Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

James C. Winton has been involved in the oil and gas and maritime industries for over 30 years. During his career he has represented companies in these industries with a focus on pipeline, ocean, air and truck transportation. Mr. Winton has had extensive litigation experience in those areas and has appeared in the state or federal trial or appellate courts of Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, New York, Ohio and Texas. His specific areas of experience include the following:

Pipeline Litigation

• Condemnation, contractual and prescriptive easement issues
• Violations of the Interstate Commerce Act and Sherman Act
• Class action personal injury claims caused by an LPG leak
• Environmental and personal injury claims arising out of oil spills and gas leaks
• Discrimination claims relating to tariff issues
• Property damage and personal injury claims caused by crude oil pipeline leaks
• Insurance coverage and indemnity

Oil and Gas

• Forfeiture of oil and gas leases
• Royalty claims
• Working interest owner disputes
• Alleged theft of Seismic prospect
• Construction delay, disruption and expanded scope claims

Admiralty

• Admiralty Act
• Public Vessels Act
• Jones Act
• Ship Mortgage Act
• Defense Bases Act
• Carriage of Goods by Sea Act claims
• Limitation of Liability
• Inland Marine Policies claims
• Ship Collisions
• Vessel Arrests
• Diver claims
• Product liability claims

Professional Liability

• Legal Malpractice Defense
• Defense of Texas Disciplinary Proceedings

Mr. Winton was elected to a three-year term on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors in 2002. In 2005, he was selected Third Year Director of the Year and received a Presidential CItation for his work as chair of the Facilities and Equipment and Policy Manual Subcommittees. He has also served as an officer and member of the Board of Directors of the Southern District of Texas Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and in 2005 was the Chapter President. In 2006, Mr. Winton was appointed by the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas to serve on the Board of Directors for the Texas Legal Protection Plan. In 2007, he served as Secretary of the Lakewood Yacht Club and was elected to a three-year term on its Board of Directors in 2008. Mr. Winton was the State Bar of Texas Board Liaison to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Committee in 2002-2003 and has been an appointed member of that committee since 2003.

Mr.Winton teaches the general maritime law course at the University of Houston Law Center and is the author of, “Corporate Representative Depositions in Texas—Often Used but Rarely Appreciated,” 55 Baylor Law Review 651 (2003), a definitive study of corporate representative depositions in Texas and, in some respects, under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, as well. A shorter version of the article appeared as “Corporate Representative Depositions in Texas,” 28 The Advocate 34 (2004), the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section Report.

In addition, Mr. Winton has been a member of the Maritime Law Association of the United States for more than 15 years and a member of the Carriage of Goods by Sea and Limitation of Liability Committees. Mr. Winton is also active in various yacht club races. He has held an Advanced PADI scuba diving certification since 1988 and has been a certified scuba diver since 1967. He served on active duty with the United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1978 - 1981 and was a commissioned officer in the JAG Corps from 1975 - 1996, ending as a Lieutenant Commander.

Areas of Practice

• Commercial Litigation
• Environmental and Energy
• Class Action Defense
• Product Liability and Toxic Tort
• Maritime
• Emergency Response and Crisis Management
• Energy Industry

Bar Admissions

• U.S. District Court Western District of Texas
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1987
• U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 1992
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1979
• U.S. District Court Southern District of California
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1995
• U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
• District of Columbia, 1980
• Texas, 1988
• California, 1977

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Maritime Law Association
• Federal Bar Association (Member, Board of Directors, Southern District of Texas Chapter)
• State Bar of Texas
• Lakewood Yacht Club (Secretary)

Past Employment Positions

• United States Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps , 1978 - 1981
• JAG Corps , Commissioned Officer, 1975 - 1995

Education

• Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles, California, 1977
  J.D.
  Honors: magna cum laude
  Honors: Graduated No. 1 of 391
• University of Southern California, 1974
  A.B.
  Honors: cum laude
  Major: Political Science

Address

1000 Louisiana
Suite 2000
Houston, TX 77002-5009

Phones

(713) 646-1304

Faxes

(713) 751-1717

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.bakerlaw.com