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Barbara Ellis' litigation experience spans banking, employment, commercial leases, contracts, insurance, and other areas in both federal and state courts and in arbitration proceedings. She was part of the Firm's appellate group in Casteel v. Crown Life Insurance Company, a landmark case closely watched by the insurance industry that resulted in a highly significant change in the State�s jury charge practice. On retrial of the Casteel case after the Firm�s appeal to the Texas Supreme Court, the jury returned a take-nothing verdict in favor of Crown Life against Casteel, who was seeking damages of approximately $70 million. Ms. Ellis has also represented the Chase Manhattan Bank in litigation matters in both Texas and New York, often getting cases decided on pre-trial dispositive motions and defending rulings for the firm�s client on appeal. ]Education ]J.D., summa cum laude, Texas Tech University School of Law, 1994 ]Regents Scholarship (Three-Year Full Scholarship), Texas Tech School of Law, 1991-1994 ]Order of the Coif ]M.P.A., The University of Texas at Austin, 1975 ]Texas State Fellowship in Public Administration ]LBJ School Fellowship ]B.A., Journalism, with high honors, Michigan State University, 1974 ]Bar Admissions ]Texas, 1994 ]Admitted To Practice ]U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ]U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ]U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ]U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ]U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas ]U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas ]Representative Experience ]Represented The Chase Manhattan Bank (now JPMorgan Chase Bank) in The Chase Manhattan Bank v. Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld; Defended against dispositive motions filed by the defendants; also represented Chase in the appeal by the defendants of the trial court�s rulings on these dispositive motions. ]Represented The Chase Manhattan Bank (now JPMorgan Chase Bank) in Banque Paribas (Suisse) S.A. v. The Chase Manhattan Bank. Drafted response to summary judgment motion filed by Swiss bank and argued against the motion to court in New York.; also represented Chase in the appeal by the defendants of the trial court�s rulings on these dispositive motions. ]Represented Crown Life Insurance Company in Casteel v. Crown Life Insurance Company, a case that the Firm took over after trial by another law firm that resulted in a verdict against Crown Life and involved challenges to the jury verdict against Crown Life in the Austin Court of Appeals and eventually in the Supreme Court of Texas. The Supreme Court ultimately ordered a new trial based on Crown Life�s argument that the jury charge submitted by Casteel was defective; Involved in retrial of the case in June 2002 where the jury returned a take nothing verdict in favor of Crown Life. ]Represented Chase Bank of Texas (now JPMorgan Chase Bank) in Wild About Music, et al v. Chase Bank of Texas, N.A., Trustee, et al; a state court lawsuit for breach of lease and related tort claims.; Handled all aspects of the litigation and drafted a summary judgment motion that resulted in dismissal of some 14 claims against Chase. ]Reported Decisions ]Qwest Int�l Communications, Inc. v. AT&T Corp. 167 S.W.3d 324 (Tex. 2005) ]Qwest Communications Int�l, Inc. v. AT&T Corp ., 114 S.W.3d 15 (Tex. App.Austin 2003 ), rev�d, ]Qwest Communications Corp. v. AT&T Corp, 24 S.W.2d 334 (2000) ]In re Castillo, 101 S.W.3d 174 (Tex. App.Amarillo 2003, pet. denied) ]Crown Life Ins. Co. v. Casteel, 22 S.W.2d 378 (Tex. 2000) ]Texas Commerce Bank, N.A. v. New, 3 S.W.3d 515 (Tex. 1999) ]Crestway Care Center, Inc. v. Berchelman, 945 S.W.2d 872 (Tex. App.San Antonio 1997, orig. proceeding) ]Chase Manhattan Bank v. Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld L.L.P., 763 N.Y.S.2d 588 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2003) ]BNP Paribas (Suisse) S.A. v. Chase Manhattan Bank, 748 N.Y.S.2d 358 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2002) ]Chase Manhattan Bank v. Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld L.L.P., 748 N.Y.S.2d 360 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2002) ]Transitional Hospitals Corp. v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Texas, Inc. , 164 F.3d 952 (5th Cir. 1999) ]Press Release ]Locke Liddell & Sapp Wins Major Victory for Crown Life Insurance Company 7/2/2002 ]Professional History ]Partner in the law firm of Locke Liddell & Sapp ]Professional Affiliations ]Member, State Bar of Texas ]Member, Fifth Circuit Bar Association ]Member, Travis County Women's Lawyers Association ]Member, Austin Bar Association ]Community Leadership ]Member and Secretary, Board of Directors, Volunteer Legal Services ]of Central Texas ]Member, Board of Directors, Texas Tech University Law School ]Foundation. |
