John Turner

John Turner is a trial lawyer with proven results representing plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation across the United States. He has led clients to successful outcomes in disputes ranging from intellectual property to fiduciary claims to high-profile public interest litigation.

During his 24-year litigation career, John has represented clients in a wide variety of industries, from semiconductor manufacturing to telecommunications to energy to financial services. John handles matters in state court, in federal court, and in arbitration. He also has served as the co-chair of the firm’s Trade Secret Litigation Practice Group.

A few highlights of John’s courtroom and arbitration successes include:

• Serving as lead counsel in a precedent-setting two-week jury trial in Dallas County – a trade secrets misappropriation case in the oil and gas industry, in which the jury awarded damages to John’s client in the exact amount requested. The court also entered a permanent injunction against the misappropriating parties.
• Serving as lead counsel for a major oilfield services company in an arbitration in which the claimant alleged that the company had misappropriated technology related to water treatment in hydraulic fracking. The claimant sought $300 million in damages. After a two-week evidentiary hearing, a three-arbitrator panel found that John’s client did not misappropriate any technology and awarded zero damages.
• Representing a coalition of 88 Texas school districts in landmark litigation related to the adequacy of the school finance system in Texas. After trial, in which John examined nine witnesses and gave closing argument, the district court ruled in favor of the school districts, finding that the system had evolved into an unconstitutional state property tax and did not provide funding sufficient to meet constitutional standards. While the Texas Supreme Court reversed the trial court’s judgment in part, the case influenced subsequent policy discussions about public education in Texas, and the Texas Legislature ultimately implemented significant changes to the system.
• Serving as part of a trial team in winning claims of theft of semiconductor trade secrets on behalf of a major global semiconductor manufacturer.
• Representing the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System in cases related to the system’s efforts to improve its long-term financial stability.
• Representing more than 30 Texas cities, including Dallas and Houston, challenging the proposed construction of a number of new coal-fired power plants across Texas.

In every litigation matter, John emphasizes a few basic practices: presenting the law and the facts clearly, focusing on the core issues, communicating effectively with the client about strategies and objectives, and maintaining credibility with the decision-maker. In John’s experience, the strongest representation is fully compatible with high standards of ethics and professionalism.

John has also made room in his career for public service and civic involvement. He previously served in the Texas Legislature and was the State Representative for House District 114 in Dallas from 2019 through 2022, before electing not to run for a third term. In the House, he served on the Appropriations, Environmental Regulation, Higher Education, County Affairs, and General Investigating Committees. He received special recognition for his legislation on behalf of Texas first responders and teachers. John also serves as a member of the board of EducateDallas and is a member of the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Education and Workforce Committee. 

John currently serves as an adjunct professor at the SMU Dedman School of Law and teaches a class on the Texas Legislative Process. John has conducted numerous CLE presentations, including one in 2023 related to the new Business Court and the issues that it raises for attorneys and businesses in Texas.

John grew up in the small east Texas town of Crockett and graduated from Crockett High School. He received degrees from Harvard College and Yale Law School, where he won the Thurman Arnold Prize as the best oral advocate in the school’s moot court competition. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable Lee H. Rosenthal of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Before joining Haynes Boone in 2008, John was a partner in the Dallas office of Susman Godfrey, LLP.