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Scott Douglass & McConnico: 50 Years Old, and Chambers Still Calls It “The Most Well-Regarded Boutique in Town”

Scott Douglass & McConnico opened its doors in 1976 and marked its 50th anniversary in 2026. Chambers USA’s own client-interview quote about the firm — “the most well-regarded boutique in town, it’s a go-to litigation shop” — is independent third-party language, not the firm’s own marketing copy, and it’s backed by two of the firm’s most recent public case highlights: a $116 million jury verdict won for a client in a family business dispute, and a defense verdict on a billion-dollar Helms-Burton Act claim brought against Expedia Group. Winning big for both a plaintiff and a defendant in the same recent stretch is a specific, verifiable signal of a genuinely two-sided trial practice.

Mixed-Representation Disclosure

Scott Douglass & McConnico represents both plaintiffs and defendants in commercial litigation. The firm’s recent case highlights confirm this directly: a $116 million verdict obtained on behalf of a plaintiff in a family business dispute, and a defense verdict secured for Expedia Group and its subsidiaries against a billion-dollar claim under the Helms-Burton Act. Chambers USA’s independent case summaries similarly describe the firm defending “a large oil and gas producer in jury trial involving claims against client for more than $50 million” and achieving a take-nothing defense verdict. Awesome Attorneys discloses this explicitly, consistent with its standard practice for every Business & Corporate Litigation profile.

Origin and Background

Founded in 1976, Scott Douglass & McConnico is one of Austin’s longest-continuously-operating litigation boutiques. Partner Jane Webre has been board certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 1996 — nearly 30 years — and has served on the TBLS exam commission for that certification; she is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers (membership capped at 500 attorneys nationally, requiring at least 15 years focused substantially on appellate work), an elected member of the American Law Institute, and was named the Texas Bar Foundation’s 2026 Outstanding Appellate Lawyer. Partner Stephen McConnico is ranked among Chambers USA’s “Senior Statespeople” in trial law. The firm currently holds Chambers USA Band 1 rankings (for McConnico and Kennon Wooten) and Band 2 rankings (for multiple other partners) in Litigation: General Commercial for Texas: Austin & Surrounds, plus additional Band 2 rankings in oil and gas regulatory litigation and appellate practice.

Practice Concentration

The firm’s three practice pillars are oil, gas, and energy litigation (including matters before the Texas Railroad Commission, Texas General Land Office, and University Lands); state and local tax disputes with the Texas Comptroller; and general trials and appeals across commercial litigation, intellectual property, legal malpractice, and securities litigation. That combination of deep energy-sector specialization alongside broader commercial trial and appellate capability is a specific niche most general commercial litigation firms in this Business & Corporate Litigation directory don’t match.

Notable Work / Track Record

The firm’s recent, specifically documented results include a $116 million jury verdict (actual and exemplary damages) in a family business dispute (May 2026); a defense verdict on a billion-dollar Helms-Burton Act claim against Expedia Group in Delaware federal court (July 2025); a $17.9 million jury verdict following a week-long patent trial in federal court in Waco; and, per Chambers USA’s independent case summary, a take-nothing defense verdict plus a $1.2 million attorney’s fee award for a large oil and gas producer facing claims exceeding $50 million. The firm has also been recognized on the National Law Journal’s Top 100 Verdicts list. This is one of the more independently corroborated verdict records Awesome Attorneys has documented among Austin business litigation firms, since Chambers USA’s case summaries are gathered through independent client interviews rather than firm self-reporting alone.

Client Voice

Chambers USA’s 2026 guide quotes a client describing the firm’s “experience, objectivity and relationship-oriented approach,” adding that it “consistently puts our needs and best interests at the forefront and does a tremendous job of handling complex legal matters,” and specifically praising the firm’s practice of taking time “to learn and understand the issues that our organization faces through dialogue with us and additional research.” Awesome Attorneys did not identify a substantial independent consumer review sample (Google, Avvo, Yelp) for this firm, which is typical for a boutique serving large institutional and corporate clients rather than individual consumers, and is disclosing that directly; the firm’s reputation is instead documented through Chambers’ independently-gathered client interviews described above.

Beyond the Courtroom

Jane Webre was appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas to its Judicial Administration Task Force, working with the Texas Board of Legal Specialization to design a new specialty certification in judicial administration created by the Texas Legislature’s House Bill 2384 — a role that puts her directly inside the process of creating new legal specialty standards rather than only practicing under existing ones.

Recognition for This Austin Business Litigation Firm

Peer-reviewed and third-party credentials: board certification in Civil Appellate Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (Jane Webre, since 1996); Chambers USA Band 1 and Band 2 rankings across multiple partners in Litigation: General Commercial, Litigation: Appellate, and Energy: State Regulatory & Litigation; regional rankings in nine practice areas from Best Law Firms 2026; multiple partners with individual Best Lawyers recognition, including a 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” designation for Oil and Gas Law; and 13 attorneys named to the 2025 Texas Super Lawyers list. This is among the most comprehensively peer-verified credential profiles Awesome Attorneys has documented in this directory’s Business Litigation category.

Texas Legal Backdrop

Oil and gas litigation before the Texas Railroad Commission — the firm’s primary regulatory forum — proceeds under a distinct administrative framework separate from standard civil court litigation, and disputes over drilling permits, spacing, or production allocation often require both regulatory advocacy before the Commission and, if unresolved, judicial review in state court. State and local tax disputes with the Texas Comptroller, another firm specialty, generally require exhausting the Comptroller’s own administrative hearing process before a taxpayer can pursue judicial relief in a Texas district court, under the Texas Tax Code’s specific administrative exhaustion requirements. None of this is legal advice; a specific oil and gas regulatory or state tax matter should be evaluated by a licensed attorney with relevant regulatory experience based on the actual facts involved.

Awesome Attorneys Assessment

Scott Douglass & McConnico’s clearest, most specific differentiator is the combination of a 50-year operating history, Chambers USA’s independent “most well-regarded boutique in town” characterization, and a recent, independently corroborated verdict record spanning nine figures on both the plaintiff and defense sides. The honest trade-off is that this is an institutional, large-client-focused boutique — the thin public consumer-review footprint reflects a client base of businesses and organizations rather than individual consumers, which limits how much a prospective individual client can independently verify beyond the Chambers-documented record. For a business facing a genuinely high-stakes commercial, energy-sector, or state tax dispute where trial and appellate depth both matter, this firm’s specific combination of tenure, Chambers rankings, and corroborated verdict history is a strong basis for a shortlist. For a smaller or more routine commercial dispute, a smaller boutique may be a more proportionate and cost-effective fit.

Methodology and Sourcing

This profile was researched from Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP’s official website (scottdoug.com), including its honors and distinctions page, individual attorney bio pages, and recent case-highlight announcements, Jane Webre’s Super Lawyers and LinkedIn profiles, and Chambers USA’s independent firm and practice-area profiles. Case results and client quotes not independently corroborated by Chambers are attributed to the firm’s own published materials and labeled accordingly.

Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice

Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP or its attorneys prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys may in the future offer sponsored placement products to attorneys and firms, including this one, but sponsorship has no bearing on the editorial content, inclusion, or findings of this profile.