Jennifer Evans Morris
Partner
Business Litigation, Securities and Director and Officer Litigation, Major Construction, Real Estate Litigation
Phone: 214-855-3044
Direct Fax: 214-758-3744
Email: jmorris@ccsb.com
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Ms. Morris helps clients solve difficult and complex issues in a wide array of areas. Ms. Morris has trial experience in both state and federal court and in arbitrations. In addition to handling general commercial litigation matters, Ms. Morris represents owners, specialty suppliers, and contractors in complex construction disputes involving delay claims, design and construction errors, cost overruns and bid disputes. Ms. Morris represents owners and manufacturers in products liability and other commercial matters. Ms. Morris also represents officers and directors of large companies in securities class actions and derivative lawsuits, breach of fiduciary duty law suits, and investigations. She also serves as special counsel for director and officer investigations.
Ms. Morris was named a “Rising Star” in business litigation by the Texas Monthly in 2004 when the award was first introduced and has continued to receive that award every year since. Ms. Morris is a frequent speaker and writer on advocacy issues.
Ms. Morris recently completed her term as President of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, an organization with over 24,000 members. She is a director of the State Bar of Texas and serves on the State Bar Executive Committee. She also provides leadership to a variety of community organizations, including Community Partners of Dallas and the Dallas Women’s Foundation.
Representative Matters
Complex Commercial Litigation
Regularly represents national specialty supplier in a variety of litigation matters.
Represented Fortune 500 fiberoptics company in a one-week federal jury trial in connection with an asset purchase agreement dispute involving network monitoring technology.
Represented defendant in a two-week state court jury trial involving breach of an alleged real estate partnership claim and resulting in a successful defense verdict.
Assisted in representing law firm in a one-week state court jury trial involving unfair debt collection practices claims and resulting in a successful defense verdict.
Represented large public company in federal lawsuit involving breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets claims brought by former sales representative.
Represented governmental entity and its employees in federal and state lawsuits involving breach of covenant not-to-compete, misappropriation of trade secrets, and breach of fiduciary duty claims.
Represented large insurance company in class actions in 13 different states challenging insurance industry
practices relating to the premiums for complex workers compensation insurance.
Construction
Represented a national specialty supplier against governmental entities and general contractors in a water treatment facility multi-million dollar construction dispute.
Represented national specialty supplier in Harris and Bexar counties concerning breach of contract claims.
Obtained favorable result representing national specialty supplier in Maryland state court in connection with dispute concerning airport terminal construction and baggage handling system.
Represented large international client in defending over $80 million in claims brought under Mexican law by, among other parties, a Mexican governmental entity, arising from a gas turbine failure and involving protracted jurisdictional challenges and international discovery in three countries over several years.
Obtained favorable result representing national specialty supplier and contractor in subcontractor dispute involving revocation of bid post-award.
Obtained favorable result representing national specialty supplier and contractor in subcontractor dispute involving fire damage due to improper electrical wiring.
Represented luxury high-rise condominium owner in defamation claim against local real estate agent in connection with construction of condominiums.
Director and Officer Litigation and Investigation
Represented national banking firm in a two-week FINRA arbitration.
Represented former CEO of one of the world’s leading industrial suppliers of pumps, valves, seals, automation and services to the power, oil, gas, chemical and other industries in a securities class action.
Represented former director of major non-profit hospital in adversary proceeding brought by trustee alleging breach of fiduciary duty claims in connection with service on the hospital’s Board of Directors prior to bankruptcy.
Investigated former officers and directors of large telecom company on behalf of creditors’ committee after company filed Chapter 11.
Represented outside directors in high-profile option backdating derivative litigation in state and federal courts in Texas and Delaware.
Education
Southern Methodist University
J.D., Order of the Coif,
magna cum laude, 1999
Managing Editor: SMU Law Review
Southern Methodist University
B.A., 1994
Associations/Affiliations
Fellow: Texas Bar Foundation.
Founding Life Fellow: Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Foundation
Member: American Bar Association Litigation Section and Forum Committee on the Construction Industry
Executive Committee and Board of Directors: State Bar of Texas
Immediate Past-President: Texas Young Lawyers Association
Member: Dallas Bar Association Securities and Construction Sections
Speeches/Publications
Frequent Panelist, The Justice James A. Baker Guide to the Basics of Law Practice, 2010-2011.
Monthly President's Column, Texas Bar Journal, June 2010-May 2011.
Board of Editors, Texas Bar Journal, June 2009-May 2010.
Keynote Speaker, Texas Weslyan School of Law Leadership Academy, August 2010.
Becoming the Go-To Lawyer, Commercial & Business Litigation, Vol. 11 No. 2, Spring 2010.
Panelist, Voting Rights Act, 1975: the Cases and the History of the Vote, 21st Century Chicano Activist Convention, 2009.
Panelist, What Every Young Lawyer should Know About Discovery, 2009.
Co-author, Where We Are Now With Women and Minority Business Enterprise Programs, The Construction Lawyer, 2009.
Co-author of Presentation Materials for ABA Forum on the Construction Industry’s Fall Meeting: Women, Minorities and Diversity in Construction: Local and National Trends and A Changed Landscape, 2008.
Course Director and Panelist, State Bar of Texas Crossroads – Mapping Out the Rest of Your Career, 2006.
Co-author, Examining Collectibility of the Underlying Trial (Within a Trial), ABA Litigation Section Committee on Com. & Bus. Litig. J., 2006.
Co-author, Professional Liability, in the SMU Law Review's Texas Survey, 2007-2010.
Co-author, Civil Evidence in the SMU Law Review’s Texas Survey, 2003-2006.
Co-author, Personal Torts in the SMU Law Review’s Texas Survey, 2001-2002.
Community Involvement
2012-2015 Board of Directors, Dallas Women's Foundation
2003-Present Executive Committee and Board of Trustees, Community Partners of Dallas
1999-Present Member, Attorneys Serving the Community
2007-2010 Barrister, Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court
2005-2007 Co-Chair, Attorneys Serving the Community
2001-2002 Associate, Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court
Bar Involvement
2009-Present: Board of Directors, State Bar of Texas
2004-Present: Board of Directors, Texas Young Lawyers Association: 2006-2007: Co-author and Developer of Emmy award-winning film They Had a Dream Too – Young Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement; 2004-2008: committee co-chair of numerous committees, including Local Affiliates, Member Services and Outreach, Law-Focused Education, and Annual Meeting
2004-Present Board of Directors (ex officio), Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
2009-2010 President, Texas Young Lawyers Association
2007-2008 Secretary, Texas Young Lawyers Association
Awards and Achievements
2007 Nominee for American Bar Association Young Lawyer Division National Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award
2004-2012 Texas Lawyer Rising Star in Business Litigation
2005-2008 President’s Award of Merit, Texas Young Lawyers Association
