Ware Jackson is proud to announce that six of our partners have been recognized by Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters publication, as Texas Super Lawyers in 2026. Only 5% of Texas attorneys are selected in a multi-phase process based on peer recognition and professional achievement. This year’s Super Lawyer honorees are Don Jackson, Tim Lee, Eileen O’Neill, Paul Smith, Dennis Barrow, and Ferg McNiel. Additionally, partner, Avery Sheppard and associate, Simone Dawson, have been recognized as one of the 2026 Texas Rising Stars. Less than 2.5% of Texas attorneys are selected for this honor.

Avery Sheppard, Margaret Bryant, and Jordan Parker secured a complete defense verdict for their client after a week-long jury trial in the 96^th Judicial District Court of Tarrant County, Texas. The plaintiffs alleged that construction activities undertaken by Ware Jackson’s client, a residential real estate developer, altered the flow of surface and subsurface water on their neighboring property. They sued for violations of the Texas Water Code, trespass, intentional nuisance, negligence, and gross negligence, and sought millions of dollars for alleged damage to structures, loss of property value, mental anguish, and punitive damages.  After a week-long trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of Ware Jackson’s client, finding that the plaintiffs were 100% negligent and suffered no damages.

Ware Jackson recovered over six million dollars for a residential developer after construction of a wastewater treatment plant was delayed for over a year. Ware Jackson sued the general contractor and its surety in state court in Comal County, Texas, and the general contractor named four subcontractors as third-party defendants. Liability was heavily contested and the litigation required dozens of depositions, hundreds of thousands of pages of document production, and extensive dispositive briefing. Despite disputed insurance coverage and a liquidated damages provision that defendants argued limited recoverable damages to less than half a million dollars, Ware Jackson’s aggressive litigation strategy resulted in a recovery of $6.2 million that exceeded the total amount of the surety bond for the project. The Ware Jackson team included Dennis Barrow, Avery Sheppard, and Jordan Parker.