“Reconsideration” is disfavored in Texas trial courts. The procedural rules don’t contemplate motions to reconsider, but lawyers still file them—usually when they’re convinced the trial judge got an important but unappealable interlocutory ruling wrong.
Motions to reconsider rarely succeed. Once a trial judge has made a decision, it’s difficult to change the judge’s mind. Trial
The Texas Supreme Court has directed the Supreme Court Advisory Committee (known as SCAC) to study and propose rules that would eliminate pre-grant merits briefing and prohibit central dockets like those used in Travis and Bexar Counties.
The Court has signaled its interest in the first potential change for a while now, but the second
What makes you valuable as an ‘appellate’ attorney
Have you wondered how to engage an appellate specialist to help with a critical trial-court hearing without fully bringing them into the case as co-counsel? If you’re in Travis County district court, consider a limited appearance under the Local Rules of Civil Procedure.
Local Rule 20.2 allows an attorney to file a notice of
I get this question periodically. The short answer is that the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure don’t impose a deadline. But that doesn’t mean a relator (the party wishing to challenge a trial court’s order by filing a petition for writ of mandamus) can delay pursuing mandamus relief indefinitely.
Mandamus is an
Two new statewide courts, the Business Court and the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, opened their doors on September 1, 2024. I recently served as course director for a brand-new TexasBarCLE program—Handling Your First (or Next) Business Court Case—focused on educating lawyers about these courts. The course was held on
Growing up in meager circumstances, Judge Don Willett never imagined he would serve as the Tweeter Laureate of Texas or, more notably, as a justice on the Texas Supreme Court and now on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Judge Willett credits his rise to the work ethic and sacrifices of his mother—a widow who worked long hours as
The Thirteenth Court of Appeals covers a vast area stretching from near Houston to the US/Mexico border. It even has chambers and hears cases in two locations—Corpus Christi and Edinburg. Thirteenth Court Justice Gina Benavides knows the territory well because she worked throughout it as a successful trial attorney for nearly 20 years before taking
Texas has adopted standards for appellate conduct that go beyond the disciplinary rules governing all licensed attorneys. Making his second appearance on the show is the resident expert on this topic, Kevin Dubose of Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP. With his insider knowledge and insights, Kevin explains the impetus behind the aptly-named Standards for
The importance of professional writing skills in law practice cannot be overstated. Trends in the legal world have increased the importance of written advocacy in an unprecedented way, especially with things going virtual. Todd Smith and Jody Sanders expound on this topic with their guest, Justice Elizabeth Kerr, from the Second Court of Appeals