Jeff Oldham
Partner, Austin & Houston
Practice Areas
Experience
- Appellate
- Business Litigation
- Class Action
- Energy Litigation
Jeff “is a brilliant appellate lawyer.”
— Chambers USA Guide, 2024
Biography
Jeff Oldham chairs Jackson Walkerâs appellate section. Â He is a Texas-based appellate lawyer with a distinguished record of success before the United States Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Texas, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and other appellate courts across the country. Â A former U.S. Supreme Court law clerk, Jeff brings more than two decades of experience across high-stakes appeals, complex commercial litigation, and strategic counsel at both the trial and appellate levels.
Jeff has argued and won cases of national significance, including before the U.S. Supreme Court, and has handled appeals involving billions of dollars in claims. He is board-certified in appellate law and is consistently recognized as a leader in appellate advocacy, including by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and Lawdragonâs 500 Leading Litigators in America.
Jeffâs experiences prior to joining the firm include serving at the highest levels of state and federal government.  He served for over three years as General Counsel to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, managing all litigation involving the Governorâs office and advising on a wide range of legal and policy issues. After law school, Jeff clerked for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist of the U.S. Supreme Court and for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He also served as Counsel to the United States Attorney General in the Department of Justice.
Education
- B.S.B.A., summa cum laude, University of Tulsa
- NCAA Division I tennis player
- Faculty Honor Medal (first in class)
- J.D., magna cum laude, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
- John Paul Stevens Award (first in class)
- Order of the Coif
- Coordinating Articles Editor, Northwestern University Law Review
Bar Admissions
Texas
Court Admissions
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, D.C., and Federal Circuits
- United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas
- United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
Professional Certifications
Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law
- Carl v. Hilcorp Energy Co., 2024 WL 2829245 (5th Cir.) & 689 S.W.3d 894 (Tex. 2024): Successfully defended Hilcorp Energy in a class-action lawsuit alleging underpayment of natural gas royalties. The appeal involved certified questions to the Supreme Court of Texas and resulted in a judgment for Hilcorp, shaping royalty litigation in Texas.
- In re Weatherford Intâl, LLC, 688 S.W.3d 874 (Tex. 2024): Obtained mandamus relief in the Supreme Court of Texas, resulting in dismissal of wrongful-death claims against Weatherford entities. The decision reinforced the standards for dismissing cases that are not appropriately litigated in a Texas forum.
- BMC Software, Inc. v. IBM Corp., 100 F.4th 573 (5th Cir. 2024, denied): Handled appeal involving a $1.6 billion trial-court judgment for BMC Software against IBM for claims of fraud and breach of a licensing agreement. Jeff led BMCâs appellate team in the Fifth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court and also managed legal briefing and error preservation at trial, demonstrating his ability to handle high-stakes commercial disputes from trial through appeal.
- Apache Corp. v. Apollo Exploration, LLC, 670 S.W.3d 319 (Tex. 2023): Assisted in the Supreme Court of Texas on behalf of Apache, which secured reversal of a judgment in which plaintiffs sought over $1.1 billion in damages related to a disputed asset sale.
- NGL Supply Wholesale, L.L.C. v. FERC, No. 22-90 (U.S. 2022): Successfully opposed U.S. Supreme Court review on behalf of Phillips 66 after a favorable ruling in the D.C. Circuit, defending a FERC order in a dispute over pipeline access. The outcome preserved important regulatory decisions affecting the energy sector.
- Baker Botts L.L.P. v. ASARCO LLC, 576 U.S. 121 (2015): Successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of ASARCO in a landmark case that resolved whether bankruptcy professionals could recover fees for defending their own fee applications. The Courtâs decision, in ASARCOâs favor, set a nationwide precedent impacting bankruptcy fee litigation in every federal jurisdiction.
- Equistar Chemicals, LP v. Westlake Chemical Corp., 739 F. Appâx 628 (Fed. Cir. 2018): Prevailed at trial and on appeal, on behalf of Westlake Chemical, with a non-infringement finding in a case seeking over $30 million in damages based on allegations of patent infringement relating to a process for making adhesive resins.
- Forest Oil Corp. v. El Rucio Land and Cattle Co., 518 S.W.3d 422 (Tex. 2017): Defended the confirmation of a $27 million arbitration award in an environmental contamination dispute, prevailing in both the court of appeals and the Supreme Court of Texas. The decision reinforced the enforceability of arbitration awards in Texas.
- Branzan Alt. Inv. Fund, LLP v. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co., 677 F. Appâx 496 (10th Cir. 2017): Successfully defended on appeal a major banking and trust company in a class action brought by oil and gas royalty trust unitholders, with the Tenth Circuit affirming dismissal and clarifying the nature of unitholder claims against trustees.
- Aspire Commodities LP v. GDF SUEZ Energy N.A. (ENGIE), 640 F. Appâx 358 (5th Cir. 2016): Defended GDF SUEZ on appeal in a first-of-its-kind case involving novel legal and regulatory issues in the energy sector, with the Fifth Circuit affirming dismissal of the claims against GDF SUEZ. The case was recognized as one of Law360âs Biggest Energy Rulings of 2016.
- Cardoni v. Prosperity Bank, 805 F.3d 573 (5th Cir. 2015): Prevailed in substantial part on appeal, on behalf of Prosperity Bank, from an adverse temporary-injunction ruling in a dispute with former employees over enforcement of the partiesâ non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.
- Hourani v. Mirtchev, 796 F.3d 1 (D.C. Cir. 2015): Defended the dismissal of RICO claims alleging extortion and money laundering, with the D.C. Circuit affirming dismissal and addressing significant issues regarding the extraterritorial application of RICO and the act-of-state doctrine.
- Phillips v. Carlton Energy Grp., LLC, 475 S.W.3d 265 (Tex. 2015): Successfully defended a judgment in favor of Carlton Energy in a major business dispute involving breach of and tortious interference with gas lease contracts, with the trial court ultimately signing a $50 million judgment that the Supreme Court of Texas allowed to stand.
- Funeral Consumers Alliance, Inc. v. Serv. Corp. Intâl, 695 F.3d 330 (5th Cir. 2012): Successfully defended, on behalf of SCI, the denial of class certification and dismissal of most individual claims in antitrust suit alleging damages over $1 billion.
- Chambers USA: Americaâs Leading Lawyers for Business
- Ranked for Litigation: Appellate â Texas, 2018, 2024-2025
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, Appellate, 2025
- The Legal 500 United States, Dispute Resolution â Appellate: Courts of Appeals, 2016-2018, 2023-2024
- Law360, MVP of the Year, Appellate, 2015
- Benchmark Litigation, US National Future Star, 2023-2025
- Benchmark Litigation, Texas Future Star, 2023-2025
- The Best Lawyers in America
- Appellate Practice, 2014-2018, 2024-2025
- Texas Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2013-2017, 2024
- âCan I Appeal This? Interlocutory Appeals and Mandamus,â by Warren W. Harris & Jeffrey L. Oldham, Houston Bar Association Appellate Practice Section, March 2024.
- âA Conversation with Fifth Circuit Judge Andy Oldham,â by Hon. Andrew S. Oldham & Jeffrey L. Oldham, Houston Bar Association Appellate Practice Section, July 2023.
- âPercolating Appellate Conflicts Among The Texas Appellate Courts: Challenges for Trial Advocacy,â State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Trial Course, 2017.
- âU.S. Supreme Court: Recent âBill of Rightsâ Cases and the Scalia Impact,â State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, July 2017 and State Bar of Texas 11th Annual Bill of Rights Course: Litigating the Constitution, May 2017.
- Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, Greenhill Fellow
- Texas Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow; Houston Nominating Committee, 2011-2017
- Houston Bar Association
- Board of Directors, 2022-2025
- Appellate Section: Member; Vice Chair, 2017-2018; Secretary, 2016-2017; Treasurer, 2015-2016; Council Member, 2012-2018
- Professionalism Committee, Co-Chair, 2023-2024
- The Houston Lawyer Editorial Board, 2012-2018; Associate Editor, 2017-2018
- Project TRAIN Committee, 2017-2018
- CLE Committee, Co-Chair, 2014-2015; Seminars Subcommittee Co-Chair, 2013-2014
- Houston Volunteer Lawyers, Board of Directors, 2023-2025
- Houston Lawyer Referral Service
- Board of Directors, 2012-2018
- President-Elect, 2017-2018
- Treasurer, 2015-2016, 2013-2014
- State Bar of Texas Appellate Section, CLE Committee Co-Chair, 2014-2017
- Law360 Appellate Editorial Advisory Board, 2022-2024
June 9, 2025
Attorney News
Leading Appellate Advocate Jeff Oldham Joins Jackson Walker to Chair Appellate Section
Jackson Walker is proud to announce that Jeff Oldham, one of Texasâs most accomplished appellate lawyers, has joined the firm as a partner in our Austin and Houston offices and as firmwide chair of our appellate practice.
June 9, 2025
Attorney News
Jackson Walker Hires Jeff Oldham to Lead Appellate Group | The Texas Lawbook
Today is Jeff Oldhamâs first day at Jackson Walker.
Roughly one month after adding former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht to its ranks, the firm has tapped Oldham to be the firmwide chair of its appellate section. Oldham had most recently been an appellate partner in Bracewellâs Houston office.
June 5, 2025
Spotlight
Chambers and Partners Releases 2025 USA Guide Featuring 79 Jackson Walker Attorneys and 28 Ranked Departments
Jackson Walker is pleased to announce that Chambers and Partners has selected 79 attorneys and 28 departments for inclusion in the 2025 edition of the Global and USA guides. Attorneys were ranked across 29 departments, with 4 attorneys listed among multiple areas, 9 ranked nationwide in their respective areas, and 12 recognized for the first time.
Practice Experience
- Carl v. Hilcorp Energy Co., 2024 WL 2829245 (5th Cir.) & 689 S.W.3d 894 (Tex. 2024): Successfully defended Hilcorp Energy in a class-action lawsuit alleging underpayment of natural gas royalties. The appeal involved certified questions to the Supreme Court of Texas and resulted in a judgment for Hilcorp, shaping royalty litigation in Texas.
- In re Weatherford Intâl, LLC, 688 S.W.3d 874 (Tex. 2024): Obtained mandamus relief in the Supreme Court of Texas, resulting in dismissal of wrongful-death claims against Weatherford entities. The decision reinforced the standards for dismissing cases that are not appropriately litigated in a Texas forum.
- BMC Software, Inc. v. IBM Corp., 100 F.4th 573 (5th Cir. 2024, denied): Handled appeal involving a $1.6 billion trial-court judgment for BMC Software against IBM for claims of fraud and breach of a licensing agreement. Jeff led BMCâs appellate team in the Fifth Circuit and U.S. Supreme Court and also managed legal briefing and error preservation at trial, demonstrating his ability to handle high-stakes commercial disputes from trial through appeal.
- Apache Corp. v. Apollo Exploration, LLC, 670 S.W.3d 319 (Tex. 2023): Assisted in the Supreme Court of Texas on behalf of Apache, which secured reversal of a judgment in which plaintiffs sought over $1.1 billion in damages related to a disputed asset sale.
- NGL Supply Wholesale, L.L.C. v. FERC, No. 22-90 (U.S. 2022): Successfully opposed U.S. Supreme Court review on behalf of Phillips 66 after a favorable ruling in the D.C. Circuit, defending a FERC order in a dispute over pipeline access. The outcome preserved important regulatory decisions affecting the energy sector.
- Baker Botts L.L.P. v. ASARCO LLC, 576 U.S. 121 (2015): Successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of ASARCO in a landmark case that resolved whether bankruptcy professionals could recover fees for defending their own fee applications. The Courtâs decision, in ASARCOâs favor, set a nationwide precedent impacting bankruptcy fee litigation in every federal jurisdiction.
- Equistar Chemicals, LP v. Westlake Chemical Corp., 739 F. Appâx 628 (Fed. Cir. 2018): Prevailed at trial and on appeal, on behalf of Westlake Chemical, with a non-infringement finding in a case seeking over $30 million in damages based on allegations of patent infringement relating to a process for making adhesive resins.
- Forest Oil Corp. v. El Rucio Land and Cattle Co., 518 S.W.3d 422 (Tex. 2017): Defended the confirmation of a $27 million arbitration award in an environmental contamination dispute, prevailing in both the court of appeals and the Supreme Court of Texas. The decision reinforced the enforceability of arbitration awards in Texas.
- Branzan Alt. Inv. Fund, LLP v. The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Co., 677 F. Appâx 496 (10th Cir. 2017): Successfully defended on appeal a major banking and trust company in a class action brought by oil and gas royalty trust unitholders, with the Tenth Circuit affirming dismissal and clarifying the nature of unitholder claims against trustees.
- Aspire Commodities LP v. GDF SUEZ Energy N.A. (ENGIE), 640 F. Appâx 358 (5th Cir. 2016): Defended GDF SUEZ on appeal in a first-of-its-kind case involving novel legal and regulatory issues in the energy sector, with the Fifth Circuit affirming dismissal of the claims against GDF SUEZ. The case was recognized as one of Law360âs Biggest Energy Rulings of 2016.
- Cardoni v. Prosperity Bank, 805 F.3d 573 (5th Cir. 2015): Prevailed in substantial part on appeal, on behalf of Prosperity Bank, from an adverse temporary-injunction ruling in a dispute with former employees over enforcement of the partiesâ non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.
- Hourani v. Mirtchev, 796 F.3d 1 (D.C. Cir. 2015): Defended the dismissal of RICO claims alleging extortion and money laundering, with the D.C. Circuit affirming dismissal and addressing significant issues regarding the extraterritorial application of RICO and the act-of-state doctrine.
- Phillips v. Carlton Energy Grp., LLC, 475 S.W.3d 265 (Tex. 2015): Successfully defended a judgment in favor of Carlton Energy in a major business dispute involving breach of and tortious interference with gas lease contracts, with the trial court ultimately signing a $50 million judgment that the Supreme Court of Texas allowed to stand.
- Funeral Consumers Alliance, Inc. v. Serv. Corp. Intâl, 695 F.3d 330 (5th Cir. 2012): Successfully defended, on behalf of SCI, the denial of class certification and dismissal of most individual claims in antitrust suit alleging damages over $1 billion.
Recognition & Accolades
- Chambers USA: Americaâs Leading Lawyers for Business
- Ranked for Litigation: Appellate â Texas, 2018, 2024-2025
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, Appellate, 2025
- The Legal 500 United States, Dispute Resolution â Appellate: Courts of Appeals, 2016-2018, 2023-2024
- Law360, MVP of the Year, Appellate, 2015
- Benchmark Litigation, US National Future Star, 2023-2025
- Benchmark Litigation, Texas Future Star, 2023-2025
- The Best Lawyers in America
- Appellate Practice, 2014-2018, 2024-2025
- Texas Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters, 2013-2017, 2024
Publications & Speeches
- âCan I Appeal This? Interlocutory Appeals and Mandamus,â by Warren W. Harris & Jeffrey L. Oldham, Houston Bar Association Appellate Practice Section, March 2024.
- âA Conversation with Fifth Circuit Judge Andy Oldham,â by Hon. Andrew S. Oldham & Jeffrey L. Oldham, Houston Bar Association Appellate Practice Section, July 2023.
- âPercolating Appellate Conflicts Among The Texas Appellate Courts: Challenges for Trial Advocacy,â State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Trial Course, 2017.
- âU.S. Supreme Court: Recent âBill of Rightsâ Cases and the Scalia Impact,â State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, July 2017 and State Bar of Texas 11th Annual Bill of Rights Course: Litigating the Constitution, May 2017.
Community Involvement
- Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, Greenhill Fellow
- Texas Bar Foundation, Sustaining Life Fellow; Houston Nominating Committee, 2011-2017
- Houston Bar Association
- Board of Directors, 2022-2025
- Appellate Section: Member; Vice Chair, 2017-2018; Secretary, 2016-2017; Treasurer, 2015-2016; Council Member, 2012-2018
- Professionalism Committee, Co-Chair, 2023-2024
- The Houston Lawyer Editorial Board, 2012-2018; Associate Editor, 2017-2018
- Project TRAIN Committee, 2017-2018
- CLE Committee, Co-Chair, 2014-2015; Seminars Subcommittee Co-Chair, 2013-2014
- Houston Volunteer Lawyers, Board of Directors, 2023-2025
- Houston Lawyer Referral Service
- Board of Directors, 2012-2018
- President-Elect, 2017-2018
- Treasurer, 2015-2016, 2013-2014
- State Bar of Texas Appellate Section, CLE Committee Co-Chair, 2014-2017
- Law360 Appellate Editorial Advisory Board, 2022-2024