About Jane

  • Jane Langdell Robinson offers decades of experience in appeals and litigation, primarily in complex commercial matters.  A board-certified civil appellate specialist, Jane represents clients in mandamus proceedings, interlocutory appeals, and appeals of final judgments in Texas and other state appellate courts as well as the Fifth Circuit, other federal circuit courts, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and the United States Supreme Court.  Trial lawyers often rely on Jane for legal analysis and strategy in complex civil matters as well as dispositive motions, Robinson/Daubert challenges, preparation of jury charges, and other trial and pre-trial support.

    With John Zavitsanos, Jane has been a co-author of O’Connor’s Texas Rules * Civil Trials, the premiere civil trial rules guide for Texas lawyers and judges, since 2018. She is also recognized in the Best Lawyers in America (2019–2025) for appellate practice, Texas Super Lawyers (2022–2024) for appellate practice and business litigation, and Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America for commercial litigation (2025, 2024, 2022), energy litigation (2025, 2024), and appellate (2022).*

    Jane has been board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2016. She also has extensive litigation experience in state and federal courts, including complex contract and commercial disputes and matters involving energy, healthcare, trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets.

    Jane joined Ahmad Zavitsanos and Mensing (AZA), a leading Texas trial boutique, in 2007, eventually becoming the firm’s second female partner and founding its appellate practice group.  In late 2024, Jane decided to start her own practice, but is proud to remain of counsel at AZA.  Before joining AZA, Jane worked at Baker Botts in Houston, Sheppard Mullin in Los Angeles, and Smith Anderson in Raleigh, North Carolina.

    *Best Lawyers in America is published by BL Rankings, Texas Super Lawyers is published by Thomson Reuters, and Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America is published by Lawdragon.

    • Represented law professors Bruce Ackerman, Joseph Fishkin, and William Forbath as amici before the United States Supreme Court in Moore v. United States; Supreme Court cited Prof. Ackerman in its opinion.  Moore v. United States, 144 S. Ct. 1680 (2024).

    • On behalf of Saltgrass, Inc. (a Landry’s company), successfully defended the dismissal of a breach-of-contract claim brought by a neighboring landowner.  20100 Eastex, L.L.C. v. Saltgrass, Inc., No. 23-20414, 2024 WL 4589077 (5th Cir. Oct. 28, 2024).

    • On behalf of SilverBow Resources, helped win a $41.8 million verdict in McMullen County in 2023.  The jury found that opponent Energy Transfer damaged SilverBow (awarded $24.5 million) and co-plaintiff El Dorado Gas & Oil (awarded $17.3 million) by injecting natural gas processing waste byproducts in the subsurface that interfered with the plaintiffs’ exploration and production rights.

    • Represented a group of law professors in submitting a successful amicus brief encouraging the Fifth Circuit to reverse class-action certification for discriminatory employers that would have eviscerated employment protections for LGBTQ+ workers.  Braidwood Mgmt., Inc. v. EEOC, 70 F.4th 914 (5th Cir. 2023). 

    • Successfully argued on behalf of Apache Corporation in the Texas Supreme Court to compel arbitration pursuant to the parties’ contract.  Wagner v. Apache Corporation, 627 S.W.3d 277 (Tex. 2021).

    • On behalf of TeamHealth-affiliated emergency-room physician groups who were underpaid by United Healthcare, the largest insurer in the nation, helped win a $62.65 million verdict in 2021 from a Nevada jury in a nationally watched case. The jury in this seven-week trial unanimously found malice, oppression, and fraud in the underpayment of the doctors.

    • As pro bono co-counsel with the ACLU, helped obtain a temporary restraining order on behalf of students protesting their school district’s gender-based policy on hair length.  The school district ultimately agreed to end its discriminatory policy.  A.C. v. Magnolia Ind. School Dist., No. H-21-3466, 2021 WL 11716732 (S.D. Tex. Oct. 26, 2021).

    • Successfully defended against a mandamus petition in Texas Supreme Court seeking to prevent the compelled disclosure of documents claimed to be privileged.  In re Molina Healthcare, Inc., No. 01-20-00582-CV, 2021 WL 2096727 (Tex. 2021)

    • Successful appeal on behalf of an employer defending against an employment discrimination claim.  Apache Corp. v. Davis, 627 S.W.3d 324 (Tex. 2021).

    • Successfully defended a mandamus petition seeking to disqualify trial counsel.  In re Curtis Burton, No. 14-20-00172-CV (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2020, orig. proceeding).

    • Successfully briefed and argued a mandamus petition before the Texas Supreme Court, obtaining the first-ever recognition of privilege for communications between patent agents and their clients in a state appellate court.  In re Silver, 540 S.W.3d 530 (Tex. 2018).

    • Successfully defended appeal of summary judgment for client in employment discrimination case.  Okpere v. National Oilwell Varco, L.P., 524 S.W.3d 818 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2017, pet. denied).

    • In a pro bono matter on behalf of a monastery, successfully defended appeal of court order that enabled monastery to reassert its negligence action against a professional engineering company.  Gessner Engineering, LLC v. St. Paraskevi Greek Orthodox Monastery, Inc., 507 S.W.3d 865 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2016, pet. denied).

    • Won appeal for officer of business who had been held personally liable on a corporate debt under a Tax Code provision.  Willis v. BPMT, LLC, 471 S.W.3d 27 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2015, no pet.).

    • On behalf of Plains Gas Solutions, LLC, obtained remand to state court of action where defendants removed based on allegation of federal jurisdiction under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.  Plains Gas Solutions, LLC v. Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, LLC, 47 F. Supp. 3d 701 (S.D. Tex. 2014)

    • Successfully obtained summary judgment in copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit on behalf of outdoors magazine.  Stutts v. Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, 2014 WL 1572736 (S.D. Tex. 2014).

    • Successfully obtained dismissal of federal discrimination lawsuit on behalf of three Fortune-500 companies based in Houston.  Bowers v. ConocoPhillips Co. et al., 2014 WL 2949446 (S.D. Tex. 2014).

    • Led briefing and argument of successful judgment as a matter of law on trademark infringement claim against our client after an eight-day federal jury trial.  Sentinel Integrity Solutions, Inc. v. Mistras Group, Inc., 2012 WL 2994661 (S.D. Tex. 2012).

  • In addition to Jane’s work as co-author of O’Connor’s Texas Rules * Civil Trials, Jane is a frequent legal education speaker. Some of Jane’s recent CLE presentations and papers include:

    April 2025 (forthcoming): Effective Brief Writing (Texas Supreme Court: History & Current Practice, TexasBarCLE)

    September 2024: Supreme Court of Texas Update (Texas Lawbook)

    June 2024: Appellate Procedure Update (Houston Bar Association CLE)

    September 2023: Supreme Court of Texas Update (Texas Lawbook)

    October 2022: The Janes—Today’s Post-Roe Reality (Harris County Democratic Lawyers Association CLE)

    October 2022: Trans & Other LGBTQ+ Children in Custody Evaluations (Texas Association of Domestic Relations Officers CLE)

    June 2022: 2 Years After Bostock: LGBTQ+ Plaintiffs in Employment Cases (Houston Bar Association Labor & Employment Section CLE)

    May 2022: Recent Developments in Anti-Discrimination Law for Transgender People (University of Texas CLE)

    February 2022: Texas Supreme Court Procedures and Update (Houston Metropolitan Paralegal Association)

    December 2021: Equal Protection for Transgender People (Texas Bar Journal)

    September 2021: Supreme Court of Texas Update (Texas Lawbook)

  • Jane enjoys engagement in the bar and the community.  She serves on the board of directors for the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists (TACTAS) and as an officer for the Houston Bar Association’s Appellate Section. Jane is a member of the Texas Bar Foundation, the Houston Bar Foundation, and the Texas Bar College.  In the past, she has also served on the board of directors for the Montrose Center and on the Lambda Legal Houston Leadership Council.

  • Jane is admitted in Texas, California, North Carolina (inactive), all Texas federal courts, federal district courts in North Carolina, California, and Michigan, the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the Fifth, Ninth, and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

    Jane graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1995 and with honors from Duke University School of Law in 1998.