Practice

Marvin (Marty) W. Jones is a Member of Sprouse Shrader Smith PLLC whose practice areas include complex commercial litigation of various sizes, power and utilities, and natural resources. He focuses on litigation in a wide range of substantive areas, including litigation against public utilities and in products liability, oil and gas, fiduciary, groundwater law, and insurance defense. Marty also has substantial experience in representing clients in matters relating to groundwater rights, including representing clients before groundwater districts, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

Marty also teaches at the Baylor Academy of the Advocate, School of Trial program at St. Andrews, Scotland during the summers.

Practice Areas

• Complex Commercial Litigation
• Power & Utilities
• Natural Resources
• Water
• Agriculture & Agribusiness
• Oil & Gas
• Trial & Appellate

Certification / Specialization

Awards/Honors

• Board of Disciplinary Appeals
• College of the State Bar of Texas, Board of Directors
• Texas Landowners Council, General Counsel
• Fellow of the Texas Bar College

Presentations/Publications

• “The Evolving Legacy of EAA v. Day: Toward an Effective State Water Plan,” Baylor Law Review, Volume 68, Number 3 (2016)
• “A Streetcar Named Disaster,” 2016 Water Law Fundamentals and Texas Water Law Institute (November 4, 2016)
• “Surface and Groundwater Regulation,” 10th Annual John Huffaker Course, Agricultural Law (May 26, 2016)
• “Ethics – For Water Law Practitioners,” 25th Annual Texas Water Law Conference (October 5, 2015)
• “Fair Share: What does that mean,” Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts, Texas Groundwater Summit (August 25, 2015)
• “Correlative Rights: Meaning and Implications,” 6th Annual Texas Water Law Conference (April 9, 2015)
• “Comparison of Groundwater Law and Oil and Gas Law,” 16th Annual Changing Face of Water Rights (February 26, 2015)
• “A New Day in Texas: The implications of Day v. Edwards Aquifer Authority” – Bloomberg BNA – Daily Environment Report (2013)
• “A Synopsis of the Bold Legislative Actions of 2011,” Changes to the DFC Appeal Process (September 2012)
• “Dealing with Ground Water Districts,” The Shifting Sands of the Water Law Practice (July 7, 2011)
• 2011 Judicial College Paper: “Walking on Water” (April 14, 2011)
• “The Consequences of NOT Altering “Geographic Area” Language in the Definition of DFCs” (January 2011)
• TWCA Seminar: “Appealing DFCs” (January 27, 2011)
• Public Policy Foundation, 9th Annual Policy Orientation (January 13, 2011)
• “Challenging DFCs” (September 17, 2010)
• HNRC Presentation (April 15, 2010)
• 11th Changing Face of Water Rights Course: Overview of GMA Process (April 8, 2010)
• Challenging DFCs Seminar Paper (January 20, 2010)
• “Ownership of Groundwater: A Primer”
• UT Water Law Seminar Paper (December 2009)
• “The Ownership of Groundwater in Texas: A Contrived Battle for State Control of the Groundwater,” Baylor Law Review (2009)
• Baylor Law Review, Editor-in-chief, 1977

Admissions

• Texas State Courts, 1977
• United States Supreme Court
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Tenth and Eleventh Circuits
• United States District Court, Northern District of Texas and District of Colorado
• United States District Court, Southern Texas of Texas
• United States District Court, Northern District of California

Education

• Baylor University School of Law, with honors, 1977
• Baylor University, with honors, 1973

Memberships

• American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow)
• Texas Association of Defense Counsel
• International Association of Defense Counsel
• Defense Research Institute
• American Board of Trial Advocates