Jason Tams

Jason Tams is a trial lawyer who first-chairs litigation in Texas state and federal courts. His practice covers complex commercial, construction, trade secret, fiduciary duty, fraud, trust, personal injury and wrongful death matters, including disputes pending in the Texas Business Court. He handles every phase of jury and bench trials, from voir dire and charge conferences through direct and cross-examination, opening and closing arguments, and post-trial proceedings. Jason takes and defends depositions of parties, fact and expert witnesses, and corporate representatives in matters where more than $1 million is in controversy. He also briefs and argues dispositive motions, expert challenges, Rule 202 petitions and discovery disputes. He advises sophisticated commercial clients on litigation strategy and case management, leads settlement negotiations and represents clients at mediation. He also has experience in AAA arbitration and in insurance defense and construction defect litigation.

Early in his career, he helped defend a client in a $1.1 billion civil RICO action. He also represented an owner in a $2.4 million construction arbitration and an investment fund manager in a $2.5 million contract dispute. In addition, he second-chaired a civil jury trial and provided trial support in eight more state and federal jury trials.

Jason is an Adjunct Professor at SMU Dedman School of Law. He teaches Experiential International Commercial Arbitration and coaches the Willem C. Vis International Moot Court team. He has also served as an Advocacy Fellow for the school's ABA Arbitration Team. He is a member of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers Leadership Class for 2026–2027.

Jason earned his J.D. from SMU Dedman School of Law in 2022. There he was inducted into the National Order of the Barristers and received the Fred C. Moss Outstanding Graduating Advocate award. He was also named Outstanding 2L Advocate of the Year. He competed nationally as a 2021 National Semi-Finalist on the ABA Arbitration Team and on the ABA Client Counseling, TYLA Moot Court and Southern Classic teams. On campus, he won the SMU Top Gun and SMU Mock Trial competitions and was awarded best Cross Examination. He also served as Vice Chair of the Board of Advocates and President of the Veterans Law Society. During law school, he externed for Judge Jeffrey C. Manske in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas and interned for Judge Martin Hoffman of the 68th District Court in Dallas, with whom he won the 2020 Judicial Memo Writing Competition. He holds a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Before law school, Jason served in the United States Navy from 2008 to 2012 as a Logistic Specialist, reaching the rank of Petty Officer Second Class. His duties included managing government purchase contracts and storerooms. He received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for his contributions to mission readiness aboard the USS Enterprise, the flagship of the East Coast fleet. He also received a Letter of Commendation and was named Junior Sailor of the Quarter. Outside the office, Jason enjoys traveling, working toward completing his National Park Passport book, and spending time with family and loved ones.

Jason's recent results include:

• A plaintiff's verdict and damages award for a general contractor as sole trial counsel in a multi-day breach-of-contract jury trial in Grayson County, including recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs.
• A complete take-nothing judgment for the defendants after a first-chair breach-of-contract bench trial in Collin County.
• A first-chair jury trial defense against a $1 million personal injury claim in Denton County that substantially limited the client's exposure.
• A complete walkaway settlement, including dissolution of a non-compete restriction, for a defendant in a partnership and business divorce dispute involving claims over $1.5 million.
• A settlement in a trust and property dispute involving fraud and declaratory judgment claims under which his client, the named defendant, recovered $250,000.