ABSTRACT
Joe Jamail and James Paul Linn were legal heavyweights. Jamail was a “bare knuckles” personal injury lawyer renowned for
his ability to wring huge judgments from Texas juries. In 1986, Jamail helped Pennzoil win a $10.3 billion judgment against rival Texaco. The judgment was the largest ever upheld on appeal and netted Jamail $345 million in fees. Five years later, Jamail represented a group of Texans who had lost $20 million on MiniScribe Corp. debentures. The bondholders sought damages from MiniScribe’s officers, the auditors, and the bond underwriters.
