Biography
Jenae has played a lead role in conducting and preparing for depositions and all stages of discovery, arguing dispositive motions, and drafting motions to dismiss and other motions. Her notable recent experience includes serving on Weil teams representing:
- Alaska Airlines in a high-profile commercial dispute in Dallas federal court regarding gate access at Dallas Love Field.
- A preeminent North American company focused on business products and solutions in a commercial dispute regarding distributor rights.
- CEC Entertainment, a nationally recognized leader in family dining/entertainment with iconic brands Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza, in a commercial dispute regarding a real estate lease.
- A market-leading manufacturing business in the oil and gas industry in a commercial dispute regarding a purchase and sale agreement
- Speedcast International in contested litigation in connection with its chapter 11 cases in the Southern District of Texas.
- EP Energy Corporation and its affiliated debtors in their chapter 11 cases involving approximately $4.9 billion in funded debt obligations, including in a contested plan confirmation.
- Talen Energy Corporation and Talen Energy Supply, one of the largest competitive power generation and infrastructure companies in North America, in contested litigation in connection with its chapter 11 cases in the Southern District of Texas.
Additionally, Jenae has significant experience on Weil teams advising in connection with multiple internal investigations.
Jenae also maintains an active pro bono practice. She has dedicated countless hours working on asylum and family law cases, and is a member of the board of the Innocence Project of Texas. In 2023, Jenae was selected as the 13th “Lend-a-Lawyer” to the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, a joint program of the Dallas Bar Association and the Legal Aid of Northwest Texas dedicated to increasing and enhancing pro bono legal services to the poor in Dallas and the surrounding areas. In 2024, she received the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers' "Young Lawyer Pro Bono Service Award.”
In 2021 and 2022, Jenae was selected as a National Black Lawyer Top 40 Under 40 in Texas. She also was recognized in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch* for Commercial Litigation, and selected as a 2023 and 2024 Texas Rising Star by Super Lawyers**. She is a 2023 Associate member of The Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court.
Jenae received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2019, where she served as an Articles Editor on the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law, and her B.A. in history and international studies from Emory University in 2013. Prior to attending law school, Jenae served as a Teach For America corps member and taught Middle School Social Studies in Montgomery, Alabama.
* Best Lawyers (in America) is by Levine Leichtman Capital Partners
**Super Lawyers recognition is a Thomson Reuters service.
Awards and Recognition, Firm News & Announcements
Awards and Recognition
- Jenae Ward Named a Recipient of the 2024 “Young Lawyer Pro Bono Service Award” Award Brief — Dallas Association of Young Lawyers
- Jenae Ward Named a Texas Rising Star Award Brief — Texas Super Lawyers 2023-2024 (Super Lawyers recognition is a Thomson Reuters service)
Firm News & Announcements
- Gabriel Morgan and Jenae Ward Named Finalists at 2024 Texas Legal Awards Firm Announcement — August 16, 2024
- Jenae Ward Receives Dallas Association of Young Lawyers’ 2024 Young Lawyer Pro Bono Service Award Firm Announcement — July 29, 2024