Jeffrey S. Wolff
Partner
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Related services and key industries
Biography
Jeff has been a partner in the Houston office since 1990. He focuses his practice on complex commercial and personal injury litigation as well as environmental and pharmaceutical/medical device litigation. Over the past 40 years, Jeff has handled a wide variety of cases including class action mass tort cases, lawsuits arising out of overseas terrorist attacks, groundwater contamination claims, plant explosions, and construction litigation involving deepwater semisubmersible drilling rigs, nuclear power plants and chemical facilities. Jeff's expertise also includes litigation disputes over tax sharing agreements, transfer pricing, insurance coverage and first amendment issues for religious institutions. He has tried more than 60 cases and arbitration proceedings and has argued numerous appeals in Texas state courts and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Professional experience
Collapse allJD, Duke University School of Law, 1981
BJ, University of Missouri, 1978
While in law school Jeff was the Research and Managing Editor of the Duke Law Journal. He was admitted in 1981 to practice law in Texas.
- Texas State Bar
- Represented major waste-disposal company in multiple suits filed in South Texas by over 700 plaintiffs claiming that a landfill had contaminated a regional aquifer with radioactive compounds; lead defense lawyer in six-week trial involving six bellwether plaintiffs resulted in unanimous jury verdict of no personal injury damages
- Represented manufacturer of silicone breast implants in four-week trial in Houston, Texas filed by multiple plaintiffs; unanimous jury verdict: no product defect, no damages
- Represented insurance carrier in two-week trial involving crash of military jet at Ellington Air Force base in Texas; unanimous jury verdict in favor of carrier; argued case on appeal; Texas appellate court affirmed judgment
- Represented pesticide manufacturer in five-week arbitration to recover funds incurred to remediate contamination by prior plant owner; unanimous panel award in favor of client
- Represented insurance carrier in seven-year arbitration over environmental contamination dispute resulting in Award in favor of carrier, confirmed in district court and affirmed in Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
- Represented municipal minority owner of Nuclear Power Plant in Texas against majority owner in action involving breach of contract and fraud claims; six-month jury trial to verdict
- Represented major hospital in Texas Medical Center in breach of contract action against owner of medical office building; unanimous jury verdict in favor of hospital; affirmed on appeal
- Represented global drilling contractor in suit attacking seaworthiness, design, and construction of a deep-water, dynamically positioned drilling rig. Settled one week before trial
- Represented major specialty chemical manufacturer at whose facility a major fire occurred resulting in personal injury claims by over 165 plaintiffs. All claims successfully resolved prior to trial.
- Represented multinational entities in tax litigation and arbitrations involving transfer pricing, competent authority agreements and tax sharing agreements. Each dispute settled prior to final arbitrator decision
- Represented nation-wide pipeline operator in dispute with Department of Justice over alleged air and groundwater contamination of former military facility
- Represented major vaccine manufacturer in multiple suits filed in Texas arising from claims that a mercury-containing preservative caused neurological defects in the plaintiffs' children; cases dismissed by court
- Represented major gas transmission company in breach of take-or-pay contract; case tried in Louisiana; settled after one-week jury trial
- Represented, on contingent fee basis, owner of cogeneration power facility in Texas in suit for fraud and breach of contract against plant architect engineer and constructor; case settled on favorable terms
- Represented nation-wide church in lawsuit arising out of church's relocation to former sports arena; lawsuit alleged violations of First Amendment and deed restrictions; case settled with church acquiring rights to former sports arena
- Represented multi-national energy company against claims alleging COVID-19 exposure to contractors on offshore platform. Claims dismissed by summary judgment.
- Represented architect/engineering firm in four-week arbitration involving claims of alleged design defects and schedule delays in construction of ethanol plant in New Mexico; case settled prior to award issued by arbitration panel
- Represented manufacturer of all-terrain vehicles in three-week trial in Montgomery County, Texas involving design defect and strict liability allegations; case settled during jury deliberations
- Represented chemical company whose product was allegedly identified in groundwater using compound specific isotopic analysis. Plaintiffs' expert barred from giving product identification testimony following lengthy Kelly/Frye/Daubert hearing
- The Best Lawyers in America, Best Lawyers, 2010 – 2021
- The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Best Lawyers, 2022 – 2025
- Texas Top Rated Lawyer, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell, 2013 – 2014
- Texas Super Lawyer, Class Action, Thomson Reuters, 2006 - 2008, 2014 – 2020, 2022
- Recipient - Resolution of Commendation, Texas Access to Justice Commission, 2005
Jeff has been a frequent contributor to programs and publications in various areas including the Texas Rules of Evidence, toxic tort litigation, damage calculations in construction litigation, and various aspects of commercial and tort litigation. His publications include:
- "Article IX: Authentication & Identification Under the New Texas Rules of Evidence," 20 Houston Law Review 551
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Fellow
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Advocate
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Defense Research Institute
- Texas Association of Defense Counsel
- American Bar Association
- State Bar of Texas
- State Bar Liaison Committee on the Codification of Texas Rules of Evidence
- Houston Bar Association
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (Houston and Gulf Coast Chapter) past President, Executive Committee and Board Member
- Anti-Defamation League (Southwest Region), Board Member
News
42 Texas lawyers recognized as 2023 Super Lawyers
September 20, 2023
49 lawyers recognized as 2022 Texas Super Lawyers
September 21, 2022