Jackson Walker proudly congratulates Albon Head and Jay K. Rutherford on being named among the 400 most influential people in Fort Worth.

Launched in July 2018, “The 400” identifies the most influential individuals in Tarrant County across a range of sectors, including arts, business, education, economic development, government, professional services, nonprofits, and philanthropy, as determined by the editorial staff at Fort Worth Inc. With community being an essential part of Fort Worth’s way of life, the editorial staff also consider how involved these individuals are in local nonprofits and civic boards, and how each honoree is helping move the fast-growing city forward.

Meet Albon

Albon has practiced in the federal and state courts in Texas and in numerous other jurisdictions for the past 50 years, with experience in a variety of matters including many lengthy jury and non-jury trials in complex business litigation, contract disputes, real estate conflicts, eminent domain and condemnation, pipeline and right-of-way litigation, and railroad litigation. He is board certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

A major highlight of Albon’s career is his representation of the court-appointed receiver in all litigation matters related to the recent sale of the historic W.T. Waggoner Ranch. At 510,000 acres, the ranch is the largest under one fence in the nation. That litigation was responsible for securing the resolution of decades of disputes between the Waggoner heirs to ensure the success of the sale. He has represented a major league baseball franchise, was engaged in the formation and representation of The Texas Rangers, Ltd. in its purchase and operation of the franchise during the mid-1970s, and handled litigation and related matters for the Rangers during the George W. Bush ownership era.

Albon has been recognized by his alma mater with the Distinguished Law Alumni Award from SMU Dedman School of Law in 2003 and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Southern Methodist University in 2017. He has also been honored by peers and clients among The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) every year since 2006 and as a “Texas Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters since 2003.

Outside of the Firm, Albon serves on the Executive Board of SMU Dedman School of Law, the Executive Committee of the Bobby Bragan Youth Foundation, and the Board of Trustees of the Davey O’Brien Foundation. He is past Chairman of the Doak Walker National Running Back Award, the Fort Worth Opera, and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. He currently serves the President of The Fort Worth Club and a Director of the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate.

He received both his B.A. and J.D. from Southern Methodist University.

Meet Jay

For more than 30 years, Jay has handled employer-employee issues and disputes for some of the nation’s largest corporations. In his advisory role, Jay counsels clients on all aspects of personnel and employment policies and practices and all matters affecting the employer-employee relationship and compliance with all state and federal employment laws and regulations. He is board certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, for which he served on the Advisory Council in 2019-2020 and as an examiner in 2014-2019.

In addition to his role as a partner at Jackson Walker, Jay has co-chaired the Firm’s Labor & Employment practice since 2014 and previously served as a hiring partner for the Fort Worth office.

Jay has been recognized among The Best Lawyers in America since 2010 and as a “Texas Super Lawyer” by Thomson Reuters since 2003. Last year, Jay was named to Lawdragon’s list of the 500 leading practitioners in Corporate Employment. Locally, Jay has been named among top attorneys lists in Fort Worth Magazine (since 2001) and 360 West (since 2018). He was also presented with the 2016 Chairman’s Award by the Texas Association of Business, for which he has served as General Counsel since 2015.

Outside of the Firm, Jay has been active in his community and has served on numerous boards of associations that serve youth needs like Texas Aspires (formerly known as the Texas Institute for Education Reform), First Texas Council of Campfire USA, Junior Achievement of the Chisholm Trail, and the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate. He has served on the Operating Board of Trustees of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) since 2019.

He received his B.S. from Texas Tech University and his J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law.