Michael E. “Mike” Jones

Practice Description

Mike Jones tries lawsuits in state and federal courts, emphasizing in intellectual property litigation, oil and gas litigation and commercial litigation. His trial experience is broad and extensive. He has tried cases involving patent infringement and patent invalidity, antitrust, lender liability, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, trust and estate issues, construction disputes, attorney malpractice, medical malpractice, and personal injury. He has successfully tried cases to juries for both plaintiffs and defendants.

His $41 million dollar judgment for a plaintiff in a patent infringement case was reported in the Top Ten Texas Verdicts and Settlements for 2004 by Verdict Search Texas. He has tried patent cases that resulted in noninfringement verdicts and invalidity verdicts for defendants in both the Tyler Division and Marshall Division of the Eastern District of Texas. Additionally, he served as lead counsel in one of the largest trust and estate cases ever filed in East Texas, and successfully resolved the case for the target defendant.

In publications, he has been designated as a “go to” lawyer for numerous Fortune 500 Companies in the area of intellectual property litigation and he has been designated by Texas Lawyer as a “Super Lawyer” each of the past ten years.

Cases of Note

• Halliburton v. Smith – Obtained plaintiff’s jury verdict in patent case for Halliburton which was noted as a Top Ten Verdict by Verdict Search Texas
• Mitchell v. Intel – Obtained summary judgment of no liability in a patent case for defendant Intel
• MyMail v. America Online, Inc., et al – Obtained summary judgment in a patent case of no liability for defendant
• Hybrid, Inc. v. Charter – Obtained complete defense jury verdict on four Hybrid patents relating to high speed data networking
• VirnetX v. Cisco – Obtained complete defense jury verdict on VirnetX’s four VPN-related patents
• ESN, LLP v. Cisco – Obtained summary judgment of no liability in a patent case for defendant Cisco
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) v. Intel – On the eve of closing arguments, obtained a favorable settlement for defendant Intel concerning wide-ranging patent claims
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) v. Broadcom, et al –Assisted a joint defense group of wireless chip manufacturers in defending wide-ranging patent claims. The case was settled favorably on the eve of trial.
• Bedrock v. Google – Obtained a favorable jury verdict for Google in a patent case
• Eolas Technologies v. Google, et al – Obtained a defense jury verdict for Google in a case where the plaintiff asserted broad internet patents
• Stragent v. Intel – Obtained complete defense jury verdict on Stragent’s processor patent on both infringement and invalidity issues
• Google v. Beneficial – Obtained jury verdict and judgment against patent holding company for breach of contractual agreement and conducted post judgment discovery to collect judgment
• ContentGuard v. Samsung – Obtained complete defense jury verdict in patent case for Samsung
• Elkhart Independent School District v. Lakeview Methodist Assembly – Defended Lakeview Methodist Assembly from suit by governmental authorities denying the encampment’s tax-exempt status. The jury found that the whole encampment was an actual place of worship and upheld Lakeview’s exemption
• In re Estate of Watson Wise – Successful resolution by settlement of one of the largest fiduciary and estate suits ever filed in East Texas
• Q. Carmichael v. First National Bank of Athens – Obtained a complete defense jury verdict for defendant bank in Van Zandt County, Texas
• Tatum Cellular Company v. Verizon Wireless – Obtained a favorable settlement for defendant Verizon Wireless immediately before jury argument in a suit involving claims of millions of dollars in damages for breach of fiduciary statutes
• Michael Smith v. Buford Television – Obtained favorable settlement during trial for defendant in case involving defamation, malicious prosecution and antitrust claims
• Hafeman v. LG Electronics – Obtained verdict of no infringement and of invalidity on all patents
• ResMan v. Karya Property Management – Obtained verdict of tortious contractual interference, gross negligence, misappropriation of trade secrets, lost profits damages, unjust enrichment damages and exemplary damages

Professional Background

• Named a Texas Super Lawyer as published in Texas Super Lawyers Edition/Texas Monthly Magazine, 2004 – 2024
• Designated as a “go to” lawyer for Fortune 500 Companies in patent litigation by publications
• Board Certified, Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1983;
Recertified in 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018
• AV® Preeminent Peer Review Rating for Very High Ethical Standards and Legal Ability from Martindale-Hubbell
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Past Chairman of the District 2A Grievance Committee for the State Bar of Texas
• Past Chairman of the Smith County Bench/Bar Committee
• Past President of the Smith County Bar Association
• Texas Association of Defense Counsel
• Defense Research Institute, Inc.

Educational Background

• J.D., Baylor Law School, cum laude, 1977
  Achievements and Activities:
  – Notes and Comments Editor, Baylor Law Review, 1976-1977
  – Recipient of the Nat Harris Award, 1977
  – Recipient of the William J. Boswell Award, 1976
• B.B.A., Baylor University, magna cum laude, 1975

Licensed & Admitted to Practice

• Supreme Court of the United States of America
• United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
• United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
• State Courts in the State of Texas

Speaking and Writing

Mr. Jones has taught in a number of areas. His work for newspapers and television stations led him to teach in the area of media law.  He taught Mass Media Law at the University of Texas at Tyler.

He has served as a lecturer and faculty member for State Bar of Texas Continuing Legal Education programs (such as the Advanced Civil Trial Law Seminar and Federal Court Practice.)  He has served, repeatedly, as a faculty member of the American Law Institute of the American Bar Association’s “Trial of a Patent Case.”  Further, he has served as a speaker at seminars presented by the Eastern District of Texas Bar Association, SMU School of Law, Oklahoma Bar Association and other such organizations with regard to such topics as patent litigation, eDiscovery and legal ethics.

Community Involvement

• Governor George W. Bush and Governor Rick Perry Appointee and past Chairman of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
• Governor George W. Bush appointee to the 1995 and 1999 Texas Inaugural Committee
• Past President of Board of Trustees, All Saints Episcopal School
• Past President of Heart of Tyler
• Past President of Historic Tyler, Inc.
• Past Chairman of Deacon Board of Green Acres Baptist Church
• Delegate to Republican National Convention and various offices and positions for the Republican Party of the State of Texas

Personal

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Mr. Jones grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of a lawyer. After graduating from law school, he joined the oldest law firm in Tyler, Texas – then known as Potter, Guinn, Minton and Dickerson where he has practiced his entire career. He met his wife, the former Pamela K. Wood, also a former Baylor University student, in Tyler. They have two grown children and three grandchildren.