Texas Appellate Law Blog : Texas Appellate Lawyer & Attorney : Smith Law Group, P.C. : Appeals, Sanctions, Summary Judgment : Austin, Texas

Governor Perry has appointed Judge Debra Lehrmann (R) (pictured left) to replace Justice Harriet O'Neill, who will vacate Place 3 on the Texas Supreme Court effective June 20.

To retain the seat, Judge Lehrmann, must defeat First Court of Appeals Justice Jim Sharp (D) (also pictured) in the November general election.  Meanwhile, when not campaigning, Judge Lehrmann will get some on-the-job training and will enjoy the benefits of incumbency.

Related posts:

• Lehrmann to Face Sharp for Open SCOTX Seat
• 2010 Primary Election Roundup
• Breaking Down the SCOTX Shakeup

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Yesterday, I had the privilege of getting sworn in to the U.S. Supreme Court bar by the Court's clerk, General William K. Suter (pictured).  The Austin Bar Civil Appellate Section arranged the ceremony for local lawyers who wanted to be admitted and who completed the application process.  It was a unique opportunity I couldn't pass up, especially as an officer of the Section.

General Suter also spoke on "The Supreme Court in Transition" during the Section's last meeting of the bar year.  He discussed some of the Court's recent controversial cases (including Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission), voting patterns (i.e., Justice Kennedy as the swing vote), decisions to watch for as the Court ends its Term, and what we might expect during proceedings to confirm Elena Kagan as a Justice.

Thank you for coming to Austin, General Suter.  We thoroughly enjoyed your visit.

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The State Bar of Texas Appellate Law Section is sponsoring a CLE seminar to be held in Austin geared toward in-house lawyers and the role of appellate counsel.  The event is scheduled for the afternoon of June 24, 2010 at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center and will be followed by a cocktail reception.  Admission will be free to all in-house counsel and a limited number of outside lawyers.

Panels composed of appellate lawyers, in-house attorneys, and judges will address the following topics:

• Introducing clients to the appellate process
• Do I really need appellate counsel, and how do I select the right one?
• Role of appellate counsel in case management and trial
• Technology issues and their impact on appellate practice and briefing
• Fee arrangements for appellate counsel
• Open forum on trial and appellate issues

The program will run from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and should be worth three hours of CLE credit.  Invitees will receive additional details and speaker/panelist information when finalized.

As co-chair of this event (along with Kimberly Phillips from Shell Oil Company), I invite you to contact me if you, a client, or a colleague would like to be included on the invitation list.  Limited co-sponsorship opportunities are available.

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The Texas Supreme Court has amended its recent order requiring submission of documents in electronic form.  Among the changes to the previous version are requirements that attorneys (1) provide an e-mail address when submitting e-copies, (2) e-mail courtesy copies to opposing lead counsel, and (3) register for CaseMail in cases in which they are lead counsel.  The order—which takes effect on May 31, 2010—also reduces the number of paper copies required whenever a party files a motion with the Court.

For background information on this development, see these related posts:

• Appellate Court E-Filing Becoming a Reality
• More on Appellate E-Filing

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