Fulbright & Jaworski associate Steven Jansma stood as 12 Bexar County jurors filed back into the courtroom to announce their verdict.
For a week, Jansma did battle with legendary San Antonio plaintiff’s lawyer Jack Paul Leon, who represented James H.W. Jacks who sued the historic St. Anthony Hotel for $223,000 in jewelry stolen from his hotel room in 1992. Jacks was the costume designer for the TV show Dallas and his daughters were duchesses in the Fiesta Court.
“This was one of my first trials as a young lawyer,” Jansma told The Texas Lawbook in an interview. “Mr. Leon was the consummate gentleman lawyer. I learned much from him during our time on that case. Rather than running me over — which he most likely could have done at that point in my career — he was the consummate professional. He showed me how to aggressively represent a client while remaining respectful to opposing counsel.”
Jacks claimed that the hotel failed to provide adequate security, leading to the loss of the jewelry.
“We argued that the hotel’s security was top-notch, but that the Jacks were negligent in keeping the jewelry in their room rather than the hotel safe located in the lobby,” Jansma said.
After nearly three hours of deliberations, the jury found 10-2 for the St. Anthony Hotel, giving Jansma his first of many courtroom victories.
“I was fortunate to win the case,” he said. “Whenever I ran into Mr. Leon in later years, he would tell everyone at the event how I had gotten the best of him. It was nice to win the case, but the experience of working with him was much more valuable to me.”
Two decades later, Jansma is head of the litigation and disputes practice at the global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright and one of the most respected litigators in Texas.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s San Antonio Chapter and The Lawbook are honored to award Jansma with the 2025 C. Lee Cusenbary Ethical Life and Leadership Award.
On Nov. 6, Jansma and 11 San Antonio area general counsel will be celebrated at the inaugural San Antonio Corporate Counsel Awards.
“Steve’s career is a testament to the power of ethical leadership, civic engagement and professional excellence,” said Norton Rose Fulbright Global Managing Partner Jeff Cody, who nominated Jansma for the award. “Beyond his professional achievements, Steve has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to public service, particularly in the San Antonio community. Whether through his legal work, community service or educational advocacy, Steve embodies justice and integrity in all of his endeavors.”
“Steve’s legacy continues to inspire those who seek to lead with purpose and make a lasting difference,” Cody said.
John M. Floyd, a senior attorney at Vulcan Materials Company, said Jansma is “a servant leader, elevating and servicing the needs of his client without ego or power.”
“Steve is a humble yet effective leader, and it is those traits that enable him to be not only a good lawyer but a stellar lawyer whose many successes speak for themselves,” Floyd said. “It is his ability to see through the clutter, distill the complex into simplicity and then communicate in a way that is devoid of the emotion that one often sees in complex litigation matters. He is a superb student who understands the many facets of our business and seamlessly represents the business without any friction between legal and business goals.”
“Steve is a good lawyer, but he is a better person and friend,” Floyd said.
Since joining Fulbright & Jaworski — now Norton Rose Fulbright — in September 1992, Jansma has represented scores of Fortune 500 clients, including a German automaker, an Ohio tire manufacturer, a Japanese chemical company, a national trucking operation and a major petroleum refinery, to describe a few, in state and federal courts across 26 states.
Cody also said Jansma “has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to public service, particularly in the San Antonio community.”
During the past few years, Jansma served on the boards of Child Advocates San Antonio, Clarity Child Guidance Center, Catholic Charities and The Ecumenical Center, where he has “helped shape programs that support vulnerable populations,” Cody said.
“Steve’s leadership roles over the years in these community organizations underscore his ability to guide mission-driven organizations toward making meaningful impacts to the community,” he said.
The Road to Jaworski
Jansma was born in French Camp, California, where his father, Dr. David Jansma, was completing his residency in internal medicine and radiology. The family moved to Waco when he was 5 years old. His mother was an interior designer.
He attended Reicher Catholic High School in Waco, where he participated in soccer, football, baseball and track. He was named All-State in soccer and football and was inducted into the Reicher Sports Hall of Fame. He played varsity soccer at St. Mary’s University for four years, was named All Conference during his junior and senior years and was inducted in the St. Mary’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.
“From my athletic career, I learned hard work, servant leadership and sacrifice for the good of the team,” he said. “My high school and college coaches were very positive influences in my life. I still remind myself frequently of how they would motivate me when I needed it.”
There were no lawyers in the family, but his father’s attorney, J.P. Davis of Waco, became a mentor to Jansma as a teen.
“He helped make my decision to go to law school,” he said. “J.P. still tracks my career and checks up on me. I am very fortunate to have him in my life.”
“According to my parents, from a very young age, I told anyone who asked that I wanted to be a lawyer,” Jansma said. “But I think I really became interested in pursuing law as a career after taking a business law class from Dr. Kent Royalty during my undergraduate years at St. Mary’s University. Dr. Royalty showed me an entirely new way of looking at the world through legal analysis. He set me on the path.”
Jansma said a trio of mentors at Norton Rose Fulbright — Cody, Phil Pfeiffer and John Weber — had a “life-changing effect” on him.
“They showed me how to be a successful lawyer without compromising my integrity and the importance of family and giving back to our community,” he said. “They inspired me to be a better person and a servant leader every day. I try to live by their example.”
Jansma’s father practiced medicine in Waco with Dr. Joe Jaworski, who was the brother of Col. Leon Jaworski, a named partner at Fulbright & Jaworski and the former Watergate prosecutor who replaced Archibald Cox when he was fired by President Richard Nixon.
“Growing up, I read and heard stories about how Col. Jaworski demonstrated tremendous integrity and courage as a lawyer by pursuing the truth even against powerful political interests, such as in his role as Watergate special prosecutor,” he said.
The Jaworski name would become a fixture in Jansma’s life.
Jansma earned his bachelor’s degree in finance from St. Mary’s University in 1989 and then attended the Leon Jaworski School of Law at Baylor University, where he graduated in 1992.
“This gave me even more exposure to his background and accomplishments,” he said. “When it came time to interview for a job, Fulbright & Jaworski was at the top of my list. It has been an honor to work for such an outstanding international law firm, while getting to live and practice in San Antonio and South Texas. It has been the best of both worlds for me.”
Jansma never met Jaworski, who passed away in 1982 when Jansma was a freshman in high school. Even so, Jaworski had a significant impact on his career.
“The stories I either read or heard from Dr. Jaworski and my father were about Col. Jaworski’s prominent cases, including prosecution of hundreds of Nazi war criminals during the Nurnberg trials, President Nixon regarding Watergate and the Governor Ross Barnett of Mississippi for fighting the desegregation of the University of Mississippi,” he said. “As Col. Jaworski argued to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1974, no one is above the law, not even the president.”
“Col. Jaworski never shied away from what were considered unpopular causes at the time, including defending an African American man charged with the 1928 murder of a white couple in Waco,” he said. “I am incredibly proud that Col. Jaworski was from my hometown of Waco and that I now hold the U.S. head of litigation and disputes position that he held when he was with my law firm.”
The Courtroom Victories
Alicia M. Grant, a litigation partner at Norton Rose Fulbright, said Jansma “combines his technical expertise with sound judgment and an unwavering commitment to client service. He approaches every matter with integrity, strategic precision and a collaborative spirit.”
“One of Steven’s strengths is his ability to simplify complex issues,” Grant said. “He is a meticulous strategist who anticipates challenges before they arise, and his trial instincts are built upon preparation and persuasion. Clients trust him because he’s steady, credible and always focused on achieving results that align with their goals. What sets him apart is his ability to build a team because he knows how to pair members together who will complement each other.”
“Steven has led the defense of several high-exposure litigation matters to successful resolution, including multidistrict product liability cases and complex commercial disputes for well-known companies like Walmart and Sam’s Club,” she said. “He’s also played a pivotal role in growing the firm’s litigation practice, mentoring rising lawyers and strengthening client relationships across key industries.”
One of the biggest courtroom victories in Jansma’s career came in 2011 when he represented Cooper Tire in a product liability case in Tucson.
“The verdict was important because so few product liability cases were being tried anywhere in the nation at that time due to the high risk to both parties of any unfavorable outcome,” Jansma said. “This case was particularly risky for Cooper Tire because the plaintiff was sympathetic plaintiff — a fourth-grade schoolteacher who suffered brain damage, a degloving injury and nerve injury that result in loss of use of her right arm and hand.”
The plaintiff sought $10 million in damages.
For four weeks, Jansma and opposing counsel did battle in court.
“The trial started on the Monday after the Tucson shootings involving Rep. Gabby Gifford, which was a particularly emotional event for the local jury pool,” he said.
But Jansma focused his defense on using expert testimony to demonstrate that the tire Cooper produced “was not defectively designed or manufactured, but rather that it failed due to prior road hazard impact damage that weakened the tire over time and ultimately caused it to fail.”
“The challenge was making highly technical engineering issues understandable to the jury,” he said.
The Arizona jury deliberated for more than three hours before returning an 11-1 verdict for the defense.
“Following this verdict, my client was able to favorably resolve many more cases,” he said. “Within a few years, the docket almost completely resolved.”
Cody said Jansma “has built a formidable reputation through his work on high-stakes, complex litigation.”
“Steve is known for his ability to manage large-scale cases involving intricate legal and technical issues, often coordinating multi-office teams and navigating challenging jurisdictions,” he said.
While Jansma credits his mentors for his successes, younger lawyers say that he has payed it forward and that he is overt in his dedication to the generations coming behind him.
“Steve’s dedication isn’t just something you hear about — it is something you feel,” Grant said. “He shows up, not just in the literal sense, but in the way that matters most. No matter how packed his calendar is, if he knows something is important to you, he’ll be there — and not just as a passive attendee, but as someone who genuinely celebrates your wins.”
Grant remembers the night she received an Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year award.
“It was a big night for me, and Steve made it even bigger,” she said. “After my acceptance speech, he was the first to stand — he even clearly beat my own parents. There was no doubt that he stood up first. I received a spontaneous standing ovation that he started. His pride was unmistakable, his smile radiant, and afterward, several people came up to me just to comment on how moved he looked. For me, that moment wasn’t just about the award. It was about being seen, supported and celebrated by someone who truly cares. It also gave my family confidence that I was working at a special place.”
Jansma has witnessed transformational changes in the legal profession during his 33 years of practice in Texas, including “positive progress in advancing diversity in the legal profession but with a long way to go” and “rapid advance of legal technology and its associated benefits and risks.”
A major challenge has been a reduction in civil jury trials in which smaller damages were at stake.
“The challenge [has been] getting experience for the next generation of attorneys due to limited opportunities to get in-court hearing and trial experience or to independently handle smaller matters,” he said. “The biggest challenge that I see, especially for new lawyers, is getting quality experience and mentorship in the post-COVID world. There is certainly convenience in remote working, but to truly develop a skillset and client base, in-person collaboration is essential. We are addressing this through trial training programs, pro bono and taking smaller cases for fixed fees.”
Jansma said his best day practicing law came in November 2020 when Cody, Norton Rose Fulbright’s leader, asked him to lead the litigation practice for the firm’s U.S. operations.
“I have been very fortunate to have had great clients and challenging cases over the years, but my biggest thrill and honor by far has been leading our team of talented and diverse lawyers, and giving back to the firm that has given me so many opportunities,” he said.
Fun Facts: Steven Jansma
- Favorite book: The Stand and The Shining. I’m a Stephen King fan. I love the way he tells such diverse stories, and I love how he keeps me on the edge of my seat.
- Favorite movie: My wife would probably tell you that my favorite movies are Roadhouse and Shawshank Redemption. I [would say] Empire of the Sun. It is based on J.G. Ballard’s autobiographical novel. Christian Bale plays a young British boy who is separated from his parents during World War II and is forced to survive in a Japanese internment camp in China. His performance is inspiring to me, and the cinematography is second to none.
- Favorite vacation: My parents were very generous in taking my sister and me on many great tropical vacations grown up. More recently, my wife and I took a trip to Florence, Rome, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast. I cannot imagine a vacation with more beautiful and relaxing scenery.
- Favorite restaurant: My wife and I are addicted to Mexican food. Our current favorite is El Catrin off New Braunfels.
- Hero in life: My personal hero is my maternal grandmother, Regina Walter. She raised a very large extended family — including 17 children on two adjacent family farms — during the Depression. Her work ethic, perseverance and deep faith in God always inspired me.