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Jacobs Michelle

Michelle Jacobs

Michelle Jacobs is an experienced trial lawyer who advocates with tireless dedication, whether in writing, in the courtroom, or at any other stage of litigation. Michelle represents clients in complex commercial, intellectual property, and products liability litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country. Her experience includes breach of contract, fraud, business disparagement, products liability, false advertising, breach of warranty, trade secret, copyright, and trademark claims, among others. Michelle also co-chairs the firm’s Products Liability Litigation Practice.

Clients appreciate Michelle’s sound business judgment and commitment to helping them achieve their business goals. She has substantial courtroom experience and works proactively and aggressively to position cases for a favorable outcome.

Michelle plays a leading role in complex litigation, including:

  • Defeating a class action bid for AT&T involving claims of alleged environmental contamination and abandonment of property rights.
  • Managing products liability lawsuits throughout the nation for a large manufacturer.
  • Securing a unanimous dismissal of all claims against Halliburton Energy Services, Inc., following a two-week final arbitration hearing, in which the opposing party claimed that Halliburton misappropriated its alleged trade secrets and violated a non-disclosure agreement between the parties.
  • After 16 weeks of trial, obtaining a judgment in favor of a coalition of 88 school districts on each of their affirmative claims, which challenged the constitutionality of Texas’s school finance system. Although the Texas Supreme Court ultimately reversed the trial court’s judgment, the case was widely publicized and cast light on the current state of public education in Texas.
  • Securing a voluntary dismissal of all claims in response to motions to dismiss filed on behalf of a manufacturer of water filtration systems in a putative class action alleging breaches of warranty and false advertising.

Michelle enjoys dedicating her time to community service and pro bono work. She currently serves on the board of Genesis Young Leaders, an auxiliary of Genesis Women’s Shelter, and she leads the firm’s initiative to provide pro bono services to clients of Genesis Women’s Shelter. She served as first chair in a trial seeking asylum on behalf of a mother and her four children who faced imminent physical harm and persecution if forced to return to Sudan. At the conclusion of the trial, the woman and her four children were all granted asylum. Because of her work on this case, she was awarded the 2015 Outstanding Associate Award for the Asylum Program of Human Rights Initiative of North Texas.

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  • Defending manufacturer of water filter systems in putative class action alleging breaches of warranty and false advertising.
  • Defeated class action bid for AT&T in a suit in federal court in Houston brought by property owners alleging that AT&T telephone cable buried underneath their properties — pursuant to easements that had been granted to AT&T in the 1950s — were contaminating their properties.
  • Assisted in successful defense of copyright infringement trial brought in federal court by nationally syndicated radio show host seeking more than $13 million in damages.
  • Obtained complete dismissal of complaint claiming $200 million in damages based on alleged fraud and conspiracy resulting from transfer of valuable art collection.
  • Obtained temporary restraining order, temporary injunction, and summary judgment in favor of software company seeking to enforce non-competition agreement against former employee.
  • Represented a council of governments seeking relief funding for cities and towns victimized by Hurricane Ike.
  • Selected as an "On The Rise" honoree by Texas Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2019
  • “COVID, Premises Liability, Workplace Screening and Responding to a Positive Case,” speaker, COVID Compliance USA SafetyNow Virtual Summit, December 1, 2020.
  • "Practical Strategies to Limit Premises Liability Claims Involving COVID-19," co-author, Franchising.com, September 15, 2020. 
  • “INSIGHT: Maximizing Immunity Under the PREP Act for Covered Countermeasures,” co-author, Bloomberg Law, September 8, 2020.
  • “Recovery of Attorneys’ Fees by In-House Counsel,” co-presented to in-house counsel, June 4, 2018.
  • “Google Wins Major Copyright Battle Against Authors,” Dallas Bar Association Headnotes, February 1, 2016.
  • “Injunctive Relief Over Trade Secrets Now Easier in Texas,” co-author, Law360, February 20, 2014.
  • “Updates to the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, 2013-14,” co-author, presented at 37th Annual Advanced Civil Trial Course, 2014.
  • “2012 Year-In-Review: Copyright and Trade Secret Law,” co-author, presented at AIPLA Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., 2012.
  • “Corporate Fiduciary Duties and Shareholder Oppression in Texas,” co-author, presented at 9th Annual Advanced In-House Counsel Course in San Antonio, Texas, 2010.

Education

J.D., William & Mary Law School, 2009, William and Mary Law Review

B.A., Humanities, Brigham Young University, 2006, Minor in Management; cum laude

Admissions

Texas

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas

Publication
Gary Edwards and Michelle Jacobs in Construction Global on Autonomous Construction Vehicles
December 03, 2021

Gary Edwards and Michelle Jacobs, partners at Haynes and Boone, outline how to protect intellectual property and minimise liability Autonomous construction vehicles (ACV) can offer significant benefits in terms of safety and efficiency compared with conventional construction vehicles. There are certain intellectual property and liability issues, however, which those who develop, purchase, or leas [...]