HOUSTON, TX — Merkley Jones Eastham recently announced the launch of its practice as a boutique litigation firm focused on energy, maritime, and commercial disputes. The firm brings together senior trial lawyers with deep roots in Gulf Coast industry and a national litigation footprint, offering Fortune 500 companies and sophisticated enterprise clients an alternative to megafirm overhead without sacrificing courtroom capability.
The firm's founding partners have collectively tried hundreds of cases in federal and state courts. They serve as outside national counsel to Fortune 500 companies, and represent clients across the United States and Western Europe.
"We are thrilled about this collaboration with the Eastham group as well as our partners and associates in Corpus Christi and Lafayette. We are a real trial firm, committed to working tirelessly for the clients who have entrusted us with their continued business, in many instances spanning over a matter of decades," shared Founding Partners, David Merkley and Sarah Jones. "We don’t chase volume, and we won’t grow for growth’s sake. We see each associate as a future partner, and plan to remain strategically positioned to handle high-stakes matters, ready to go the distance whenever needed."
The firm's practice areas include energy litigation, admiralty and maritime law, commercial litigation, and transportation. Its maritime practice carries a legacy of almost a century, through the Eastham name's lineage in Gulf Coast maritime law. The firm also serves as complex counsel for excess insurers and as correspondent counsel for major P&I clubs across all Texas ports.
Merkley Jones Eastham is headquartered in Houston, with offices in Corpus Christi, Texas and Lafayette, Louisiana.
"This new firm provides us with an amazing platform for carrying forward the Eastham legacy as Correspondents for the P&I clubs across the Gulf Coast. Some of our clients have been with us for more than 40 years," stated Founding Partners, Bob Klawetter and Christina Schovajsa. "We now have the team of trial lawyers with major courtroom experience to give the clubs depth that is necessary to fight against the highest-profile plaintiff lawyers anywhere. This is already a special group of people and the sky is the limit. We are really excited to be boots on the ground and running.”
The firm's launch marks the beginning of a practice built on long-standing client relationships, many spanning multiple decades, and a shared commitment to the craft of trial advocacy.
About Merkley Jones Eastham
Merkley Jones Eastham is a Houston-based boutique litigation firm specializing in energy, maritime, and commercial disputes. The firm represents national and international clients, including Fortune 500 companies, in high-exposure litigation across the United States. With hundreds of jury trials and a maritime legacy spanning nearly a century, the firm offers elite trial capability with the focus and agility that only a senior, selective team can provide.