Dallas litigation boutique Bailey Brauer has reeled in former Locke Lord partner Jason Marlin.
Marlin, who was at Locke Lord for his entire 15-year career, was introduced to Clayton Bailey and Alex Brauer through a close friend and client who had been across them in a class action dispute. Marlin found their enthusiasm to be compelling.
“I was blown away when I first met Alex and Clayton. I listened to them discuss the firm, how they had built it and where they wanted to take it. It was refreshing to hear them,” said Marlin, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
“I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Although we had numerous conversations over a period of a few months, I was hooked after the initial meeting. I came home that day and told my wife that if they invite me to join, I’m all in.”
Marlin’s experience includes representing clients in shareholder derivative actions, real estate disputes, financial services litigation, catastrophic personal injury cases and energy-related lawsuits. He is currently involved in a handful of eminent domain matters across Texas and a number of commercial real estate and partnership disputes.
One of those recent commercial real estate feuds pitted Marlin’s client, who leased property to operate a cellular communications tower, against an irate landlord who suddenly decided he no longer wanted Marlin’s client on the property. The landlord pulled a shotgun on the client’s workers and threatened to pull the 199-foot cell tower down. He then represented himself throughout the litigation.
“We got a preliminary injunction, which settled him down a bit,” Marlin said. “But every conversation with him was a new adventure.”
Marlin was also part of the Locke Lord team that recently helped finalize the acquisition of land necessary for the completion of the TEXRail commuter line from downtown Fort Worth to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
The move to Bailey Brauer has already exposed Marlin to opportunities in new industries. The Dallas firm this month got a putative class action promoted by PETA involving the treatment of hens in egg production.
“While I’ve handled numerous class actions that involved alleged misrepresentations and DTPA claims — I haven’t done so in cases involving the agriculture industry,” Marlin said. “Applying my litigation skills and knowledge in a new setting is a welcomed addition at this stage of my career.”