Benchmark Litigation, a global guide focused exclusively on litigation, has ranked Jackson Walker as a recommended firm for dispute resolution in the United States. Additionally, Charles L. Babcock, John K. Edwards, Retta A. Miller, Jeffrey Oldham, and Paul Watler were recognized as “Litigation Stars.”

Each year, Benchmark Litigation conducts interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists, and their clients to gather information about recent casework and professional opinions on lawyers and firms in their given jurisdiction or practice area. The feedback provided during the interviews is used to identify firms and litigators who handle complex, high-stakes cases and who are consistently recommended within the business and legal communities.

Meet Chip

Charles L. Babcock is a nationally recognized trial and appellate attorney focused on bet-the-company litigation, First Amendment litigation, commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation, government investigations, media litigation, and appellate litigation. Outside of his practice, Chip is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Law Institute, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the Litigation Counsel of America. He has also long served as a Research Fellow of CAIL and was elected as a trustee of CAIL in 2022. Over his career, Chip has received national acclaim among The Best Lawyers in America since 1991 and the Chambers USA Guide since 2006. In addition to being named one of the “25 Greatest Texas Lawyers of the Past Quarter-Century” by Texas Lawyer in 2010, he earned the Ronald D. Secrest Outstanding Trial Lawyer Award from the Texas Bar Foundation in 2016 and the Karen H. Susman Jurisprudence Award by the Anti-Defamation League Southwest Region in 2018.

Meet John

John K. Edwards is a trial lawyer focused on free speech rights under the First Amendment, media and entertainment, complex commercial and employment disputes, and government procurement. He counsels and represents non-media companies in matters affecting free speech rights, including business disparagement, tortious interference, and related speech-based claims, and alleged defamation in the workplace associated with internal investigations, alleged employee wrongdoing, employment references, and social media and blogging. He is a member of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, Media Law Resource Center’s Employment Law Committee, ABA Media, Privacy, and Defamation Law Committee Insurance Task Force, Texas Association of Broadcasters, and Texas Press Association.

Meet Retta

Retta A. Miller represents clients in civil litigation, arbitration, and appeals. She has served as lead counsel in over 30 trials and arbitrations and previously chaired Jackson Walker’s litigation section. Retta has been recognized among Benchmark Litigation’s “Top 250 Women in Litigation” in 2017, listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 2012, and named a Texas Super Lawyer for over a decade. Her leadership and advocacy have earned her the Dallas Regional Chamber’s ATHENA Award, the Maura Women Helping Women Award, and induction into the Women’s Business Enterprise Hall of Fame.

Meet Jeff

Jeffrey L. Oldham chairs Jackson Walker’s appellate section and is board-certified in civil appellate law. A former U.S. Supreme Court law clerk, Jeff has more than 20 years of experience handling appeals before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Texas, and courts nationwide. He previously served as General Counsel to Texas Governor Greg Abbott and as Counsel to the U.S. Attorney General. Jeff is recognized in the Chambers USA Guide, Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America,” The Legal 500 United States, and Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters.

Meet Paul

Paul C. Watler is a board-certified Texas civil trial lawyer widely recognized for First Amendment, media law and “bet-the-company” commercial cases. He has successfully represented numerous newspapers, television stations, media companies, websites and journalists in libel, anti-SLAPP (Texas Citizens Participation Act), public information, invasion of privacy, copyright, news gathering and commercial lawsuits. Paul’s long-standing success representing media outlets has earned him ranking in the Chambers USA Guide as one of the leading First Amendment Litigation attorneys nationwide since 2023, among The Best Lawyers in America since 1995, and as the “Go-To Lawyer” for media litigation in the Lone Star State by Texas Lawyer.

About Our Litigation Practice

Founded in 1887, Jackson Walker is the largest firm in the state with over 500 attorneys across six Texas offices, 30% of whom practice litigation. Our diverse experience covers a broad range of industry sectors and specialty practice areas and takes us into courthouses across the state and nearly every Texas county. Our trial practice also spans the U.S., as we have litigated cases in all 50 states.

Since the launch of the Texas Business Courts in September 2024, Jackson Walker has quickly established itself as one of the leading firms for high-stakes commercial litigation in this new forum. In just one year, the firm has become a top choice for parties navigating complex business disputes across the court’s five active divisions. Clients consistently turn to Jackson Walker for their expertise and proven results in handling sophisticated matters before the Texas Business Courts, further solidifying the firm’s reputation for excellence in commercial litigation.

Jackson Walker has garnered significant accolades, including as an Intimidating Opponent in BTI Consulting Group’s list of the firms “Most Feared in Litigation,” as a top Texas firm in the area of Litigation: General Commercial in the 2025 Chambers USA Guide, and among the Best Law Firms® by Best Lawyers with 26 national and 140 metropolitan rankings in the 2025 edition.

To explore the firm’s experience, visit our Trial & Appellate Litigation practice page.