McKool Smith Co-Founder and Chairman Mike McKool accepted a National Impact Case Award at the 2018 Benchmark Litigation awards reception in New York City on February 15 for his success in representing Quincy Jones against the Michael Jackson estate.
Over the course of his 40-year career, Mike McKool has tried more than 100 jury trials and developed an enhanced understanding of the psychology that governs how juries decide cases. Last year, he served as lead trial counsel in securing a $9.4 million jury verdict on behalf of legendary music producer Quincy Jones against the late music icon Michael Jackson’s production company, MJJ Productions Inc., in a breach of contract and royalty dispute. Mr. Jones produced a number of the King of Pop’s most acclaimed albums, including “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” and “Bad.” The lawsuit centered on allegations that MJJ Productions Inc., which is controlled by Michael Jackson's estate, failed to pay Mr. Jones royalties for the soundtrack to "This Is It," a documentary that was released just months after Michael Jackson's death, and Jackson’s Cirque du Soleil productions, which both feature several musical hits produced by Jones. Mr. McKool was recognized as the AmLaw Litigation Daily “Litigator of the Week” following his success in the case.
With more than 185 trial lawyers across offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Marshall, New York, Silicon Valley, and Washington, D.C., McKool Smith has established a reputation as one of America’s leading trial firms. Since 2006, the firm has secured ten nine-figure jury verdicts and twelve eight-figure jury verdicts. The firm has also won more VerdictSearch and The National Law Journal "Top 100 Verdicts" over the last ten years than any other law firm in the country. Courtroom successes like these have earned McKool Smith critical acclaim and helped the firm become what The Wall Street Journal describes as “one of the biggest law firm success stories of the past decade.” McKool Smith represents clients in complex commercial litigation, intellectual property, bankruptcy, and white collar defense matters.