Jonathan R. Patton

With his extensive first-chair trial and courtroom experience,  Jon has earned the trust of clients to navigate their most challenging disputes in courts and arbitrations across the country. Jon’s career has spanned an impressive array of complex and high-stakes cases, including fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, partnership disputes, Ponzi scheme litigation, trade secrets/non-compete, executive compensation, breach of contract, products liability, oil/gas, employment claims, securities fraud, advancement/indemnification, SEC enforcement actions, and defamation. 

Jon and Jeff met when Jon moved to Dallas as a young associate and joined the litigation boutique Jeff had co-founded in the early 1990s. Right away, Jon helped Jeff pursue Lance Armstrong in a highly publicized arbitration that resulted in a $10 million award for their client. A lasting professional dynamic and friendship was born, and in 2016 Jon joined Jeff in founding the firm based on a shared vision of an elite boutique trial firm that could try any case for any client. Since then, they have carefully assembled a top-notch, specialized trial team passionate about trying and winning cases.  

For example:

• Jon led the team in pursuing two former executives for breach of fiduciary duty over $100 million bonus payments resulting in confidential settlements. 
• Jeff and Jon represented SCA Promotions, Inc. in a lawsuit against Yahoo! involving the 2014 NCAA Tournament “Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge” that led to a $5.5 million judgment for SCA. The case received significant media attention and had several high-profile depositions, including Warren Buffett and Yahoo!’s then-CEO Marissa Mayer.
• Jeff and Jon defended trade secret and non-compete claims brought against their client by a publicly traded locum tenens company that resulted in a complete walk-away the month before trial.
• Jon took the lead in representing a minority partner in a fiercely litigated business partnership dispute that included an award of advancement of their client’s attorneys’ fees affirmed by the Dallas Court of Appeals, eventually resulting in a confidential settlement for the client on the eve of trial.
• Jon and Nathaniel Buchheit have teamed up to win dismissal of several cases for their clients, including most recently fraud and fraudulent transfer claims against a company’s former CEO in federal court in Utah.