JAY OLD

PartnerJAY OLD

Bio

Ask Jay about his favorite experience as a lawyer and he will tell you about the time his opponent came to him after a week-long arbitration and said: “I wish you were my lawyer!” Or the times he has participated in free legal clinics helping veterans and underprivileged solving their legal problems. He’ll also proudly tell you about traveling the country to promote and educate others on the importance of our civil jury system. To Jay, being a lawyer is more than just handling lawsuits for a living.

Jay’s practice has been varied and granted him the opportunity to work with, and against, some of the most seasoned, highly regarded lawyers in the country. He has successfully handled challenging litigation in “Judicial Hellholes” with lead roles in personal injury, medical negligence, product liability, construction, and insurance coverage litigation.

Jay is a former President of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel, the largest state-wide defense lawyer organization in the country. Jay chaired the Construction Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and served on numerous task forces appointed by both the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Supreme Court. He has earned an AV Rating by Martindale-Hubbell, is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialist, a member of ABOTA, a Fellow in the Texas Bar Foundation and is an active member in DRI and the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (“FDCC”).

Jay ran for election to the United States Congress in the race to replace Ron Paul in the 14th Congressional District in Texas. He currently serves on the Board of Sky High For Kids, a non-profit raising money for cancer-stricken children and their families.

Jay has served on the University of Virginia Parents’ Committee Executive Committee, the board of St. Stephens Episcopal School, the Advisory Board of Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, as well as the Symphony of Southeast Texas. He has served numerous other civic organizations, including the Rotary Club of Beaumont and the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce. Jay’s daughter graduated from the University of Virginia in 2016 and then Duke Unversity’s Fuqua School of Business, and lives in New York, New York. His son, an Eagle Scout, is a 2019 graduate of the University of Virginia Engineering School and lives in Midland, Texas.

Practice Emphasis

Education

  • JD, 1988, magna cum laude, Texas Tech University School of Law, Order of the Coif, Note Editor, Texas Tech Law Review, Board of Barristers
  • BS, 1985, cum laude, Political Science, Texas A&M University

Honors & Distinctions

  • Board Certified, Personal Injury Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • “Super Lawyer”, Texas Monthly (2005-Present)
  • Benchmark Litigation Star (2024)
  • Recognized in Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America (2023-2024)
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America (2020-2024)
  • Served on the Planning Committee for the 2016 Advanced Civil Trial program sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, where he spoke on the topic of Appraisal in Insurance Cases
  • Top 100 Lawyers in Southeast Texas (2015)

Professional Memberships

  • Texas Association of Defense Counsel (President, 2007)
  • DRI- The Defense Research Institute (Texas State Representative)
  • Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC)
  • American Board of Trial Advocates
  • Texas Bar Foundation, Life Fellow
  • Past Chair, Fellows Nominating Committee for District 03
  • Litigation Counsel of America (Charter Member)
  • Supreme Court Task Force to Expand Legal Services Delivery (2006-2007)
  • State Bar of Texas
    • Chair, Construction Law Section (2010 – 2011)
    • Vice Chair, Council of Chairs (2011- 2012)
    • Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee (2009 – 18)
    • Court Rules Committee (2005 – 2008)
    • Court Administration Task Force (2008)
    • Ethics and Professionalism Committee
    • Equal Access to Justice Commission (2006 – 2007)
  • Jefferson County Bar Association (Director, 2005 – 2006)
  • College of the State Bar
  • Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Legislative Committee
  • Rotary Club of Beaumont

Board Certifications

  • Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Representative Cases

In In re City of Dickinson, 568 S.W.3d 642 (Tex. 2019), a first-impression case, the Texas Supreme Court followed Jay’s arguments and found that parties do not waive their attorney-client privilege when naming themselves (or their employees) as expert witnesses.

In another matter of first impression in Texas, the Houston 1st Court of Appeals ruled in favor of our client in Texas Windstorm Insurance Association v. Randy Jones, Cause No. 01-16-00385-CV, interpreting the meaning of what is an “accepted” insurance claim under the Texas Insurance Code. The Court found that a claim acceptance which did not limit the items accepted by its terms accepted all damage which could have been claimed by the insured, precluding litigation under the 2013 amendments to the Insurance Code commonly known as “HB3.”

The Beaumont Court of Appeals affirmed a significant jury verdict and judgment entered in a breach of contract lawsuit brought on behalf of our client, Way Service, Ltd., in MeadWestvaco Corporation v. Way Service, Ltd., No. 09-15-0014-CV. This case involved a claim that MeadWestvaco had failed to properly pay Way Service regarding the repair and maintenance of over 600 air conditioning units at a paper mill in Evadale, Texas. Way Service not only prevailed on its breach of contract claim, but also on a counterclaim for over $1 million. The court also affirmed an award of attorney’s fees, addressing issues of segregation between breach of contract and quantum meruit causes of action.