Joel R. White is a leader in commercial litigation, media litigation, and appeals in the Austin area.

He has more than twenty years of trial and appellate experience representing the country's leading news organizations, energy companies, financial institutions, and state governments. He has represented the Houston Chronicle, CBS, Bloomburg, A.H. Belo, Fox Television Stations, the City of San Jose, California, the State of Florida, Merrill Lynch and Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Company. He has successfully handled dozens of multi-million dollar trials and arbitrations, including:

• The successful defense of an $11 million claim by Bechtal for alleged change orders. The jury awarded Bechtal less than $200 thousand, mostly for attorneys' fees.
• A settlement of $5.2 million for the City of San Jose, California's police and firefighters' retirement fund. The fund had invested in a defectively built apartment complex.

He also has extensive experience in complex litigation, freedom of the press issues, libel, slander, and other matters of media law, wrongful termination, non-competition and employment discrimination claims, complex commercial torts, habeas corpus and mandamus relief, access to courts and government documents and intellectual property matters. He is a member of the Media Law Resource Center and Immediate Past President of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. He has won more than 100 summary judgments, two writs of habeas corpus and three writs of mandamus for journalists. Most recently, he has:

• Had a state statute and a city ordinance which prevented newspaper vendors from selling at intersections declared invalid. Houston Chronicle v. League City, 488 F.3d 613 (5th Cir. 2008).
• Successfully represented Florida officials in their attempt to stop abuses in the timeshare industry. Stroman Realty, Inc. v. Antt, 528 F.3d 382 (5th Cir.), cert. denied,__U.S.__(2008)
• Won a take nothing judgment in Lithcon Petroleum v. China Petrochemical Corporation and Masterank, Inc., in which the plaintiff claimed tens of millions in damages for breach of an exclusive agency agreement with China's national oil company. Civil Action H-00-4032 in the Southern District of Texas.

Mr. White is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He received his B.A. with highest honors and is a 1987 honors graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, where he served on the Texas Law Review. He is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and has twice been named a Texas Monthly "Super Lawyer." He is AV rated by his peers.