James T. Barnish
Practice Areas
Industries
Education
- South Texas College of Law, J.D., 2010, summa cum laude
- Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, B.A., 2006
Bar & Court Admissions
Jim is a partner in the Vorys Houston office and a member of the litigation group. His practice is focused on litigation in the construction, transportation, utility and oil & gas industries. He regularly represents general contractors and subcontractors in disputes over performance and payment, and advises construction clients about their indemnity and insurance coverage obligations. Jim has represented employers in disputes involving non-competition agreements, non-solicit agreements, theft of trade secrets/confidential information, discrimination claims, and class actions. Jim also has experience in complex commercial cases involving contract disputes and tort claims.
His notable experience includes:
- Successfully represented a general contractor who was underpaid by over $15 million dollars on a turnaround project
- Successfully represented subcontractor who was not paid over $2 million dollars on an oil and gas project after general contractor went bankrupt
- Successfully defended electrical transmission line contractor in a mass tort action involving over two billion dollars in damage claims
- Successfully recovered employer’s stolen confidential information from two former employees
- Successfully defended nationwide construction services company in dispute with subcontractor over an alleged breach of a lump sum construction contract
- Obtained summary judgment and defeating class certification for employer on claims that its hiring practices violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act
- Defended international oil and gas exploration and production company against claims of breach of operating agreements and leases stemming from an environmental legacy litigation lawsuit
- Obtained summary judgments for employers accused of age, race, and sex discrimination and retaliation
- Resolved numerous pre-lawsuit disputes for a nationwide logistics and freight management company involving shipping, payment, vendor, and lease disputes
Jim received his J.D., summa cum laude, from South Texas College of Law, where he was active in the Advocacy Program and a member of the South Texas Law Review. He received his B.A. from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
Professional and Community Activities
- Houston Bar Association, Construction Section
- State Bar of Texas, Member
Honors & Awards
- Texas Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2020
News
- 1/5/2021Vorys is pleased to announce that Leslie A. Allen, James T. Barnish, Jessica Knopp Cunning, Suzanne R. Galyardt, Liana R. Hollingsworth, Joel M. Lund, Gabriel A. Moyer, Matthew J. Porter and Frank C. Zonars became partners of the law firm on January 1, 2021.
- 3/12/2020Vorys is pleased to announce that Akilah Craig and Jim Barnish have been named a 2019 Texas Rising Stars by Texas Super Lawyers magazine.
- 12/16/2014Vorys announced that nine trial lawyers, with diverse civil litigation backgrounds, will join the firm’s Houston office. The attorneys will start at the firm on January 5. Their arrival continues the firm’s expansion in Houston and strengthens Vorys nationally recognized litigation and energy groups.
Events
- 9/13/2018Vorys and the Transportation Intermediaries Association co-hosted the 3PL Briefing and Reception on September 13, 2018 in Houston, Texas.
Insights
- April 2015Monica Oathout, a partner in the Vorys Houston office and a member of the labor and employment group, and Jim Barnish, an associate in the Houston office and a member of the litigation group, co-authored an article for Law360 titled “Figuring Out Family Responsibilities Discrimination.”