Skip to content
James Leader, Jr.
James Leader, Jr.
Counsel — Commercial & Business Litigation
Counsel — Commercial & Business Litigation

James Leader, Jr.

James Leader, Jr.
Houston

Texas Tower
845 Texas Avenue
Suite 4700
Houston, Texas 77002

James Leader, Jr.

Experience Highlights

  • (E.D. La.; W.D. La.) — Defending an international mining company against environmental claims brought by the state of Louisiana involving the erosion of the Louisiana coast

  • (AAA Arbitration) — Representing an international oil and gas production and exploration company in an arbitration related to an indemnity dispute arising from extensive property damage caused by a collapsed well; managed discovery efforts, deposed fact and expert witnesses, and presented and cross examined witnesses at hearing

  • (W.D. Tex.); (5th Cir.) — Took a lead role in preparing briefs that maintained an injunction that prevented the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission from enforcing unconstitutional state statutes; also took primary role in briefing before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals where the district court order was affirmed

  • (S.D. Tex.) — Defended a large global steel distributor in a six-week jury trial of claims that steel distributors and steel mills conspired to boycott new entrant in the market 

  • (10th Cir.) — Prepared Respondent’s brief in support of district court’s decision that turned on the citizenship of a master limited partnership; District court decision affirmed by the Tenth Circuit

  • (Tex. Dist. – Harris Cnty.) — Obtained partial summary judgment on behalf of private school seeking to enforce enrollment contract and took lead role in negotiating settlement that resulted in a substantial payment of attorney’s fees (deposed plaintiff and argued and briefed successful summary judgment motion) 

  • (Tex. Dist – Collin Cnty.) — Successfully domesticated a six-figure contested judgment issued by a Dutch court against Texas individuals (argued and briefed domestication motion)

  • (SEC) — Represented an energy company in a multi-year investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into allegations of impropriety in the company’s procurement group, including conflicts of interest with major vendors and an allegation of misappropriation of company assets

  • (W.D. Okla.) — Worked on team that obtained denial of plaintiff’s motion for class certification on state-wide royalty underpayment claims in Oklahoma federal court 

  • Represented multiple producers in a number of gas royalty class actions in state and federal courts in Oklahoma and Kansas, including a primary drafting role in numerous Motion to Dismiss under Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6)

Credentials

  • The University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 2012
  • Georgetown University, B.A., History (Honors) and Political Economy cum laude, 2009
  • The Best Lawyers in America© (BL Rankings, LLC), “Ones to Watch,” (Houston): Commercial Litigation, 2021–2023; Criminal Defense: White–Collar, 2022; Antitrust Law, 2023
  • Chair of the HBA Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section (2017-2018)
  • Texas
  • Southern District of Texas
  • Western District of Texas
  • Fifth and Tenth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal
  • “Tenth Circuit’s Grynberg Decision Gives Clarity in Determining Citizenship of MLPs,” V&E Energy Series E-communication, November 9, 2015 (co-author)