Trey Cox is an accomplished and sought after advocate and trial lawyer and Co-Partner-In-Charge of the Dallas office.  He has spent his entire professional life as a courtroom attorney and litigator helping clients resolve large, complicated and often high-profile business disputes.  His courtroom experience is broad and extensive.  He has tried over 35 cases involving trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, securities fraud, product liability, trademark, insurance coverage, energy, oil and gas and partnership disputes.  He has achieved success for a variety of clients – both defendants and plaintiffs, from big energy companies to a lone individual businessman battling the odds.

Mr. Cox is consistently recognized as one of the top commercial trial lawyers in America. Chambers USA reports that Mr. Cox is “an excellent trial lawyer who is great with clients and on his feet.” A client says: “He’s extremely well prepared and a great presenter who brings a lot of energy and focus. He’s very impressive.”  Recognized for many years by Chambers USA as a “Leader in His Field,” Chamber USA elevated Mr. Cox to its most elite “Band 1” category as one of a handful of the leading trial lawyers in Texas and singled out Mr. Cox in the Texas Trial Lawyers “Spotlight Table,” a recognition given to individuals to highlight them as a select group for their particular achievement. Mr. Cox is the youngest trial lawyer in Texas history ever to be so spotlighted.

For over a decade, he’s been listed as one of the “Best Lawyers In America”, one of the “Top 100 Super Lawyers” in Texas and a 2023 Benchmark “Texas” and “Commercial Litigation Star”.  He is a fellow of the American Board of Trial Advocates and the Litigation Counsel of America.  His jury trial experience and courtroom success have earned him the distinction of being double Board Certified in Civil Trial and Civil Pre-Trial by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.

Mr. Cox’s cases have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Morning News, Bloomberg News and the Houston Chronicle, among many other publications. His last trial – a commercial plaintiff-side partnership dispute – was recently recognized as one of the Top 20 Verdicts in Texas.  His trial experience provides a real advantage in focusing the entire preparation process on what matters most – how to effectively and efficiently marshal the proof to prevail on the key issues.

Mr. Cox is active outside of the courtroom as well; he is committed to serving the legal profession. Progressive and innovative, he has earned a reputation as a thought leader in using technology to create clear, memorable and persuasive jury communication.  His focus is on courtroom presentations that make judges and juries take notice.  He has lectured throughout the country and authored numerous legal articles, white papers, and books.  He has served as a featured lecturer at many of the nation’s top law schools, including University of Virginia School of Law, University of Texas School of Law and SMU Dedman School of Law.  Following each of his jury trials, he interviews the jurors to understand and analyze their decision-making and thought process.  With the help of a former Texas state court judge, he has turned these interviews and insights into a book, The Jury Rules: The Rules Every Juror Wants Every Trial Lawyer To Know and Use.

Mr. Cox received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Washington & Lee University, and his J.D., from the University of Virginia School of Law.  After graduation, he clerked for the Honorable Jacques L. Wiener, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Representative Matters

• Mr. Cox was lead trial lawyer in a real estate partnership dispute in Texas state court that resulted in a complete victory verdict of $18 million for his client. Recently, this verdict was recognized as a top 20 jury verdict in Texas.
• In Texas state court, Mr. Cox obtained temporary restraining order and subsequently negotiated settlement after three days of trial in significant non-compete and trade secrets litigation involving two major government contractors.
• Purdue Pharma Opioid litigation in Oklahoma and Cleveland MDL. The cases against Purdue—beginning with the one in Oklahoma—represent an focal point in the opioid situation in the US. The Attorney General of Oklahoma brought what many consider to be a bellwether case against Purdue and others. Purdue hired Mr. Cox to try the case. This lawsuit was vitally important to the client, the pharmaceutical industry, and, more broadly, healthcare consumers nationwide as it pitted the principles of healthcare freedom of choice and patient access to medical care against the state’s claims for astronomical damages. It resulted in a settlement of $270 million to found the “M.D. Anderson” of addiction at Oklahoma State University.
• Mr. Cox has represented several Am Law 100 law firms and individual  lawsuits and sensitive investigations regarding claims of professional misconduct, legal malpractice, and breach of fiduciary duty. Mr. Cox also regularly defends lawyers against grievance complaints, appears as special counsel for lawyers facing motions for disqualifications or sanctions, helps lawyers resolve intra-firm controversaries, and handles client fee disputes.
• Mr. Cox won summary judgment in Texas state court for Xerox, defeating all claims by one of world’s largest retailer’s claim that Xerox was responsible for damages associated with outage of government’s electronic benefits transfer verification system. The decision is nationally significant because billions of dollars change hands in similar electronic transactions every day.
• Florida Gas v. Texas Brine — As a result of the Bayou Corne salt mine collapse, a significant section of Florida Gas’ gas pipeline was destroyed. In Louisiana state court, Mr. Cox led the team that prevailed in the liability and apportionment phases of trial. Shortly thereafter, the case was resolved confidentially and favorably.
• After a three-week jury trial in Abilene, Texas, Mr. Cox secured a take-nothing verdict for his client, the largest windfarm in the world, in a mass action by surrounding landowners seeking to shut down the windfarm as a public and private nuisance. The win was heralded as a landmark decision for the wind energy industry. Mr. Cox successfully defended the verdict all the way to the Texas Supreme Court.

Honors / Awards

• Selected as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA)
• Honored as a “Leader in His Field” in Chambers & Partners’ Chambers USA Guide to Leading Lawyers – General Commercial Litigation (Texas), 2009-2021
• Listed as a “Texas Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters (as seen in Texas Monthly), for 17 consecutive years, 2004-2021
• Named one of the “Top 100 Super Lawyers in Texas” and “Top 100 Super Lawyers in DFW” by Thomson Reuters, 2013-2021
• Recognized by his peers in D Magazine as one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” for 10 consecutive years and prior to that “Best Lawyer Under 40” for five consecutive years
• Listed as one of the “Best Lawyers® in America”, 2009-2022
• Listed as one of the “500 Leading Lawyers in America” by Lawdragon, 2021-2023
• Recognized as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys, 2012-2019
• Listed as a Texas “Local Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation, 2023
• Selected by the Dallas Business Journal as a “Defender” and “One of the 10 Metroplex Litigators Worth Having on Your Side”
• AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell

Publications

• Texas Trade Secret Litigation,  A step-by-step guidebook covering statutes, procedures, and overall litigation strategy
• Winning the Jury’s Attention, Presenting Evidence From Voir Dire to Closing
• The Texas Jury Rules, Ten Rules Every Courtroom Lawyer Must Know
• How to Recover Attorneys’ Fees in Texas, Everything You Need to Know About Attorneys’ Fees
• In Defense of the Wind: Legal Challenges Facing Wind Power Can be a Breeze with Proper Planning
• Alternative Fee Arrangements: Partnering with Clients Through Alternative Fee Arrangements
• Jury Rules: The Rules Every Juror Wants Every Trial Lawyer to Know and Use
• What is the Settlement Value?, National Law Journal