James J. (Jody) Scheske is a trial lawyer whose practice covers a broad range of commercial litigation, including class actions and business torts. He also serves as the partner in charge of the firm’s Austin office.
Mr. Scheske has tried cases in Texas, Indiana, Tennessee and Arkansas. Some of his trials and arbitrations include—
- jury trial and appeal of breach of contract and tortious interference claims involving the lease of a satellite for the country’s largest cable television operator
- represented a former long distance company in a jury trial involving claims of telecommunications fraud and conversion
- defended a public company in a jury trial against claims of associational disability discrimination and ERISA violations in the termination of a senior executive
- handled the bench trial and appeal for an investment firm involving the sale of bankruptcy trade claims
- arbitrations for investors in connection with the demise of venture fund partnerships and for the general partner in a fiduciary duty dispute with some of its limited partners
- defended entrepreneurs against a request for temporary injunction against their new business ventures in a high-profile dispute brought by the Austin-based company they previously created
- represented the seller of insurance marketing companies and a third-party benefits administrator in arbitration against allegations of fraud and breach of contractual warranties.
Mr. Scheske has defended consumer class actions in California, Georgia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. He is serving as national counsel for a leading computer manufacturer in warranty-related class actions.
He is a master in the Robert W. Calvert Inn of Court and served as its president in 2010-11. Mr. Scheske is a life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a founding fellow of the Austin Bar Foundation.
Mr. Scheske is active in pro bono and has served on the boards of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, where he was also the officer emeritus and president, and the Texas Advocacy Project, which provides free legal services to victims of domestic violence, where he served as treasurer.
He received his B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin in 1985 and his J.D. in 1989 from the SMU School of Law, where he was a member of Order of the Coif and managing editor of the Journal of Air Law and Commerce. In his spare time, he works on his South Texas ranch and is a fourth-generation rancher.