W. Ashton Randall III

Founding Partner · Randall | Greer PLLC

5910 N. Central Expressway, Suite 925 · Dallas, Texas 75206
Tel. (214) 628-9966 · arandall@rglaw.com

Ashton is a founding partner of Randall | Greer PLLC whose practice drives the converging nexus of corporate transactions, fractional general counsel work, and commercial litigation. On the transaction side, he serves as M&A counsel to public and private companies and has closed deals up to $169M. On the litigation side, he is a nationally-recognized commercial litigator who has resolved hundreds of business disputes — including 19 cases tried to verdict and 33 matters arbitrated to final award across the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean, with aggregate values exceeding $1.3B in the largest matters. He maintains bar licenses in Texas, the District of Columbia, and Mississippi and has been admitted to 19 federal courts across Texas, New York, the District of Columbia, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Few lawyers have litigated virtually every transaction category they paper and close. This courtroom experience shapes how he negotiates, drafts, and advises corporate clients, and this deal structure knowledge shapes how he tries and arbitrates business disputes.

After practicing at national and international law firms, he and James B. Greer co-founded Randall | Greer PLLC in November 2012 to deliver the same sophisticated representation without the institutional costs and conflicts.

Awards & Recognition

2024–Pres.	Chambers Texas Spotlight — Litigation: General Commercial Randall \| Greer PLLC — firm-level recognition
2026	Best Law Firms (U.S. News & World Report) Randall \| Greer PLLC recognized for Commercial Litigation (firm-level)
2005–Pres.	Texas Super Lawyers Recognized 2005, 2006, 2009–present
2017	Acquisition International — Leading Advisors of the Year February 2017
2003–04	SMU Law School Coach of the Year Award Head Coach, ATLA Mock Trial Team, 2003–2006
Ongoing	America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators

Practice Areas

Corporate & Transactional

Fractional general counsel and board advisor for mid-market companies
M&A counsel to public and private companies (closed deals to $169M)
Venture and entity structuring — mid-market, entrepreneurs, and family offices
Exit planning and go-to-market counsel for owners and executives
Executive compensation and vesting agreements
Restrictive covenants, trade secret, and IP protection
Salvage negotiation and pre/post-breach workouts

Business Disputes

Tried 19 cases to verdict; arbitrated 33 matters to final award around the World
Commercial litigation — contract disputes, business torts, and fraud
Shareholder, member, and fiduciary duty disputes
Trade secret and IP litigation
Corporate divorce and hostile takeover defense
Domestic and international arbitration (AAA, ICDR, ICC, JAMS, FINRA)

Employment

Executive compensation and vesting packages
Non-competes, confidentiality, and trade secret matters
Employment disputes and independent contractor litigation
Title VII, §1981, and §1986 discrimination defense
Employment class actions and multi-district litigation
FELA, Federal Railroad Safety Act, and Boiler Inspection Act defense

Torts & Mass Litigation Defense

Catastrophic injury and wrongful death defense — petroleum, pharmaceutical, railroad, and maritime industries
Mass joinder, MDL, and class certification defense
Products and premises liability
Wood preservative treatment industry (PENTA, CCA, creosote)
Utility line and construction matters (REA, RUS, ANSI)
Negligence and negligent entrustment

Industries

Equity funds and private investment
Banking and financial services
Medical, surgical, and dental practices
AI-based and online businesses
Commercial construction and commercial real estate
Managed services, IT services, and data industries
Intellectual property and technology
Oil, gas, and energy
Hospitality, retail, and wellness
Franchise and multi-unit businesses
Family offices and high-net-worth individuals
Entertainment, marketing, and branding
Transportation and shipping

Representative Experience

Corporate / Transaction Counsel

Fractional GC — Growth to Exit	Served as fractional general counsel and board advisor to a national real estate brokerage and assisted franchising and expansion into 23 states — handled corporate, M&A, litigation, arbitrations, employment, franchisor/franchisee matters, vesting, and executive compensation agreements — resulting in the ultimate sale of the company and successful exit for the equity holders.
Medical GC	Fractional general counsel and acquisition counsel for medical, surgical, and dental practices — handling corporate structuring, acquisitions, commercial real estate, employment, and partnership matters.
M&A	Negotiates and closes M&A deals to $169 million (stock and asset sales/purchases, membership interest purchases, redemptions, executive compensation, vesting agreements, commercial properties, IP).
Development	Serves as legal counsel for investor group and contractors in $2.5 billion Frisco mixed-use Railhead Development project.
Founders	Represents founders, CEOs, PIU holders, and executive leadership teams during M&A transactions, earn outs, and equity rollovers, including transactions with sponsors.
Board Counsel	Serves as board advisor and counsel to multiple Boards of Directors, management teams, and CEOs across equity funds, technology, healthcare, financial services, hospitality, and construction.
AI & Data Centers	Represents AI and data center construction companies in corporate and transactional matters. Serves as counsel to clients who develop and commercialize AI-driven businesses, including M&A transactions, venture structuring, and technology agreements.
PE Transactions	Represents equity funds in acquisitions and divestitures across numerous sectors. Represents executive management teams in significant PE-backed transactions and exits, negotiating with PE sponsors on equity, vesting, compensation, restrictive covenants, and employment matters — bringing transactional, employment, and litigation experience to the table. Counsels executives on non-competes, employment and retention agreements when management is hired or retained by the buyer.

Business Disputes

$1.3B Trial	Defended Fortune 500 oilfield services company in three-month jury trial against plaintiff seeking $1.3B in damages for alleged misappropriation of trade secrets and tortious interference with oil development rights in Kazakhstan.
$1B Arbitration	Internationally arbitrated power plant construction project representing plaintiff general contractor with over $1B in damages against subcontractors and suppliers.
ICC / Kurdistan	Secured federal court confirmation of ICC International Court of Arbitration award (Paris) regarding oil and gas concession in Kurdistan — first opinion in the Fifth Circuit on Article III constitutional challenge.
Landowner Fraud	Represented hundreds of plaintiff landowners in billion-dollar corporate fraud litigation involving unauthorized fiber optic corridor construction across electrical and gas easements.
Hostile Matters	Represents managers, partners, members, and corporate executives — on both the plaintiff and defense sides — in business divorces, hostile takeovers, fiduciary duty claims, and breach disputes with shareholders, partners, members, lenders, investors, purchasers, and sellers.
Bankruptcy	Has made multiple appearances in bankruptcy proceedings, including MCI/WorldCom and Enron/EOTT bankruptcies.
Receiverships & Injunctions	Experienced in receiverships, TRO, temporary and permanent injunction matters.
Arbitration	Arbitrates nationally and internationally under AAA, ICDR, JAMS, ICC, and FINRA rules across the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean. Has internationally arbitrated Sharia-compliant Mudaraba commercial investment matters.

Banking & Financial Services

Banking

Represents major national lending institutions and automotive financing groups against FDCPA and consumer protection claims in state and federal court. Represents private banks and wealth management firms, including their high-net-worth and family office clients.

Construction & Real Estate

Equity Funds	Represents equity funds focused in commercial, multifamily, industrial, and medical office sectors in acquisitions/divestitures and construction matters. Also handles contract negotiations, portfolio company disputes and litigation, commercial leases and real estate matters, venture structuring, and board advisory work.
Construction	Represents general contractors in commercial construction litigation and arbitrations against owners, subcontractors, and suppliers. Represents general contractors and subcontractors in contract negotiations and M&A transactions.
Real Estate Management	Represents commercial real estate asset and property management companies. Negotiates commercial leases.

Entertainment, Marketing & Branding

Media & Talent	Represents podcast, branding, and advertising companies in corporate matters and acquisitions. Represents clients on American Idol and other non-scripted productions. Represents clients in executive production agreements.
Influencers & Talent	Represents high-level influencers (millions of followers) in branding and sponsorship contracts, media and paid appearances, and product endorsements. Represents authors, chefs, veterans, and other personalities with book deals, TV appearances, and management/agent contracts.

Securities

Represented clients in federal court under the PSLRA, the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the Investment Advisors Act. Arbitrates securities and broker matters before FINRA.

*Some representations at prior firms.

Education & Admissions

Education

J.D., University of Mississippi School of Law (2000) — Law School Senator

B.S., Millsaps College (1997) — Organismal Biology with Chemistry minor (pre-med)

Bar Admissions

Texas · District of Columbia · Mississippi · Mississippi Supreme Court

Federal Courts: U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Fifth, Second, and D.C. Circuits; U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of New York; Eastern District of Oklahoma; Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana; Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi; U.S. Bankruptcy Courts for the Northern, Eastern, Western, and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of New York; Western District of Louisiana

Arbitral Forums: AAA, ICDR, ICC, JAMS, FINRA (domestic and international)

Lectures, Publications & Affiliations

Selected Lectures

U.S. State Department International Visitor Leadership Program — Coordinator and Lecturer on the American Civil Jury Trial System for diplomats and judges from over 100 countries
Center for American and International Law — Mock Trial presentations tried to verdict before juries of international lawyers and foreign diplomats
University of Texas at Dallas — Taught Survey of Jury Trial Theory and Practice
SMU Dedman School of Law — Head Coach, ATLA Mock Trial Team, 2003–2006
NARTC Trial College — “Getting Your Message Across Through the Use of Technology” (2013)
NARTC Annual Conference — “Building Castles and Avoiding Killing Fields: Trial Strategies and Techniques from and For Generation X,” Santa Fe, New Mexico (2010)
Texas Bar CLE — “Dealing with Corporate Gorillas in Commercial Litigation,” Austin, TX (2004)

Selected Publications

“Texas Supremes Add New Teeth to Non-Competes…For Now,” GT Alert, December 2006
“Made-For-TV Depositions and Cross Examinations,” Dallas Bar Association Head Notes, April 2006
“Texas Construction Law: Bidding System in the Construction Industry,” Texas Construction Law Conference, 2004
“The ‘Single Business Enterprise’ Doctrine Could Allow Your Corporate Veil to be Pierced,” Commercial Litigation Newsletter, 2004

Professional & Community

ABA · Texas Bar · Dallas Bar · D.C. Bar · Mississippi Bar · Bar Association for the Fifth Federal Circuit · NARTC

Pro Bono: Legal aid to U.S. Military Veterans · Hurricane victim relief · Texas Lawyers for Children