractor for construction defects and their construction lender for breach of a financing agreement for failing to administer the construction draw process. We obtained $1.2 million arbitration award and judgment, including damages, forgiveness of debt, and attorney’s fees. We defeated the lender’s attempts to appeal the case to both the Beaumont Court of Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court. We obtained full satisfaction of the judgment against the lender after we obtained the appointment of a post-judgment receiver and froze the lender’s assets.
- Represented municipal utility district seeking damages against an engineering firm for the faulty design of a detention pond that led to sidewall failure. We obtained a settlement for above insurance policy limits.
- Defended bank in suit alleging construction defects seeking $10 Million. The case settled for nominal amount shortly before trial after we uncovered some irregularities in the plaintiff’s financials.
- Represented major pipeline company in claims related to cost-overruns and defective pipe during construction of interstate large-diameter natural gas pipeline. (at prior firm)
- Represented major pipeline company in claims against contractor related to the failure of large-diameter natural gas pipeline. The case involved issues related to welding quality and an investigation by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. (as lead associate at prior firm)
- Represented utility company in a $24 million arbitration concerning EPC contract for the expansion of an existing power plant in Alaska. (at prior firm)
- Represented integrated oil and gas company in construction dispute involving multinational EPC contract for modifications of two oil refineries. (at prior firm)
- Represented municipal utility district seeking damages for design and construction of a defective detention pond that suffered a sidewall failure. We obtained a favorable seven figure settlement on the eve of trial. (as lead associate at prior firm)
- Represented numerous municipal utility districts in court proceedings and arbitrations concerning construct defects, performance and payment bonds, and other payment disputes.
Energy
- Defended oil trading firm against claims of tortious interference and theft of trade secrets. The plaintiff dismissed the case after we filed our Motion to Dismiss under the Texas Anti-SLAPP statute.
- Represented oil broker in buyout of his minority interest in his trading firm.
- Represented oil and gas services company defending breach of warranty claims for loss of a hole and drilling delays due to allegedly defective downhole directional measurement tool. Case settled favorably after our summary judgment hearing.
- Represented non-destructive testing and inspection company against competitor’s claim of tortious interference and theft of trade secrets. Obtained dismissal of all of competitor’s claims and subsequently obtained judgment against competitor in Judge Sim Lake’s court for $2.1 million.
- Represented limiter partner in dispute against operator concerning well operations and joint interest billings.
- Represented major natural gas pipeline operator in contract dispute with customer concerning force majeure event. (as lead associate at prior firm)
Other Disputes
- Represented landlord in trial over breach of lease. Obtained judgment awarding rent and attorney’s fees in landlord’s favor.
- Represented lender in alleged wrongful foreclosure case. The federal district court granted our motion to dismiss and the plaintiff then moved in the United States Fifth Circuit for an emergency motion for stay, which we defeated. The plaintiff subsequently dismissed its case.
- Represented major insurance companies in first-party coverage disputes involving D&O insurance, employment practices liability insurance, and property and casualty insurance. (as lead associate at prior firm)
- Tried, as first-chair prosecutor, 14 jury trials for the City of Houston.