About Ted A. Huffman

Ted Huffman represents clients in high-stakes business disputes, often involving financial services litigation or securities cases. He has achieved a number of remarkable results in his career, while helping clients in the face of difficult and even existential legal challenges. His practice covers a variety of industries and subject matters, including consumer finance regulation and compliance, corporate and securities fraud, banking regulation, commercial contract disputes, mergers and acquisition litigation, corporate governance, anticompetitive conduct, patent and intellectual property rights, government enforcement actions, and class action proceedings.

A skilled, forward-thinking advocate when stakes are high

Strategic, knowledgeable and intensely focused on advancing client objectives, Ted takes a practical approach to furthering the likelihood of favorable case outcomes, whether at trial or before. He works tirelessly to defend his clients’ interests in litigation and to secure relief against adverse commercial parties, government agencies and other opposing litigants.

Ted is regularly acknowledged for his work and experience in commercial litigation and securities matters. Best Lawyers® has included him multiple times on its list of Ones to Watch in America™ in the practice areas of Commercial and Securities Litigation. D Magazine named Ted to its list of Best Lawyers Under 40 and Super Lawyers (Thomson Reuters) has recognized him as a Texas Rising Star. These acknowledgments demonstrate how clients and colleagues have come to value Ted’s counsel.

Beyond his professional commitments, Ted actively engages in community work. He volunteers his time and serves on committees for organizations such as the Dallas Bar Association (DBA), Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity and the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP). Ted also serves as co-chair of the DBA’s Publications Committee, for which he helps to edit the monthly bar journal.

Ted previously served as a judicial clerk for Chief Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn and as a judicial intern for Magistrate Judge Jeff Kaplan, both of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Practice Focus

  • Commercial and financial services litigation
  • Securities and shareholder litigation
  • Consumer finance regulatory compliance and consumer class actions, including cases involving privacy, debt collection and disclosure requirements
  • Litigation involving business competition matters of antitrust, noncompete agreements, intellectual property disputes, confidential data protection and employment claims
  • State and federal government agency enforcement proceedings

Representative Experience

  • Co-chaired a five-day administrative securities trial, in which the state's own hearing officer and a state trial court found — in a nearly unprecedented case — that the allegations of the state securities division were unsupported by the evidence. *
  • Represented a real estate developer in a U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals matter resulting in a Fifth Circuit opinion vacating an SEC receivership and imposing important restrictions to protect parties in future securities enforcement actions brought by the SEC. *
  • Represented a large Texas bank in a multi-million dollar fraud and breach of contract case against a third-party finance company, resulting in a more than $8 million recovery. *
  • Represented a regional bank in a post-merger fraud litigation against prior bank executive to secure a seven-figure recovery valued at two times actual economic damages. *
  • Represented an oil and gas company and its officers in defense of a state securities law matter, which resulted in the clients obtaining a six-figure recovery on counterclaims against the plaintiff. *
  • Represented multiple public companies in varying types of securities fraud and/or derivative shareholder litigation matters. *
  • Secured pre-answer case dismissals with zero liability findings in multiple FINRA investor actions. *
  • Secured injunctive relief on behalf of a $4 billion bank against a checking account software company to protect $600 million in customer checking account deposits held at the bank. *
  • Advised on transactional and corporate governance matters related to contractual terms and positional preparation for the new Texas Business Courts, opening on September 1, 2024. *
  • Obtained temporary restraining order against a client competitor to enforce non-competition and non-solicitation covenants protecting client confidential information. *
  • Obtained injunctive relief against a client’s former director to enforce confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-interference covenants to protect client confidentiality and business relationships. *
  • Obtained judgments and other favorable rulings in case dispositive proceedings, including in cases of patent infringement, trade secrets theft, mergers and acquisitions litigation, common law fraud, securities fraud, business and contract disputes, receivership proceedings, labor and employment matters, real property litigation, and construction law. *
  • Prepared orders and initial memorandum opinions as a judicial law clerk in hundreds of civil and criminal matters, to be reviewed and revised by federal district court chief judge. *
  • Assisted appellate panel for United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in connection with oral argument preparation and initial opinion drafting for review and revision by panel judges. *
* Experience prior to Katten

Quick Reads

Presentations and Events

  • June 27, 2024
    Speaker | Ethics of New Clients
  • 2019
    The Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn American Inn of Court
    Co-presenter | Intellectual Property Checklist for Non-Profits
  • 2019
    The Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn American Inn of Court
    Co-presenter | Trademark Law Update
  • 2018
    US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, In Chambers
    Co-presenter | Criminal Law Update
  • 2016
    The Honorable Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court
    Co-presenter | Legal Jeopardy