James Bell

Civil & Criminal Trials
Local Counsel

James Samuel Bell is a civil and criminal trial attorney who obtained one of the 10 largest verdicts in U.S. history.

Trial Lawyer. Certified to have obtained the largest verdict in the United States in 2017 and the ninth largest verdict in United States history, Mr. Bell is one of the country’s most sought-after trial attorneys. James has served as lead trial counsel in jury trials, bench trials, and arbitrations. He offers clients substantial litigation experience in IRS tax cases, healthcare fraud allegations, white-collar defense (criminal cases) and False Claims Act, complex securities disputes, real estate breaches, ERISA, oil and gas, business fraud, professional negligence and malpractice, and tax disputes (civil trials).

Accolades & Education. Recognized as Super Lawyer; Best Personal Injury Attorney; Top Verdict 2015; Top Verdict 2017; National Litigator of the Week; The National Law Journal, Number 1, Top 100 Verdicts 2017; Top 100 Verdicts of 2017, Number 1; Instructor, Trial by Human. James graduated from SMU Law School where he was on the Dean’s List after graduating with Honors from Southern Methodist University’s Bachelor of Arts and Philosophy program in 2001. At SMU, James earned the Southern Methodist University Scholarship, James Holland Scholarship, W.R. Nicholson Scholarship, and the Southern Methodist University Student Senate Scholarship.

Bar Admissions. James is admitted to practice in California, New York, Texas and before federal courts across the country including the United States Supreme Court and the United States Tax Court.

REPRESENTATIVE LITIGATION EXPERIENCE

• Obtained the largest verdict in the United States in 2017 and the ninth (9th) largest verdict in United States history. Served as lead trial counsel for beneficiaries and estate in a fraud/breach of fiduciary duty case against JPMorgan Chase Bank. Obtained over a $6,000,000,000 ($6 BILLION) verdict for malice, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, and gross negligence against JPMorgan Chase Bank.
• Served as lead counsel for pharmaceutical company against TWINMED during arbitration in $10 million defense case. Won case for the defendant.
• Served as lead trial counsel for medical center. Obtained a substantial jury verdict plus prevailing party attorney’s fees against Hospital.
• Obtained $50 million settlement for Client arising from a confidential dispute.
• Served as counsel in federal firearms case. Won a Motion to Suppress in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
• Served as lead trial counsel for physician. Obtained a substantial jury verdict.
• Successfully served as lead counsel in Qui Tam healthcare lawsuit. Obtained dismissal for Clients.
• Successfully defended company in Fraud Investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Case resulted in no civil and no criminal liability.
• Successfully defended physician in Fraud Investigation brought by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Client kept his medical license and investigation resulted in no civil and no criminal liability.
• Successfully defended car dealer in multiple count bank fraud investigation brought by the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Internal Revenue Service (Criminal Investigation Division). Client received probation after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
• Successfully defended car dealership in investigation brought by the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Internal Revenue Service (Criminal Investigation Division). Investigation resulted in no civil and no criminal liability.
• Successfully defended chiropractor in Fraud Investigation brought by the Department of Justice. Client kept his chiropractor license and investigation resulted in no civil and no criminal liability.
• Served as lead counsel for Clients against their former law firm. Case settled for $995,000.00. Served as lead counsel for lawyer in malpractice case. Obtained dismissal with prejudice.
• Served as lead trial counsel in $50,000,000 dispute. Obtained multiple summary judgments and resolved dispute in favor of Client.
• Served as lead counsel for toxicology lab against law firm for malpractice. Case settled for policy limits. Served as lead defense counsel for Client in Collin County, Texas. Case dismissed on the first day of trial immediately after Voir Dire.
• Served as lead defense counsel in STD transmission. Evidence proved that Plaintiff was transferee. Case settled very favorably for Client.
• Served as lead counsel for surgeon against former partners for breach of fiduciary duty. Obtained $1,100,000.00 cash settlement.
• Served as lead counsel against toxicology laboratory for failure to make distributions. Obtained multi- million settlement for Client.
• Served as lead trial counsel for pharmacy. Obtained a $4.15 million fraud judgment against publicly traded company for stealing insurance and federally funded prescription reimbursements.
• Served as lead trial for high-profile lawyer against the Texas Commission for Lawyers Discipline. Grievance dismissed.
• Served as lead trial counsel for long-term healthcare company against medical physician. Obtained a substantial jury verdict against physician for breach of fiduciary duty.
• Served as lead counsel for businessman in week-long arbitration. Obtained arbitration award that included sole custody of minor child.
• Served as lead defense counsel for dentist in construction dispute. Obtained favorable settlement after Client’s Anti-SLAPP Motion to Dismiss.
• Served as trial counsel in $167 million fraud dispute involving natural gas producing landfill in south Dallas. Verdict for defense. Case settled on favorable terms for Client.
• Successfully served as lead counsel for physician group and affiliate billing company in $50 million dispute involving the Corporate Practice of Medicine. Case settled very favorably.
• Served as lead trial counsel for famous nightclub in real estate dispute. Obtained defense verdict in approximately 26 minutes.
• Served as lead trial counsel for major law firm and its high-profile managing partner in $1 million fraud and defamation case. Case settled for $5,000.00 immediately prior to opening statement.
• Served as lead trial counsel involving dispute over 42 million gallons of fuel. Obtained a substantial settlement for Clients (5) five minutes before closing argument.
• Successfully served as counsel in ethanol plant construction case against Zurich. Case settled for $1.5 million immediately after Voir Dire.
• Served as lead defense counsel for billionaire in sexual assault civil case. Plaintiff demanded $10 million. Obtained a complete dismissal.
• Served as lead counsel for investors and enjoined the $11 million sale of a technology company. Obtained a multi-million-dollar settlement for Clients within two weeks.
• Member of team that prosecuted Sears Roebuck & Co. in class action. Settlement was in excess $50 million.
• Served as lead counsel for a Florida casino owner for alleged tip pool violations under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Obtained a complete dismissal for Client.
• Served as lead counsel for contractor in $2 million dispute. Obtained summary judgment on all claims against Plaintiff 1 and all claims except one against Plaintiff 2. Case settled very favorably for Client.
• Served as lead counsel in publicized grand jury investigation involving elected judge. No indictment for Clients during representation.
• Represented CEO in criminal real estate fraud investigation. No indictment.
  Served as lead trial counsel in two-week wrongful death jury trial. Verdict for defense.
• Served as lead counsel against Bank of America for employment discrimination. Client was a female, pregnant, and African American. Settled favorably for Client.
• Served as lead trial counsel and obtained a take-nothing judgment against a Plaintiff in Bankruptcy Court regarding real property worth millions of dollars
• Served as lead counsel and obtained an injunction against former employees in violation of their restrictive covenants and non-competes.
• Served as lead trial counsel in Federal Court in Texas against felony health-care fraud charges to obtain a dismissal and plea agreement to a misdemeanor charge of misprision of a felony in which the defendant was sentenced to probation and served no jail time.
• Served as lead counsel to obtain a $2,000,000.00 settlement in an intellectual property/royalty dispute in South Texas.
• Obtained a settlement that limited the liabilities of hundreds of defendants where the plaintiffs sought in excess of $450 million dollars.
• Served as counsel for a defendant in Florida and obtained summary judgment against a trustee in an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors proceeding alleging fraudulent transfers of over $42 million dollars.
• Served as lead trial counsel in Federal Court in Puerto Rico against felony health-care fraud charges to obtain a dismissal and plea agreement to a misdemeanor charge of misprision of a felony in which the defendant was sentenced to probation and served no jail time.
• Served as lead trial counsel in Federal Court in Texas against felony health-care fraud charges and obtained a plea agreement for defendant to serve one-year jail time. This resulted in Defendant serving less than six months of jail time.
• Served as lead trial counsel in Federal Court in Alabama against felony health-care fraud charges and obtained a plea agreement for defendant to serve probation and no jail time.
• Served as lead trial counsel and obtained judgment in the amount of $380,000 and a permanent injunction to stop a defendant from marketing and selling a book about the plaintiff.
• Served as lead trial counsel for Plaintiff’s seeking the return of over $450,000 of misappropriated monies that was sent to a Bankruptcy Trustee in Texas.
• Served as lead trial counsel for a defendant orthodontist and defeated an injunction request to stop the defendant from practicing orthodontics after a sale of his practice.
• Served as lead counsel to a well-known personal injury firm in Dallas, Texas suing the firm’s former client and his new law lawyer and obtained settlement for nearly all of its contingent interest in a personal injury matter that was contested by the new law firm.