Paul Francis has extensive first chair experience in complex business and commercial litigation and arbitration in all levels of state and federal courts. He has tried over 50 cases in court and in arbitration and has argued more than 20 cases on appeal in state and federal appellate courts.
Mr. Francis is a Fellow of the Houston Bar Foundation and a member of the Houston, Texas and American Bar Associations and the Litigation Committees of each. Mr. Francis was a panelist for the American Arbitration Association, Houston, in the years 1995-2000, and served as an arbitrator in six cases during that period.
Mr. Francis was elected by his peers to be a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, is a member of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel and has been named by Texas Monthly Magazine as a “Super Lawyer” every year from 2006 to the present.
Mr. Francis has handled numerous claims involving disputes between investors and owners of corporate, partnership and other forms of business entities and their officers and directors, derivative and dissenting shareholder cases and in fair value litigation. He has defended and attacked corporate management in suits involving alleged self-dealing, usurpation of corporate opportunities, breach of fiduciary duty and excessive compensation.
Mr. Francis has handled claims by and against operators, royalty owners, contractors and insurers of oil and gas properties, including claims involving alleged breach of joint operating agreements, bad faith pooling, negligent drilling and completion of wells, failures of down-hole tubular goods and damage to reservoirs.
Mr. Francis has handled a variety of industrial, commercial and single and multifamily residence construction cases representing owners and contractors in courts of law and in arbitration under the Rules of American Arbitration Association and CPR.
Mr. Francis has handled a wide variety of international litigation and arbitration matters, including an arbitration in Beijing, China, over goods manufactured in China; representation of foreign entities in prosecuting and defending cases in U.S. courts and arbitrations, including litigation of the extend of long arm jurisdiction of a U.S. court over a Mexican subsidiary of a large U.S. company which managed the Mexico subsidiary from Texas; obtaining discovery in other countries, including Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Europe and Trinidad; and managing litigation through local counsel in other countries, including Canada, China and Mexico.
Mr. Francis has defended financial institutions in a wide variety of matters, including lender liability suits, shareholder litigation, depositor claims, usury claims and lending and secured transaction disputes.
Mr. Francis has litigated patent, copyright, trademark and trade dress infringement cases, breach of confidentiality agreements, theft of intellectual property and has sought and resisted injunctions to enforce intellectual property rights.
Mr. Francis has defended and prosecuted claims involving buyers, sellers, investors and brokers in real estate sales, investment and development transactions, landlords and tenants of commercial and retail properties.
12/31/2011 - 2011 Super Lawyers Announced
10/14/2010 - 2010 "Super Lawyers" Announced
6/17/2010 - Think That The Deepwater Horizon Accident Won’t Affect Your Company?