Overview
Brian’s practice focuses on the representation of businesses and individuals in high-stakes civil disputes, with an emphasis on litigation and arbitration in the areas of real estate, financial services, partnerships, trusts and estates, and intellectual property. He has litigated, arbitrated, and mediated cases involving banking (workouts, foreclosures, “lender liability,” and other aspects of loan enforcement and collection), real estate (developer disputes, landlord/tenant litigation involving retail, office, industrial, and health-care related properties, construction defects, broker commission disputes, boundary disputes, and adverse possession), partnerships and family-owned businesses (issues involving company control, buyouts, and valuation), real estate finance (default resolution, servicing and lien priority, trust disputes, and guardianships), employment law (trade secrets, non-compete litigation, and non-disclosure agreements), intellectual property (prosecution and defense of cases involving trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and patents) and other matters involving various contract and business tort claims.
In addition, Brian regularly advises businesses and individuals on pre-litigation risk assessment, risk management, and risk avoidance. He also has the unique distinction of having represented multiple major universities in connection with athletic conference realignment.
Brian currently serves as the head of Dorsey’s Trial Group for the Dallas office and co-chair of the Securities and Financial Services Litigation practice group.
Education & Admissions
Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law (J.D., 2005), Articles Editor, SMU Law Review Association, SMU Board of Advocates, William "Mac" Taylor Inn of Court
University of Texas at Austin (B.A., History, 2001), Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity, President
Admissions
- Texas
- Northern District of Texas
- Eastern District of Texas
- Southern District of Texas
Experience
Representative Experience
- Representation of individuals and companies in commercial and business litigation across a wide array of industries. He has handled cases involving a variety of contract and business tort claims, such as breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, negligence, malpractice, defamation, conversion, civil RICO violations, antitrust, conspiracy, and other legal theories.
- Regular representation of financial institutions, including banks, mortgage companies, servicers, and other lenders, in all aspects of loan enforcement and collection, including workouts, real property foreclosures, personal property foreclosures, suits on notes, suits on guaranties, and various other contract, tort, and statutory claims. He has also defended numerous financial institutions against “lender liability” counterclaims.
- Fiduciary litigation involving everything from modest trusts and estates to multi-million dollar trusts and estates, including representation of bank trust departments and private and corporate trustees, suits by beneficiaries, trustee removal actions, will contests, guardianships, trust modifications, claims against estates, and other types of probate litigation.
- Landlord-tenant litigation on both sides of the docket involving retail, office, industrial, and health-care related properties, including forcible detainer actions (i.e., evictions) and other cases involving nonpayment of rent, abandonment of premises, abandonment of personal property, trespass, and other legal theories.
- Business disputes, including disputes involving family-owned business, closely-held business organizations, and large business organizations, in matters involving business divorces, company control, buyouts, valuation disputes, and interpretation and construction of partnership agreements and other governing documents, among other issues.
- Disputes relating to commercial and residential real estate ownership and development, including partnership disputes, contract disputes, ownership disputes, adverse possession, and boundary disputes.
- Representation of owners, developers, and financial institutions in construction matters, including bond and lien claims, contract negotiation, risk allocation, and litigation and arbitration of construction disputes involving payment disputes, defects, warranty issues, and contract termination issues.
- Representation of developers of technologies, from local start-ups to well-established companies, in intellectual property litigation involving copyright infringement, trademark infringement, unfair competition, and theft of trade secrets and other confidential information.
- Defense of individuals, corporations, and universities in cases involving patent, trademark, and copyright infringement claims, theft of trade secrets, and similar legal theories involving intellectual property.
- Defense of businesses and individuals in securities litigation and arbitration in cases involving securities fraud, suitability, discretionary accounts, execution, and supervision.
- Representation of multiple major universities in connection with athletic conference realignment.
Industries & Practices
Banking & Financial Institutions
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceConsumer Financial Services
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceDevelopment & Infrastructure
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceIntellectual Property Litigation
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceSecurities & Financial Services Litigation & Enforcement
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceTrademark, Copyright + Advertising
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceTrusts & Estates Litigation
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practice- Banking & Financial Institutions
- Commercial Litigation
- Construction & Design
- Construction Litigation
- Consumer Financial Services
- Corporate Trust Services
- Development & Infrastructure
- Electronic Discovery
- Healthcare Litigation
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Real Estate & Land Use
- Real Estate Litigation
- Securities & Financial Services Litigation & Enforcement
- Trademark, Copyright + Advertising
- Trusts & Estates
- Trusts & Estates Litigation
