Public-interest litigation is not for the faint of heart. So often, attorneys find themselves battling opponents with resources and influence or precedent that makes it difficult to prevail. But fighting to preserve rights and help vulnerable clients provides many different rewards. In this episode, Jody Sanders and Todd Smith interview Hannah Mullen, a staff attorney
Few judges in the Texas court system can claim to have served at every level—trial court, appellate court, and Texas Supreme Court. But this week’s guest, Justice Jane Bland, has done all three! Her career of service to the people of Texas gives her a unique perspective on how the judicial system should work. Justice Bland joins
For many attorneys, the prospect of a U.S. Supreme Court argument serves as the capstone of a legal career. But for a select few, like Kannon Shanmugam, chair of Paul Weiss’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group, arguing before the Supreme Court is a regular occurrence. Kannon joins Jody Sanders and Todd Smith to
The U.S. Supreme Court always remains newsworthy, but the last few years have brought unprecedented change to the institution and the public’s perception of it. Greg Stohr, the Supreme Court reporter for Bloomberg News, has maintained a front-row seat for more than two decades. In this episode, Greg joins Todd Smith and Jody Sanders
Judicial clerkships have traditionally served an important role in helping attorneys transition into practice and learn from experienced judges and practitioners. But the power imbalance between judge and clerk and the cloak of confidentiality surrounding judicial proceedings sometimes puts clerks in bad situations. Further, employment laws like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of
Any Texas attorney who has been to a legal writing CLE knows Chad Baruch of Johnston Tobey Baruch. Chad has taught countless attorneys throughout the United States how to provide engaging and analytical briefing in both trial and appellate courts. In this episode, he joins Todd Smith and Jody Sanders to share some of his
Conducting an effective voir dire is both a science and an art. But ensuring that attorneys ask the correct questions to support challenges and objections requires careful planning and strategy. It also requires on-the-spot evaluations of the individual jurors and their responses. To help attorneys obtain the best jury panel, Robert Swafford, an attorney
Texas Supreme Court Justice Evan Young’s career has taken him many different places—the United States Supreme Court, Iraq, and now the Texas Supreme Court. Join Todd Smith and Jody Sanders as they host Justice Young for a discussion of his path in the law and his transition from practitioner to judge. Justice Young provides a
This week, co-hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders celebrate the Texas Appellate Law Podcast’s 100th episode! When they started the podcast just before the pandemic hit in 2020, neither of them could have imagined how much they would learn, how much fun they would have, and all the great people they would meet. To celebrate
Some lawyers start their career knowing they want to change the legal landscape. One way to make an impact is to embrace legal technology, including artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, and to fill gaps in legal service offerings. In this episode, Todd Smith and Jody Sanders talk with Rocky Dhir, founder of Atlas Legal Research, about legal