John Turner represents plaintiffs and defendants in civil litigation across Texas and the United States. His experience encompasses a broad spectrum of the law, ranging from contract disputes to intellectual property cases to antitrust matters to representation of governmental entities.
John's approach to litigation is guided by a few key practices that are crucial to a successful outcome in any lawsuit: regular and effective communication between attorney and client, thorough investigation of the relevant facts at the beginning of the case, and courtroom presentations that focus on clear explanation of the facts and the law. John is currently the Co-Chair of the firm’s Trade Secrets Practice Group
In John's most recent high-profile trial, he represented a coalition of 89 Texas school districts in major litigation related to the adequacy of the school finance system in Texas. After a trial that began in October 2012 and lasted until early February 2013, District Judge John Dietz ruled in favor of the school districts. Judge Dietz held that the system has evolved into an unconstitutional state property tax and that it fails to provide school districts access to funding sufficient to provide a constitutionally adequate education. The State of Texas is expected to appeal the ruling. To read press accounts of the case and the decision, click here, here, and here. To read the text of Mr. Turner's closing argument in the case, click here. For the exhibits used in the closing, click here.
Earlier in 2012, John represented the Halliburton Company in a trade secrets dispute involving a former employee and the competing oilfield tools company he founded. In a trial lasting almost two weeks in state district court in Dallas, John convinced the twelve-person jury to return a unanimous verdict in favor of Halliburton on all counts. The jury also voted to award damages to Halliburton in the amount requested. The case is currently on appeal.
Some of John's other recent engagements include representation (together with other law firms) of a large semiconductor manufacturing company in a multi-hundred-million dollar trade secrets dispute; prosecution of claims on behalf of dozens of investors victimized by a major ponzi scheme; representation of a mid-size biotechnology company in contract litigation with a large pharmaceutical company; and defense of a hotel resort development company sued by a prospective co-developer.
Public interest and governmental entity representation have also played a large role in John's practice. In addition to the recent Texas school funding litigation, John was part of a team that represented a coalition of more than thirty Texas cities, including Dallas and Houston, challenging the proposed construction of a number of new coal-fired power plants across Texas in 2004. John also represented the Deep East Texas Council of Governments in relation to relief funding for Texas cities and towns victimized by Hurricane Ike.
John graduated from Harvard College in 1997 and obtained his law degree from Yale Law School in 2000. While in law school, he won the Thurman Arnold Prize as the best oral advocate in the school's moot court competition. Before joining Haynes and Boone in October 2008, Turner was a partner in the firm of Susman Godfrey LLP, where he practiced since 2001. In 2000-2001, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Lee H. Rosenthal of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
John is admitted to practice in the Texas bar, before the United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Texas, and before the Fifth and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeal. He has been recognized by Texas Monthly as a “Rising Star” in the Texas legal profession on numerous occasions, and was named one of “Houston's Best Lawyers Under 40” by H Texas magazine.
