Mr. Palter has served as lead counsel in jury trials and arbitrations involving complex GAAP accounting, accounting negligence, securities and intellectual property matters. He has represented clients throughout the country in multi-district and multi-venue litigation before State and Federal Courts, FINRA and the American Arbitration Association.

Selected Client Representations

Accounting Litigation

• Represented national corporation, as seller, in a post-closing purchase price adjustment dispute before the American Arbitration Association. Secured favorable award on all claims following arbitration on the merits;
• Represented holding company of numerous local exchange carriers in an accounting malpractice case, Secured a favorable award after arbitration on the merits; and
• Represented individual and corporate plaintiffs against accounting firm and members asserting claims for negligence, fraud and breach of fiduciary duty in connection with pension and profit sharing plan. Case successfully tried to jury and affirmed by the Texas Court of Appeals.

Complex Contract Litigation

• Represented international corporation in a breach of contract case and defense of numerous intellectual property issues. Secured favorable settlement;
• Defended business owner against allegations of breach of franchise and purchase and sale agreements, and breach of trade secrets. Case was favorably settled by restructuring contractual agreements; and
• Successfully defended real-estate developer in a multi-million dollar post-closing adjustment and breach of contract case.

Employment Litigation

• Represented non-profit entity and individuals as defendants in a lawsuit involving sexual harassment and fraudulent concealment. Filed and argued Special Appearance to Present Motion Objecting to Personal Jurisdiction of the Court, which resulted in dismissal of claims against individual client. Balance of the claims settled favorably at mediation;
• Represented non-profit entity against a claim of wrongful discharge. Obtained a dismissal of all claims via a Motion to Dismiss Claims under ERISA; and
• Successfully secured more than 150 emergency orders of injunctive relief in State and Federal Courts while representing employers in employment defection, non-compete and trade secret cases; successfully defended matter on appeal to United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.

Intellectual Property Litigation

• Represented local software company against publicly-traded education company based upon claims for breach of contract, copyright infringement, and theft of trade secrets. Secured favorable settlement award;
• Represented publicly-traded online data provider in defense of copyright and conversion claims. Case satisfactorily resolved through confidential settlement; and
• Represented publicly-traded online data provider in prosecution of copyright and conversion claims. Case satisfactorily resolved through confidential settlement.

Oil and Gas Litigation

• Represented publicly-traded oil and gas development and production company. Obtained final summary judgment on all affirmative claims and defenses.

Securities Litigation

• Represented over thirty individual and corporate investors as plaintiffs. The matter was favorably settled at conclusion of three month jury trial, with several interlocutory appeals taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; and
• Successfully prosecuted investor claim involving day trading, margins, suitability, and unauthorized trading.

Selected Professional and Business Activities

• A-V rated Martindale-Hubbell®
• Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers
• Member Dallas Bar Foundation
• Fellow Dallas Social Venture Partnership
• Board Member International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Member City of University Park
• Risk and Insurance Committee Member
• Fellow Litigation Council of America

Recent Honors

Named a “Texas Super Lawyer” six times, appearing in Texas Monthly Magazine/Law and Politics Magazine.

Education

• J.D., Drake University, 1985; Order of the Barristers; Recipient, M. Gene Blackburn Appellate Brief Award
• B.S. in Finance, Northern Illinois University, 1982

Admitted to Practice

State Bar of Texas; all Texas federal courts; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York; the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Second, Fifth and Federal Circuits, the Internal Revenue Service.

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation Sections
• Dallas Bar Association
• Commercial Litigation Section
• Certified Public Accountant - Texas State Board of Public Accountancy
• American Association of Attorney - Certified Public Accountants

Recent Publications

• State Bar of Texas - Continuing Legal Education, Spring 2008
         Update on Business Valuation Cases
         Business Termination Issues
• State Bar of Texas - Continuing Legal Education, Fall 2008
  Business Termination Issues
• University of Houston Law School, Continuing Legal Education, Spring 2009
  Business Termination Issues
• Dallas Business Journal Contributor
• Fort Worth Business Journal Contributor
• Subprime's Impact on the 2008 Presidential Race: An Immediate Look at the Legal, Governmental, and Economic Ramifications of the Subprime Crisis on the Bush Administration and the 2008 Presidential Election, Walter Williams, Bryan D. Jones, Gary E. Lacefield, John T. Palter - © West Publishing 2008