James W. Christian (Wes)
1978 – 1979 Associate, Morris McCann
1978 – 1988 Partner, Margraves Kennerly & Schueler
1988 – Present Managing Partner, Christian Attar Law (formerly Christian Smith & Jewell)/James W. Christian, P.C.
713.659.7617
JChristian@christianattarlaw.com
Education
Keller High School, 1971
Bachelor of Science, West Texas State A&M University, 1975
Doctor of Jurisprudence, South Texas College of Law, 1978
Work History
State Bar of Texas, 1978 – Present
State Bar of New York, 2005 – Present
American Association for Justice, 2003 – Present
American Bar Association, 1978 – Present
Houston Bar Association, 1978 – Present
Member of Advanced Evidence & Discovery Committee – State Bar of Texas, 2006 – 2010
Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation
Energy Institute – Speaker, 2006
Advanced Evidence & Discovery Committee – Member/Speaker, 2006 – 2010
“Who We Are As Lawyers” – Speaker, 2006 – Present
Jury Awareness Committee, State Bar of Texas, 2006 – 2007
Texas Legends Committee – Chairman, 2006 – 2010
Texas Legends Committee – Co-Chairman, 2011 – 2014
Annual Meeting, State Bar of Texas – Co-Chairman, 2011 – 2012
Frequent speaker at SMU, South Texas College of Law, Baylor Law School St. Mary’s Law School, Texas Wesleyan A&M Law School, University of Texas , Thurgood Marshall Law School and others on Role of a Lawyer in Our Society, 2007 – Present)
Elected Secretary of Litigation Council of the State Bar of Texas, 2015 – 2016
Elected Treasurer of Litigation Council of the State Bar of Texas, 2016 – 2017
Elected Chair Elect of Litigation Council of the State Bar of Texas, 2017 – 2018
Elected Chair of Litigation Council of the State Bar of Texas, 2018 – 2019
Committee Member, Legends Committee, 2020 – Present
Chair Emeritus of Litigation Council of the State Bar of Texas, 2020 – 2023
Publications
Energy Institute Seminar, Houston, Texas – February 16-17, 2006: Topic- “Alien Tort Claims and Other Ways to Obtain Jurisdiction Over Foreign Corporations Affiliated with U.S. Corporations”
Advanced Evidence and Discovery, Houston, Texas (April 26-27, 2006); Dallas, Texas (May 11-12, 2006); San Antonio, Texas (May 25-26, 2006): Topic – “Extra-Jurisdictional Domestic and International Civil Litigation: A Guide for Practitioners”
Advanced Evidence and Discovery, Houston, Texas (April 19-20, 2006); Dallas, Texas (May 3-4, 2006); San Antonio, Texas (May 17-18, 2006): Topic – “Internet Discovery and how to use it”
University of Houston Law Review; Spring, 2007; Naked Short Selling: How Exposed are Investors
Committee Member Jury Awareness State Bar of Texas, Houston, Texas, 2006-2007 Topic – “The Importance of Our Great American Jury System”
Advanced Evidence and Discovery, Houston, Texas (April 19-20, 2007); Dallas, Texas (May 3-4, 2007); San Antonio, Texas (May 17-18, 2007): Topic – “Daubert Challenges”
Advanced Evidence and Discovery, Houston, Texas; San Antonio, Texas (May 22-23, 2008): Topic – “Expert Witnesses”
2009 Advanced Evidence and Discovery, Houston Texas: Topic – “Musical Chairs: Apportioning Responsibility”
Litigation Update, Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas (January 19-20, 2012): Topic – “Who We Are As Lawyers”
Litigation Update, Austin, Texas; (January, 2013): Topic – “Becoming a Texas Legal Legend”
State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas; (June, 2013): Induction of Honorable Royal Ferguson and Francis Scott Baldwin, Sr.
Litigation Update, Austin, Texas; (January, 2014): Topic – “15 Keys to Winning a Jury Trial”
State Bar of Texas Legends Committee, Lubbock, Texas; (April, 2014): Induction of Forrest Bowers as a Texas Legal Legend
State Bar of Texas Legends Committee, Austin, Texas; (June, 2014): Induction of Bob Black as a Texas Legal Legend.
State Bar of Texas Legends Committee, Waco, Texas; (November, 2014): Induction of George Chandler as a Texas Legal Legend
31st Annual Litigation Update Institute, San Antonio, Texas; (January 15-16, 2015): Topic – “How to Effectively Use Expert Witnesses.”
State Bar of Texas Legends Committee, Lubbock, Texas; (September 11, 2015): Induction of Mary Lou Robinson as a Texas Legend
State Bar of Texas Legends Committee, Houston, Texas; (November, 2015): Induction of Judge Ruby Kless Sondock as a Texas Legal Legend
University of Houston, Houston, Texas; (February 9, 2016): Importance of Lawyers in Society
Amarillo Bar Association, Amarillo, Texas; (April 28, 2016): Preparing, Presenting and Cross-Examination of Experts.
Litigation Update Institute, San Antonio, Texas; (January 26-27, 2017)
State Bar of Texas Legends Committee, (Dallas, Texas): January, 2017): Induction of Ron White as a Texas Legend.
Litigation Council Spring Meeting, South Padre, Texas; (March 30-31, 2017)
State Bar of Texas Legends Committee, Austin, Texas; (April, 2017): Inductions of Lloyd Lochridge and Pat Lochridge as a Texas Legend
State Bar of Texas Legends Committee, Lubbock, Texas; (April, 2017): Induction of Tom Morris as a Texas Legend.
Litigation Update, Austin, Texas; (January 11-12, 2018): The Role of a Lawyer
State Bar of Texas Legends Committee, Dallas, Texas; (January, 2018): Induction of Harriet Miers as a Texas Legend
Litigation Update, Houston, Texas; (December 2022); Business Tort and Disputes Update •
Naked Short Selling – How Exposed Are Investors, Cleveland Bar Association; (February 2023)
Radio Appearances
Tim Connolly’s Winning Strategies – Re: Stock Fraud on Wall Street , April 29, 2011
Tim Connolly’s Winning Strategies – Re: Spiraling costs of litigation and how “David can still fight Goliath”, Feb. 11, 2011
Tim Connolly’s Winning Strategies – Re: Insider Trading Issues, Dec. 3, 2010
Tim Connolly’s Winning Strategies – Re: Mortgage Fraud, Nov. 5, 2010
Tim Connolly’s Winning Strategies – Re: FIN REG, July 30, 2010
Tim Connolly’s Winning Strategies – Re: Naked Short-Selling, June 3, 2010
Tim Connolly’s Winning Strategies – Re: Flash Crash, May 7, 2010
T.V. Appearances
Brown Saddle Films, Wall Street Conspiracy
Fox Business News – Charles Payne – What is Naked Short Selling
Fox Business News – Charles Payne – Mullen Automotive
Professional Affiliations
United States Court of Appeals
United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Claims
United States Tax Court
United States District Court, Northern District of Texas
United States District Court, Southern District of Texas
United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas
United States District Court, Western District of Texas
United States District Court, Western District of Arkansas
United States District Court, Western District of Colorado
United States District Court, Delaware
United States District Court
United States Bankruptcy Court, Delaware
United States District Court of Central District of California
United States District Court, Southern District of New York
United States District Court, Northern District of California
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Professional Leadership Involvement
1978 – 1979 Associate, Morris McCann
1978 – 1988 Partner, Margraves Kennerly & Schueler
1988 – Present Managing Partner, Christian Attar Law (formerly Christian Smith & Jewell)/James W. Christian, P.C.
Firm News & Articles
Corporate Counsel Review, Business Torts and Disputes Update (Volume XLII), STATE BAR OF TEXAS, May, 2023
Jennifer Hiller, Suits on Royalties Emerging in Shale, SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, Mar. 14, 2016
Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Louise Radnofsky, Treatment of Elite Gymnasts Under Scrutiny, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Feb. 17, 2016
Nancy Armour and Rachel Axon, Suit puts heat on Karolyis, USA TODAY, Feb. 17, 2017
Liz Moyer, Signature Bank is Sued Over Ties to Ponzi Scheme, NEW YORK TIMES, Feb. 24, 2016
Insolvency, Regulatory, The Enablers of the Fraudsters, Part 1, ALLABOUTALPHA, Sept. 1, 2015
Helen Avery, JPMorgan’s Trading Loss Proves Volcker Rule Won’t Work, EUROMONEY, May 24, 2012
Joe Meyers, “Naked Short Selling” Probed in New Documentary, THE NEWS-TIMES, Apr. 12, 2012
BofA, Goldman, Others Settle Taser Short Selling Suit, LAW 360, Jun 20, 2011
Helen Avery, Banking: Litigation Could Seriously Damage Banks’ Health, EUROMONEY, Apr. 15, 2011
Christopher Faille, But What if Compliance Officers Do Their Jobs, HEDWORLD.com, Apr. 15, 2011
Michelle Massey, Marshall Lawyer Sue Beaumont Accountants After Losing $6M in Market Collapse, THE SOUTHWEST TEXAS RECORD, Oct. 12, 2010
Frank Geary, Police Union Paid Top Dollar for New Offices, LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, Aug. 2, 2009
Christopher Faille, Christian Reflects on Mangan,Gryphon, HEDGEWORLD.com, Jan. 9, 2008
John R. Emschwiller and Kara Scannell, Blame the ‘Stock Vault’? Clearinghouse Faulted On Short-Selling Abuse; Finding the Naked Truth, NY SUN, Jul 5, 2007
Judith Burns, SEC Economists Reject Claims On ‘Naked’ Short Sales, DOW JONES NEWSWIRES, Apr. 23, 2007
CFO Staff, Naked Hunch: Overstock.com kicks its fight against short-sellers up a notch; the PCAOB debates the merits of mandatory fraud audits; state health-care reforms could cause headaches for Corporate America; and more, CFO MAGAZINE, Apr. 01, 2007
Christopher Faille, Grassley Touts Regulation on Behalf of ‘Average Joe’, LIPPER HEDGEWORLD, Mar. 08, 2007
Danny King and Gary Matsumoto, Overstock.com Sues Brokers for Stock Manipulation, BLOOMBERG, Feb. 2, 2007
Liz Moyer, Naked Short Victim Strikes Back, FORBES.com, Feb. 2, 2007
Joseph Sternberg, Naked Shorting, NY SUN, Aug 29, 2006
Bob Drummond, Games Short Sellers Play, BLOOMBERG, Aug. 16, 2006
Judith Burns, Legal Wrangling Continues In Case vs. Ex-Refco Brokers, DOW JONES NEWSWIRES, Aug. 8, 2006
Kara Scannell, ‘Not MY Stock’: The Latest Way to Fight Shorts, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, Aug. 2, 2006
Liz Moyer, Hedge Fund Hell, FORBES, Jul 28, 2006
The Economist Staff, Betting on losers, THE ECONOMIST, Jun 22nd, 2006
Joseph Sternberg, Loaded for Bear, NY SUN, May 23, 2006
Dan Dorfman, Justice Department Eyes Overstock.com Fight, NY SUN, May 22, 2006
Dan Dorfman, Overstock.com May Seek $1 Billion From Rocker Partners, NY SUN, May 12, 2006
Todd Mason, SEC wants to know if backers made money by trying to kill it, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, Apr. 23, 2006
Todd Mason, SEC says brokerages manipulated shares, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, Apr. 5, 2006
Jane Sassen, The Secret Lives of Short Sellers: the Rise of Hedge Funds and Indie Research Raises New Questions About a Shadowy World, BUSINESS WEEK, Apr. 10, 2006
Daniel Kadlec, Watch Out, They Bite! How Hedge Funds Tied to Embattled Broker Refco Used “Naked Short Selling” to Plunder Small Companies, TIME, Nov. 14, 2005 (SPECIAL ISSUE: INSIDE BUSINESS, December 2005)
Helen Avery & Peter Koh, The Curious Incident of the Shares that Didn’t Exist, EUROMONEY, Vol. 36, No. 432, Apr. 2005
Helen Avery, SEC Seeks to Curb Naked Ambition, EUROMONEY, Vol. 36, No. 432, Apr. 2005
Peter Koh, Stung by the German Connection, EUROMONEY, Vol. 36, No. 432, Apr. 2005
Rob Wherry, Wall Street’s Next Nightmare? Flamboyant Litigator John O’Quinn is Gunning for Another Bonanza: The Entire Trading System in Penny Stocks, FORBES, Oct. 13, 2003
Edward Robinson, The Outsiders, BLOOMBERG MARKETS, Jul. 2003
Matthew McClearn, Predator or Prey? Amid a Flurry of Lawsuits and Countersuits, the Murky world of Death-spiral Financings-Ones in Which Toronto Financier Mark Valentine Loomed Large-is Coming to Light, CANADIAN BUSINESS, Oct. 28, 2002
Brandon Copple, Sinking Fund. Have Financiers Torpedoed Struggling Small Companies They Were Supposedly Helping? Lawsuits Raise Some Ugly Accusations, FORBES, Jun. 10, 2002
Documentaries
Brown Saddle Films, Wall Street Conspiracy
Bloomberg T.V. Special, Phantom Shares
Sandra Mohr, Mohr Productions – Stock Shock
HBO Max – Gaming Wall Street
Pro Bono
Assist a variety of clients in wrongful evictions/FED Action including attending various hearings and trials in FED actions
Represent a variety of contemporary Christian musicians in contract copyright and related matters
Assisting Memorial Village Police Officers Association with formation of non-profit corporation and related corporate matters
Assisting various law enforcement officers, HPD, MVPD and others with resolving various contract and related issues.
Assisting various Pastors and missionaries with contract documents, releases and related matters
Assisting a variety of other clients with Lemon Law issues in vehicles, breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation cases, etc., including attending arbitrations in such matters