The Amazing Reign of Joe Jamail
Circa 2011 -2012

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He has been called a savior, a good ol' boy and an SOB. But one thing he will never be is boring!

Love him or hate him, Joe Jamail still commands respect after 50 years as a lawyer. And he's as adamant as ever about the importance of juries.

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MY TRIALS AND JUBILATIONS Highlights from Lawyer

"I grew up loved. And I grew up fighting. I had to. I'm still fighting, in a different way. Bullies and snobs have always ignited in me the fire that smolders inside my soul. I have never been able to stand by and let someone abuse another person. I have to go in and help. And win,"

Professor Morris asked me what my parents did. 'Grocery business,' I said.
'I suggest you become a grocer,' he said. 'You are just taking up space here.'
"He later told me that he was happy for me and very proud to have been my teacher."

"I told the jury, at the beginning of the Olin Robertson case, 'If you can't decide this case in the amount of $510,000 in thirty minutes, then you need to tell the judge that you need to go on home.' You have to challenge the jury. This has been my war cry. It has the added virtue of being true."

"The deputy and I walked into the Sears store and went upstairs to the manager's office. He was startled and asked what we wanted. I said that we wanted the keys to the store and ordered him to get on the loudspeaker sys­tem and tell the customers to leave, as we were closing the doors."

"I have been told since law school that the lawyer has to be objective, not get involved with the client emotionally. To that I say, non­sense How can I not be involved? I have been involved all my life."

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Joseph D. Jamail, Jr.
Outstanding Fifty Year Lawyer Award
2003
Texas Bar Foundation

Joseph D. Jamail, Jr., is one of the recipients of the Outstanding Fifty Year Lawyer Award for the year 2003. The Fifty Year Lawyer Award was the first award established by the Texas Bar Foundation. The award recognizes attorneys whose practice spanned fifty years or more, and who adhere to the highest principles and traditions of the legal profession and provide service to the public A Houston native, Joseph D. Jamail was admitted to the Bar in 1952 and received his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law in 1953. Mr. Jamail is a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a trustee of the UT Law School Foundation, Fellow of the International Academy of Law and Science, and Fellow of the American College and International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from The University of Texas. He is internationally recognized as one of the most successful personal injury trial attorneys in the world.

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Highlights from Oral History Interview

"Well, I was so goddamned naive. I didn't even know you had to take an exam to get into Law School, so I just started going to classes. They assumed, I guess, that I had passed the exam. And I took the bar exam seven or eight months before I graduated on a dare. ...I remember Denzil Bevers looking over and saying, "Listen, loud-mouth, if you're so goddamned smart, why don't you take this f___ing exam?" ... All these guys were standing by the door and I opened it (the exam results) up. It took a grade of seventy-five to pass, and I had made seventy-six. I looked at them and said, 'Shit, I've over-trained!' "

"As for doctors, I was in this debate once  with the head of the Harris County Medical Society, and it was being televised. He went off on lawyers; it was terrible. And the last couple or three minutes the moderator looked at me and said, 'Mr. Jamail, I'm sorry he's taken most of the time but you have thirty seconds if you'd like to respond.' I said, 'That's more than enough time. I would like for you to remind the doctor, and I hope he doesn't mind if I call him a doctor. I would like for you to remind him that when his professional ancestors were putting leeches on George Washington to bleed him, mine were writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.' That ended that shit."

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Lawyer of the Century

by John Spong

When Joe Jamail won an $11.2 billion jury verdict against Texaco for his client, Pennzoil, in 1985, the plaintiffs lawyer from Houston officially became larger than life. But he won that case and so many others by humanizing concepts as nominally intimidating as "tortious interference with contractual relations" and reminding businessfolks that a handshake really does mean something. And he is decidedly human himself: Despite securing more than two hundred verdicts and settlements in the neighborhood of $13 billion, he counts among his proudest achievements a summary judgment over McCarthyite attack dog Roy Cohn ("I sent his ass back to New York in tatters") and the fact that a group portrait hanging outside the Joseph D. Jamail Center for Legal Research at the University of Texas shows him holding a highball. Runner-up: Leon Jaworski, who prosecuted Nazi war criminals, a segregationist Southern governor, and a lying U.S. president

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2006 COVER STORY

The Amazing Reign of Joe Jamail
America's King of Torts

IT'S GOOD TO BE THE KING
by Anthony Head

He may be the richest lawyer in America, but even at 78 Joe Jamail shows no signs of slowing down.

The King is 45 minutes late when he walks out of the elevator and into his penthouse office, high atop 500 Dallas Street in Houston. His pace is slow and regal through the lobby, as he is being politely acknowledged by his staff. He doesn't need to explain where he's been. After all, he is a man who claims more trial victories than anyone else, ever. A man who forced the withdrawal of three products from the marketplace because he deemed them dangerous. A man who won the largest civil damage award in history. A man whose legal victories are so astounding and groundbreaking that he was acknowledged in the Guinness Book of World Records. But this is no mere man.

This is Joe Jamail — King of Torts

Newsweek bestowed that moniker upon Jamail in the early 1970s after he won a half-million-dollar jury award for his client, an electrician who had lost his hands because of a faulty electrical box. It was the first time in American tort law that an individual had received a verdict with so many zeros on the cashier's check, and it forever helped change Texas law concerning product liability At the completion of that trial, Jamail's career began to escalate, and, always working on a percentage basis, his war chest started filling up fast. And you can bet the media took notice.

Jamail has loved every minute of it. "Hey, man, I'm a ham. I love this stuff," he says with a laugh. He relishes the spotlight and talks about his past battles as if they were playing out right in from of him. The smile that creases his face never wavers while he recalls the countless highlights of his legendary career, which has grown to near-mythic proportions.

After attending to some business, he finally settles into a brass rocking chair. In a pressed blue jacket, Jamail measures his every word like a man contemplating the virtues of a fine martini. He is 78 years old, and his blue eyes sometimes appear a bit clouded in the sunshine streaming through the windows. But they also convey a solid willingness to continue practicing and winning — which is very bad news for you if you happen to come up against him in court.

"I'll be honest with you, when you're a winner — and I've won so much — they tend to publicize it, glamorize it, romanticize it....You know everybody's looking for a hero,” Jamail says when asked about the king's crown he was presented by his colleagues in deference to his media coronated royalty. "I'm not sure any of it means anything except that I've been able to be really advantageous for my clients. And me. I've made a lot of money"

Yeah. That's true. About a billion dollars or so. His name is usually found on the list of wealthiest Americans by Forbes magazine, where he has also been cited as the country's highest-paid plaintiff's lawyer. But Houston's native son says there's nothing for him to he ashamed of because he's made his money honestly while helping out people who would otherwise end up shafted by greedy and irresponsible corporations.

"I'm not saying money's bad. I like it. But there are no vaults where I'm going. Up or down. So I try to give back because there's just so much money you can spend. you know? There's just so much you can eat and drink." He leans in, pulls the room together with his sly smile and knowing wink, then clarifies: "Good drink, that is."

Oh, yes, the King likes to imbibe on occasion. In fact, a morning's worth of Jamail's stories tends to start out the same way: "I was drinking with a couple of my buddies when ...”

For instance, where was he when he was first inspired to become a lawyer? In a saloon in Lafayette, Louisiana, trying to score with the barmaid when an attorney named Kaliste Soloom intervened to spark Jamail's curiosity about the law.

Where was he when he decided to take the bar exam on a dare -- with only three days to prepare? Drinking off-campus with some law school buddies. He passed by one point -- and boisterously claimed that he had overtrained for the test — then headed right back out to celebrate.

Where was he the night before he was to deliver his closing arguments in the historic Pennzoil versus Texaco trial? Drinking with Willie Nelson and former University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal. "Willie and Darrell showed up in a white stretch limousine and started pounding on the front door They kept me up drinking and bullshitting past midnight," says Jamail.

Despite that highly unusual all-night liquid strategy session, Jamail still nailed the summation and cemented his footprints into the legal walk of fame with the verdict that followed.

By now, a trainload of ink has been spilled over that trial, and Jamail still considers it the shining jewel in his crown. It took place in the mid-1980s, a period often perceived as a decade of greed. Getting a jury to care about two big oil companies fighting over more money seemed a daunting task. What's more, there would be substantial testimony of Wall Street dealings and business acquisitions and a whole mess of other financial stuff that might confuse or bore a jury.

Jamail was representing Pennzoil, who claimed that Texaco knowingly savaged its deal to take over Getty Oil. He agonized for weeks over how to argue it. Finally, he found the clarity he was seeking and saw the situation as a matter of honor, and that's the foundation with which he chose his picks for the jury "[Pennzoil] didn't have a signed contract, but we had a word. We had a handshake. So I was looking for people with long marriages, long church affiliations ... people whose word meant something," says Jamail. "I had to try to make them understand that they didn't give up their common sense when they got to court. And it worked for me."

Oh, it worked all right. Jamail compelled the jury to get excited enough to send a warning shot across the bow of every company in America that morality and ethics have a place in business just as they have in life's other arenas. And it was a big shot. The largest legal shot in history, in fact. It was an $11 billion shot, and, of course, Jamail got a lawyer-sized cut of the award. (And even though the case was ultimately settled for $3 billion, that's still a lot more money than most attorneys will rack up in a lifetime of litigating.)

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING

Jamail was born in 1925. That's possibly why he's so passionate about what he does and about whom he chooses to look after. Though his family wasn't terribly impacted by the events of the late 1920s and early 1930s, he still lived through the Great Depression and witnessed how people treated their neighbors in times of crisis. As he remembers it, his parents were always willing to feed a stranger passing through town looking for work, and their compassionate spirit has remained hard-wired into his quest for justice.

After serving as a Marine in the Pacific during World War II, he returned home and started taking pre-med classes, but soon changed to law at the University of Texas. That's where his unusual approach to the profession began. Jamail says that he was so naive at the time that he didn't realize that he needed to take an exam to get into the law school. He simply showed up and started taking classes.

His grades weren't stupendous at first, but his desire and his talent were apparent very early. In fact, he actually tried a case before graduating. You see, Jamail was drinking with a couple of buddies in a favorite bar when the bartender cut herself on a beer bottle that she was trying to open.

"I told her we should just sue and see what happens," Jamail recalls. He admits to being a little lost in court, which is understandable since he didn't even have a degree yet, but the judge guided him through the proceedings. When the defendant, Pearl Brewing Company offered $500 to settle, Jamail asked for $ 1,000. He ended up taking $750 and collecting a third of it for his fee. which naturally was used to buy beers for his friends all night long.

After graduating, he took a job at Freeman, Bates & Jaworski. "I lasted about 20 minutes in that kind of corporate law-by-committee environment," Jamail says. He then went to work for the district attorney's office and fine-tuned his chops while working on every kind of case, including murder and the strange case of a man having sex with his mule.

Jamail eventually formed his own practice, where he could take the cases he wanted and handle them his own way, which at times veered toward the unbelievable. He immediately grabbed headlines with a case he won for the widow of a man who had been drinking and drove his car into a tree. After Jamail was through, the city paid the widow and cut down the tree.

WORTHY OF THE THRONE

He's charming and talented, but Jamail is also a warrior. He’s extremely hard-working and thorough when preparing for a case.  "When you really prepare — and that's one of the things that I'm noted for: I really get ready — then it looks like it's all coming right off the top of your head. But look, the only thing that comes off the top of your head is dandruff. So I drive everybody around here nuts picking apart every little thing,” says Jamail. "Anybody who thinks they're smart enough to go to court and the Holy Ghost is going to descend upon them with all the knowledge they need to win is ... goofy. It just doesn't happen like that. If you're not prepared, you're just not gonna win."

Today the man knows a lot about winning and outright success. He has a leather-bound book of victory clippings thick enough to be a doorstop at the gates of Buckingham Palace. If you own a Remington Mohawk 600 rifle or a three-wheeled Honda all-terrain vehicle, then you bought it before Jamail personally had them, along with the drug Parlodel, completely recalled because of the inherent dangers they posed. His trophy room is crammed with awards, honors and testimonials. There are statues of him around town, and the football field at Texas Memorial Stadium sports his name. Jamail, though, is particularly proud that his peers at the California Trial Lawyers Association named him "Trial Lawyer of the Century"

But all that happened last century. What about now? "I'm starting out pretty good on it," says Jamail, who has a full docket for the foreseeable future. "I like knowing that I'm helping somebody and I like the courthouse. It beats selling bananas. And that's what I would have been doing if not for this."

The discussion swings toward the current political climate — which he is none too happy with and what he perceives as an erosion of civil liberties. He then leans in to make his last point crystal clear and the soon-to-be octogenarian assumes the role of warrior king again. "There's never been a bigger assault on people's privacy and their liberties and on the Constitution itself ... because of some hocus-pocus cry of `war-time president!' thereby revoking all our constitutional guarantees. Give me a break. I don't believe that. I don't like that and I'm not going to put up with that. I'm going to fight that."

But now the King rises. He is off to receive guests for lunch, and he's just a little bit late. It's a good bet that wherever he goes he'll probably have a couple of drinks, and who knows? Maybe he'll figure out how to save the Constitution. Long live the King.

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Dallas Morning News

The following is a cached version of the Dallas Morning News, High Profile article
High profile: Joe Jamail Once a crusader ...
Friday, November 28, 2003
By STEVE QUINN / The Dallas Morning News

Joe Jamail loves getting in the last word. After all, he is a lawyer, and at 77, he's as chatty as ever. Whether it's cross-examinations in a courtroom, discourse at a reception – interrupted only when a glass of scotch is reaching the depletion stage – or text in his new book, Lawyer, Mr. Jamail's got something to say.

And no matter what, this Houston lawyer will have a captive audience: a jury seated for trial; people wondering what brings him back to the courtroom; or folks simply wanting to know what's on his mind.

Practicing law is no longer about the big payday because, as of Nov. 20, 1985, he had one of the biggest: On that day, he successfully convinced a Houston jury that Texaco Inc. derailed his client's efforts to buy Getty Oil Co. and won a $10.53 billion judgment for Pennzoil Co.

A settlement later reduced the payout to $3.3 billion, which still meant a $400-million-plus payout for Mr. Jamail. So, with all the money he could use and 50 years of trials under his belt, why does he keep coming back to the courthouse?

"Ego," he says. "I need the light on me, but you know, I still think I'm doing some good.

"It gives me a real sense of power that I'm not going to let you run over somebody. I don't care how big you are."

A Tight Family

A grocer's son and of Lebanese descent, Mr. Jamail grew up in Houston in the "Jamail Compound," where aunts, uncles, and cousins also lived. As a neighborhood runt and facing pressure of being as good as his older brother, George, he quickly grew to resent authority. But the chip on his shoulder "the size of a manhole cover" taught him to fight back, long before he started taking on big corporations. 

Once, sick of being a bully's punching bag, young Joe kept a sock loaded with marbles handy.

"I just got tired of it, so when he got close, I nailed him," Mr. Jamail recalls. "It taught me something. If you don't stand up for something, then what are you going to do?"

That same chip, however, produced a slow start at the University of Texas in Austin, so the young man joined the Marines during World War II and returned home in 1946. 

A chance barroom encounter with Louisiana lawyer Kaliste Saloom proved fortuitous. Mr. Jamail later visited him and watched him assure clients he could help. The meeting had Mr. Jamail thinking, "I can get paid for this?" and drove him to harness his energy and resume school.

He earned a liberal arts degree in 1949 at UT, then earned his law degree in January 1953, six months after passing the bar. Thanks to a bet – driven by plenty of hubris – Mr. Jamail took the exam before his final semester. Tired of hearing law grads bellyache about the upcoming exam, he wagered $100 that he could pass it. He won by exceeding the cutoff by one point. And today his connection with UT remains strong. The Jamail name is on its football field, the law school library and a natatorium, as well as several endowed chairs.

The Court as a Stage

If the legal world were a theater, the courtroom would be Mr. Jamail's stage. Although his workload has been scaled back after nearly 50 years of practicing law, the courtroom still energizes him. He enters a room walking with a slight hunch and speaking with hoarse voice, punctuated with a country drawl and smile. Other lawyers will come to the courtroom to watch just because he'll be trying a case. Sometimes, it'll be a case other lawyers wouldn't touch.

"He still has suppleness and agility he had as a young man," says Houston colleague Harry Reasoner, 64, who worked with Mr. Jamail during the Pennzoil-Texaco appeal.

"A trial is theater, but in a classic sense like Greek theater, where you get catharsis and truth from the exercise.

"It's his ability to capture your attention, keep it interesting and engaging and then allow you to learn from it that makes it classic theater. That's Joe in the courtroom."

Even foes acknowledge Mr. Jamail's courtroom presence.

"He's a shrewd person about weaknesses of people," says Richard Miller, who represented Texaco during the suit. "He understands human frailty, and that's a big part of his success; nobody can deny that."

But Mr. Miller adds success can breed contempt.

"Some consider him a friend, others don't; I don't consider myself either one," Mr. Miller says. "But he is not a loved person. People who say they are his friends are afraid of him because of his money." Nevertheless, Mr. Jamail is still winning in the courtroom, colleagues say, because he keeps law simple while mincing no words.

He breaks down cases to their essence rather than relying on a sleight-of-hand shell game. It's basic execution that is held up as an example in classrooms, especially in UT law classes.

"He almost always uses very traditional theories of liability," says Bill Powers, who is the dean for UT's School of Law and still teaches tort-law classes.

"His forte has always been his technique. He takes the core legal principles and tells a great story to the jury under those traditional principles: If they are violated, then someone ought to pay."

Mr. Jamail will stun juries with blunt deliveries, just as he did one afternoon when admitting that his client, paralyzed in an accident, registered a .31 blood alcohol content – more than three times the legal limit. He went on to convince the jury that his client, despite being drunk, was not weaving or causing his own peril but was forced off the road by a commercial truck. The jury returned with a $6 million award.

"Any attorney who goes into court thinking he's going to flim-flam a jury is nuts," he says.

"That's why I told the jury during voir dire: 'I want you to know right off my client was drunk. I don't care what you've seen, you've never seen anybody as drunk as he was the night this happened, so if anyone who feels it's open season on drunks and they are not entitled to protections of the law, I need to know.' Half wouldn't give a drunk a fair trial."

"A Recreational Process"

For all the talking Mr. Jamail does, conversations with Gus Kolius are an absolute must for him.

First a formidable opponent then an employee who one day found his name on the same letterhead as Mr. Jamail without explanation, Mr. Kolius still looks forward to his friend's calls, sometimes it's to talk about current cases, other times to reflect on old ones.

Mr. Kolius, now 84, worked 20 years with Mr. Jamail. Mr. Kolius "called in rich" and retired in his 70s, but his longtime friend keeps working.

"Practicing law is really the only thing Joe really enjoys," Mr. Kolius says. "It's a recreational process for him. I think he just gets a kick out of it. I don't think he'll ever quit or run out of cases."

Mr. Jamail believes he and other lawyers are losing ground outside the courtroom.A steadfast believer in the jury system, he believes the court's role is being slowly removed from conflict resolution.

Even in defeat, Mr. Jamail still supports jury trials, as he did in 1993 during a losing effort on behalf of Northwest Airlines, which lost an antitrust suit to American Airlines. Corporations and legislators, he says, are making inroads at lessening their accountability for their products, actions and policies.

He argues in Lawyer that it's the court system – and not legislators – that has produced the most telling societal changes: desegregation; products liability; free press; compensation for bereaved; the rights of illegitimate children. If more legislators had their way, he says, disputes would progressively be worked outside the courtroom. This thought sends Mr. Jamail into a closing-argument-like diatribe.

"What is justice? It isn't some magical thing that needs to be decoded. No, it's an opportunity to have whatever dispute you've got heard," he says

"Who is the guardian of human rights? Do you think it's the legislators? No, my friend. It's the courthouse. It's the juries. "

"Even the ones I lost, based on what the jury had, I'd have to agree they were right. They may make mistakes from time to time, but we have courts who can rectify those mistakes. "

"And if we don't continue to have an independent judicial system, they will settle disputes in the streets. Is that what we want?"

"I'll tell you this. I'm proud to be a lawyer. It's the last place to fight for people legitimately without swords, knives and machine guns and tell the corporate world they are not going to get away with this."

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JOSEPH  D.  JAMAIL, JR.
Jamail & Kolius
500 Dallas Street, Suite 3434
ouston, Texas   77002-4793

 

Born: October 19, 1925 Houston, Texas
Preparatory Education: University of Texas(B.A., 1950)
Legal Education: University of Texas (J.D., 1953)
Admitted to the Bar: August, 1952, Texas

State Bar of Texas (Chairman, Grievance Committee, 1963,
District 22. Chairman, Town Hall Task Force, 1973-74)
American Bar Association
Houston Bar Association
Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
Inner Circle of Advocates
Advocate, American Board of Trial Advocates
Fellow, International Society of Barristers
Fellow, International Academy of Law and Science
Fellow, Council of Law and Science
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
World Association of Lawyers
World Jurist Association
Philosophical Society of Texas
The University of Texas Ex-Students' Association, Life Member

The University of Texas School of Law created "The Joseph D. Jamail Centennial Chair in Law and Advocacy"
Recipient of the 1989 Jurisprudence Award by The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.
Grand Marshall of the Martin Luther King Day Parade, Houston, Texas, 1989
Recipient of the Southern Trial Lawyers Association 1993 War Horse Award.
Recipient of the 1993 Brotherhood Award of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
University of Texas has designated the Jessie Jones Hall at the Law School as "The Joseph D. Jamail Center for Legal Research."
Recipient of the 1993 Houston Texas Exes award.
Recipient of the 1996 University of Texas School of Law Outstanding Alumnus Award.
Recipient of the 1996 University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Honorary member Order of Barristers, University of Texas
Recipient of the Texas Appleseed 2005 Good Apple Award
Named by Texas Monthly Magazine (12/99) "The Lawyer of the Century" and named "King of Torts" by Washington Post, Chicago Tribute and other publications.
Featured in recent book America's Top Trial Lawyers by Donald E. Vinson
Copyright 1994 by Prentice Hall Law & Business

Named one of country's top trial lawyers by most credible legal publications.
Represented a client who received the largest jury verdict in the history of law - Pennzoil v. Texaco - $11,120,000,000.00.
Represented a client who received the largest cash award at the time in the history of Tort law - Coates v. Remington Arms. Guiness Book of World Records
Represented a client who received a verdict and judgment for $560 Million in a negligence and fraud case - United States National Bank of Galveston, et al v. Coopers & Lybrand, et al.
Has been lead counsel in over two hundred personal injury cases where recovery, either by verdict or settlement, was in excess of One Million Dollars.
Has over $12 Billion in jury verdicts and over $13 Billion in verdicts and settlements.
Guest lecturer at many law schools throughout the country, including the University of Texas.
Named Trial Lawyer of the Century by California Trial Lawyers, Texas Monthly and others
Tried three cases which resulted in manufacturer product recalls - Remington 600 | Honda All Terrain 3 Wheel Vehicle | Prescription Drug: Parlodel

 

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More Background On JoeJamail.net

 

JoeJamail.net is a historical website dedicated to the life, accomplishments, personality, and extraordinary legal career of Joseph D. Jamail Jr., one of the most successful and recognizable trial attorneys in American history. Known as the "King of Torts," Joe Jamail became famous for winning enormous jury verdicts, challenging powerful corporations, championing the American jury system, and bringing an unmistakably colorful personality into the courtroom.

The website preserves biographical information, professional achievements, historical newspaper and magazine profiles, excerpts from Jamail's autobiography, and accounts of some of the most important cases of his career. It offers readers an opportunity to explore the life of a lawyer whose influence extended far beyond his Houston practice into American business, legal education, philanthropy, and popular culture.

Jamail's most celebrated achievement came in 1985, when he represented Pennzoil in its landmark dispute with Texaco over the acquisition of Getty Oil. The resulting multibillion-dollar jury verdict made international headlines and helped establish Jamail as a legendary courtroom advocate.

Yet JoeJamail.net presents more than the story of a wealthy and successful attorney. It introduces visitors to a man who believed deeply in individual rights, who regarded juries as essential guardians of justice, and who contributed substantial portions of his fortune to educational institutions and charitable causes.

Although Jamail died on December 23, 2015, at age 90, his influence remains visible in American legal history and at institutions such as the University of Texas at Austin. The website serves as a reminder of a distinctive era of trial advocacy and of the remarkable individual who helped define it.

The History and Purpose of JoeJamail.net

JoeJamail.net originated as a website associated with Joe Jamail's professional career and public reputation. According to the historical information preserved on the present website, the original site was active during the 2000s, before its domain registration eventually expired.

Its early purpose was to promote Jamail's autobiography, Lawyer: My Trials and Jubilations, and showcase highlights from his long and successful career as a trial lawyer.

The original material included career summaries, excerpts from the book, awards, biographical details, and newspaper and magazine coverage. Together, these resources created a portrait of an attorney whose professional accomplishments were inseparable from his larger-than-life personality.

Following the expiration of the original domain, it was acquired by a subsequent owner who reconstructed portions of the website using historical material. The current presentation identifies itself as a historical reconstruction rather than an active official law practice website.

This distinction is important. JoeJamail.net should be understood primarily as an archival and biographical resource. Its preserved material reflects the original site's promotional purpose, while the reconstructed version seeks to make that information accessible to readers interested in Jamail's career.

The website also refers visitors seeking Jamail's more recent professional website to JoeJamail.com.

Unlike a modern law firm website emphasizing attorney consultations, current practice areas, and appointment scheduling, JoeJamail.net concentrates on preserving historical content. Its principal value lies in the information it provides about Jamail's career, his courtroom philosophy, and the media attention surrounding his achievements.

Who Was Joseph D. Jamail Jr.?

Joseph Dahr Jamail Jr. was born on October 19, 1925, in Houston, Texas, into a family of Lebanese descent. His parents operated a grocery business, and his upbringing was shaped by strong family relationships, hard work, and the values of the Houston community in which he grew up.

Jamail often recalled his childhood as a formative period during which he developed a strong dislike of bullies and an instinct to defend people who were being mistreated.

These experiences eventually became central themes in his professional identity. Although he represented wealthy corporations in some of his most famous cases, he consistently portrayed his role as that of an advocate willing to challenge powerful interests.

He attended the University of Texas at Austin, although his early academic performance was not especially distinguished. His education was interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific.

After returning to civilian life, he resumed his education and eventually pursued law.

Jamail received his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas in 1950 and graduated from its School of Law in 1953. Remarkably, he passed the Texas bar examination in August 1952, several months before completing law school.

The story of his bar examination became one of his favorite anecdotes. According to accounts he shared over the years, he took the examination partly because of a wager with fellow students and passed by only one point.

After law school, Jamail briefly worked in a traditional law firm environment before pursuing work more closely aligned with his independent personality. He served in the district attorney's office and eventually established a practice devoted largely to representing plaintiffs.

His firm became associated with the name Jamail & Kolius, reflecting his professional relationship with fellow attorney Gus Kolius.

Over the following decades, Jamail developed a reputation for meticulous preparation, forceful cross-examination, persuasive storytelling, and an exceptional ability to connect with jurors.

By the time of his death, he had become one of the most prominent trial lawyers in the United States.

Houston, Texas: The Geographic Center of Jamail's Career

Houston was central to Joe Jamail's personal and professional identity. He was born in the city, established his legal career there, and maintained strong connections with its business, legal, educational, and philanthropic communities.

Historical biographical material identifies his former professional office as:

Jamail & Kolius

500 Dallas Street, Suite 3434 Houston, Texas 77002

The address placed his practice in downtown Houston, within the city's major business and professional district.

This location was particularly appropriate for an attorney involved in major corporate disputes, personal injury litigation, and cases attracting national attention. Downtown Houston is home to important law firms, financial institutions, corporate offices, and government facilities.

The Harris County civil courthouse complex, located elsewhere in downtown Houston, formed part of the broader legal environment in which attorneys like Jamail practiced.

Houston's connection to the oil and gas industry also provides important context for Jamail's most famous case, Pennzoil v. Texaco. The city's concentration of energy companies, executives, financial professionals, and legal specialists made it a significant center for disputes involving major American corporations.

Although Jamail's professional reputation became international, he remained strongly identified with Houston throughout his life.

His relationships with the University of Texas, fellow attorneys, business leaders, and local charitable organizations helped establish him as one of the city's most recognizable legal figures.

The Landmark Pennzoil v. Texaco Case

No discussion of Joe Jamail's career would be complete without examining Pennzoil v. Texaco, the case that transformed him from an exceptionally successful trial attorney into a national legal celebrity.

The dispute began during the early 1980s, when Pennzoil negotiated an agreement involving the acquisition of Getty Oil.

Texaco subsequently entered the picture with a competing acquisition proposal. Pennzoil contended that Texaco had improperly interfered with an existing agreement.

The legal dispute involved complex questions of contract formation, business relationships, and tortious interference. At its heart was the question of whether Pennzoil and Getty interests had reached an enforceable agreement and whether Texaco had wrongfully disrupted that arrangement.

For many attorneys, the challenge would have been explaining complicated corporate negotiations to a jury unfamiliar with the intricacies of multibillion-dollar business transactions.

Jamail approached the case differently.

Rather than allowing technical legal arguments to dominate his presentation, he emphasized a simple principle: a person's word should mean something.

He framed the dispute around the importance of promises, commitments, and business integrity. His approach transformed an otherwise technical corporate disagreement into a story about trust and responsibility.

In November 1985, a Houston jury returned a verdict that included approximately $10.5 billion in damages against Texaco. With additional amounts included in some accounts, the award was widely described as exceeding $11 billion.

The case ultimately ended in a multibillion-dollar settlement, generally reported at approximately $3 billion, with some historical accounts describing a figure of $3.3 billion.

Jamail reportedly received several hundred million dollars in legal fees, making the case one of the most financially consequential representations in American legal history.

The verdict attracted international attention because of its extraordinary size and the potential consequences for Texaco. The litigation also became a landmark example of how state contract and tort principles could affect major corporate acquisitions.

For Jamail, the case demonstrated that a jury could understand complicated commercial disputes when attorneys explained them through recognizable human experiences.

The Pennzoil victory remains the defining achievement associated with his name.

Major Personal Injury and Product Liability Cases

Although Pennzoil v. Texaco brought Jamail his greatest public recognition, his reputation had already been established through decades of personal injury and product liability litigation.

He represented clients injured by defective products, dangerous equipment, negligent conduct, and other circumstances that resulted in serious physical or financial harm.

One notable case was Coates v. Remington Arms, involving a rifle that allegedly discharged despite its safety mechanism being engaged. The plaintiff suffered devastating injuries, and the litigation resulted in a multimillion-dollar recovery.

The Washington Post reported that the case produced a $6.8 million settlement in 1978, an exceptionally large recovery for its time.

Jamail also became associated with litigation involving Remington Model 600 rifles, Honda three-wheeled all-terrain vehicles, and the prescription drug Parlodel. Historical accounts credit his legal work with contributing to product recalls or withdrawals involving these products.

These cases illustrate an important dimension of Jamail's career. He believed that lawsuits could accomplish more than financial compensation for individual plaintiffs. Successful litigation could expose dangerous practices, encourage manufacturers to improve safety, and influence corporate behavior.

His professional record included more than 200 personal injury cases in which clients reportedly received verdicts or settlements exceeding $1 million.

Across his career, contemporary accounts credited him with more than $13 billion in judgments and settlements. These historical totals should be understood as career-wide figures reported during his lifetime, rather than amounts personally received by Jamail.

His success demonstrated the enormous financial and institutional influence that a highly effective plaintiffs' attorney could exercise within the American civil justice system.

Lawyer: My Trials and Jubilations

One of the most important features of JoeJamail.net is its connection to Jamail's autobiography, Lawyer: My Trials and Jubilations.

Published by Eakin Press in 2003 and written with Mickey Herskowitz, the book offers an unusually personal account of Jamail's experiences, legal philosophy, professional triumphs, and sometimes outrageous adventures.

The hardcover edition carries ISBN 9781571688095.

Rather than presenting a conventional professional biography, the book emphasizes Jamail's personality and storytelling abilities. Readers encounter accounts of his upbringing, military service, education, early courtroom experiences, famous trials, friendships, and opinions about the legal profession.

The website preserves selected passages from the book, providing an introduction to his distinctive voice.

Among the recurring themes are his dislike of bullies, his willingness to become personally involved with clients, and his belief that lawyers must prepare thoroughly while communicating directly with jurors.

The book also recounts his unconventional route into law, including his experiences at the University of Texas and his early encounters with attorneys who inspired him to enter the profession.

An especially important component is the discussion of Pennzoil v. Texaco, including the methods Jamail used to persuade jurors to understand the dispute in terms of promises and obligations.

For readers interested in legal history, the autobiography provides insights into how a celebrated trial lawyer viewed his own career. For general audiences, its appeal lies in the unusual stories and memorable personality of its subject.

The book continues to circulate through used-book dealers and online booksellers. Goodreads lists reader ratings and reviews, demonstrating continued interest in Jamail's life years after publication.

Awards, Honors, and Professional Recognition

Joe Jamail accumulated an extensive collection of awards and professional distinctions during his career.

In 2003, the Texas Bar Foundation honored him with its Outstanding Fifty Year Lawyer Award, recognizing his decades of legal practice and contributions to the profession.

He also received recognition from the University of Texas, professional trial lawyer organizations, and civic institutions.

Among his documented honors were the University of Texas Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Southern Trial Lawyers Association's War Horse Award, and recognition from organizations concerned with civil rights and community service.

Texas Monthly identified him as a leading lawyer of the century, while the California Trial Lawyers Association also recognized his extraordinary achievements.

His reputation was reinforced by membership and fellowship in prestigious professional organizations, including the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

These honors reflected more than his ability to secure substantial financial recoveries. His peers recognized his courtroom technique, influence on trial advocacy, and commitment to representing clients through the jury system.

The nickname "King of Torts" became an enduring part of his public identity. It appeared in newspaper articles, magazine profiles, television coverage, and discussions of American legal history.

Press and Media Coverage

JoeJamail.net preserves material from several important profiles that helped establish Jamail's public reputation.

A November 28, 2003, Dallas Morning News profile by Steve Quinn examined his continued enthusiasm for courtroom work, even after he had accumulated considerable wealth.

The article described his ability to capture attention, communicate complicated arguments, and challenge opposing attorneys. It also explored his personality, including his confidence, competitiveness, and sometimes abrasive behavior.

Another prominent feature was Anthony Head's 2006 profile, The Amazing Reign of Joe Jamail: America's King of Torts. This account portrayed Jamail as a wealthy, outspoken, energetic attorney who remained deeply engaged with litigation late in life.

John Spong's Lawyer of the Century profile emphasized the importance of the Pennzoil victory and Jamail's ability to explain sophisticated legal concepts through familiar human experiences.

Coverage was not uniformly flattering. Some observers admired his willingness to confront powerful defendants, while others regarded his courtroom manner as unnecessarily combative or theatrical.

This mixture of admiration and criticism helped make him a compelling media personality.

Following his death in 2015, major publications revisited his career. The Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, Texas Lawbook, and University of Texas publications examined his extraordinary litigation record, personality, philanthropy, and influence.

The continued attention demonstrates why historical material about Jamail remains relevant to readers interested in American law and Texas history.

Philanthropy and the University of Texas

Joe Jamail's contributions to education and charitable institutions became an important part of his legacy.

He and his wife, Lee Hage Jamail, were particularly generous supporters of the University of Texas at Austin.

Their donations benefited the School of Law, School of Nursing, academic programs, scholarships, and athletics.

Several university facilities and programs carry the Jamail name, including the Joseph D. Jamail Center for Legal Research, the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, and Joe Jamail Field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

The couple's philanthropy also extended to Rice University in Houston.

In 1996, the Jamails contributed $5 million to Rice to support Latin American studies and other academic initiatives. Their gifts helped establish endowed academic chairs and supported scientific and engineering research.

The Lee and Joe Jamail Plaza and other campus facilities reflect their continuing institutional legacy.

Jamail's generosity was closely connected to his appreciation for education. He frequently acknowledged the importance of the University of Texas in shaping his life and providing opportunities that ultimately made his career possible.

His philanthropic work helped ensure that the wealth generated through his legal successes would continue benefiting students, researchers, and educational institutions.

His Philosophy of Trial Advocacy and the Jury System

A defining characteristic of Joe Jamail's professional philosophy was his belief in the American jury system.

He regarded the courthouse as a place where ordinary individuals could challenge powerful organizations and obtain justice.

In his view, the right to have disputes heard by independent courts and juries was essential to protecting civil liberties.

Jamail frequently criticized efforts to restrict access to jury trials or reduce the ability of injured individuals to pursue compensation.

His arguments reflected the perspective of a plaintiffs' attorney who had spent decades confronting large corporations and insurance companies.

He also believed that effective trial advocacy depended on preparation rather than theatrical improvisation alone.

Although his courtroom performances often appeared spontaneous, colleagues described his extensive preparation and attention to detail.

He studied evidence carefully, anticipated opposing arguments, and developed presentations intended to make complicated facts understandable.

His approach combined legal knowledge, psychological insight, storytelling, and an ability to recognize what jurors considered fair.

For students of trial advocacy, his career remains an important example of the relationship between factual preparation and persuasive communication.

Public Reputation, Reviews, and Popularity

Joe Jamail enjoyed a level of public recognition unusual for a civil trial attorney.

His name became associated with spectacular verdicts, wealthy clients, dramatic courtroom confrontations, and substantial charitable giving.

Within the legal profession, he was admired for his effectiveness before juries and his willingness to pursue difficult cases.

His personality also attracted criticism. Some observers considered him excessively aggressive, outspoken, or confrontational.

These contrasting opinions contributed to his reputation as one of the most colorful figures in American law.

The book Lawyer: My Trials and Jubilations has continued to attract reader attention. Goodreads has recorded a rating of approximately 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on several dozen ratings, although such figures change over time.

The book's reviews offer a mixture of appreciation for his stories and criticism of his self-confidence and emphasis on professional victories.

For JoeJamail.net itself, reliable public traffic statistics, verified visitor totals, and substantial independent website review data were not established through the available research.

Its popularity should therefore not be confused with Jamail's personal fame. The historical significance of the subject is well documented, but the current website's audience size cannot be stated confidently.

Website Ownership, Organization, and Audience

JoeJamail.net is best understood as an independently maintained historical reconstruction of an earlier website associated with Joe Jamail.

The current site explains that its owner acquired the domain after the original registration expired and reconstructed content from archived material.

The public information reviewed does not establish a complete chain of domain ownership, the original website developer, or a verified launch date for the reconstructed version.

The website is organized around historical narratives rather than commercial services. Its content includes autobiographical excerpts, professional honors, biographical information, and preserved press coverage.

It does not function as a restaurant, retail store, or visitor attraction, so features such as food menus, reservations, admission prices, or customer service ratings are not applicable.

Its natural audience includes law students, practicing attorneys, legal historians, journalists, researchers, University of Texas alumni, and readers interested in prominent Texans.

The site may be particularly useful to people researching the history of personal injury litigation, the Pennzoil-Texaco dispute, or the changing role of trial lawyers in American society.

Its historical content should be read with an understanding that some material originated as promotional information and that certain claims reflect the language and perspective of Jamail's own professional biography.

Cultural and Social Significance

Joe Jamail occupied a distinctive place in American culture because he combined several seemingly contradictory identities.

He was a wealthy lawyer who presented himself as a defender of ordinary people. He represented major corporate clients while criticizing abuses of corporate power. He was celebrated for enormous financial victories but also remembered for substantial charitable giving.

His career developed during a period when personal injury litigation and large jury verdicts became increasingly controversial subjects in American politics.

Supporters of the civil justice system viewed attorneys like Jamail as essential to holding powerful defendants accountable.

Critics of expansive tort litigation argued that large awards and contingency fees could impose excessive costs on businesses and consumers.

Jamail's career became part of this broader national debate.

His success also demonstrated the cultural importance of storytelling in American courtrooms. He understood that jurors brought their own experiences, values, and expectations into the courtroom.

By connecting legal disputes to everyday principles such as honesty, responsibility, and fairness, he made complicated cases accessible to people without specialized legal training.

His legacy therefore extends beyond individual verdicts. It encompasses the relationship between law and public opinion, the influence of trial advocacy on corporate behavior, and the continuing debate over access to civil justice.

The Continuing Legacy of JoeJamail.net

JoeJamail.net offers an accessible introduction to a remarkable figure in American legal history.

Its greatest strength is the preservation of material that reflects how Joe Jamail presented himself and how journalists described him during the height of his career.

The website captures the humor, competitiveness, confidence, and determination that made him famous.

It also preserves details of an era when individual trial lawyers could become nationally recognized personalities through major courtroom victories.

For researchers, the site is most useful when read alongside contemporary newspaper reporting, official university records, professional association histories, and independent biographies.

Jamail's influence continues through the institutions he supported, the lawyers who studied his courtroom methods, and the landmark cases that remain part of American legal history.

The Pennzoil-Texaco dispute alone ensures his place in discussions of corporate litigation and jury verdicts.

Yet his philanthropic achievements and outspoken defense of the jury system reveal a broader legacy.

Joe Jamail believed that lawyers could make meaningful differences in people's lives by confronting injustice and insisting that powerful interests be held accountable.

His personality was sometimes controversial, and his courtroom methods were not universally admired. Nevertheless, his achievements made him one of the most consequential trial attorneys of his generation.

JoeJamail.net preserves an important part of that history, introducing new readers to the attorney who became known as America's King of Torts.

 

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