News & Insights

Lightfoot Partner Brian Boyle Publishes Two Articles About Cross-Border Litigation in Texas Lawyer

September 11, 2018

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (September 12, 2018) — Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC partner Brian Boyle recently authored two articles for Texas Lawyer about cross-border litigation issues.

The first article, “The Shrinking Reach of US Jurisdiction in Cross-Border Disputes,” explores how the U.S. Supreme Court has pulled back on the reach of U.S. courts’ jurisdiction over foreign companies.

“When it comes to foreign defendants, the reach of U.S. courts may be long, but their grasp is not unlimited,” writes Boyle. “Foreign defendants should look closely at the forum contacts alleged by the plaintiff as grounds for exercising personal jurisdiction.”

His second article, “Discovery Pitfalls in Cross-Border Litigation,” examines the roadblocks created by foreign countries that are wary of “American-style” discovery. Boyle outlines these challenges that lawyers must understand when handling such cases at the pre-trial phase.

“When it comes to obtaining foreign discovery in cross-border cases, the main takeaways are simple: Make a plan for such discovery early in the case, and get local counsel involved,” he writes. “Otherwise, the time-consuming process of foreign discovery may result in evidentiary holes that cannot be filled in time for trial.”

Boyle represents a range of clients — from Fortune 500 companies to small business owners and investors — in complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on the energy industry. He’s a partner in Lightfoot’s Houston office, and has handled numerous cross-border cases in the oil and gas sector and beyond.