The following are taken from the Texas Supreme Court’s website. Happy 100th birthday, Chief Justice Pope!
Category Archives: Announcements
Subscribe to Announcements RSS FeedUpcoming CLE Presentation on IP Appeals
Posted in AnnouncementsAt its March 21, 2013 luncheon meeting, the Austin Bar Civil Appellate Law Section is sponsoring a CLE panel entitled “Fundamentals of Patent Litigation and Appeals.” The panel will consist of moderator Bill Schuurman, Alan Albright, Amber Rovner, and Sheila Kadura. The event will take place at Green Pastures, 811 West Live Oak Street. Registration begins… Continue Reading
Your Trial Is Over—Now What?
Posted in Announcements, Appellate PracticePer the announcement pasted below, TexasBarCLE has opened registration for a live webinar that Amanda Taylor and I will present next week. This program will be “studio produced” and shot at the Texas Law Center, which will be a new experience for me. If you’re interested but can’t watch live, the presentation will be archived… Continue Reading
Governor Perry Appoints Boyd to Supreme Court
Posted in Announcements, News & Politics, Texas Supreme CourtGovernor Perry has announced the appointment of Jeffrey S. Boyd (pictured) to fill the Texas Supreme Court seat vacated by former Justice Dale Wainwright. The official press release is available here. Boyd currently serves as the Governor’s chief of staff and is the Governor’s former general counsel. He was a partner in the Austin office… Continue Reading
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Posted in Announcements, Appellate Practiceexcerpt here
Smith Law Group Welcomes Maitreya Tomlinson
Posted in Announcements, Appellate PracticeSix years have passed since I left the big firm to establish my own practice. Over that time, we have added a full-time assistant, a part-time administrator, a second lawyer (Brandy Wingate), and a second office in the Rio Grande Valley. Today, I am happy to announce that Maitreya Tomlinson (pictured) has joined Smith Law… Continue Reading
You Have a Verdict — Now What?
Posted in Announcements, Appellate PracticeOn Monday, May 21, 2012, Austin appellate lawyer Amanda Taylor and I will be giving a talk entitled “You Have a Verdict—Now What?” to the Austin Bar Civil Litigation Section. The program will begin at noon in the ABA seminar room. To RSVP, contact Lois Gardner at (512) 476-1080 or lois@ewbankharris.com. The discussion will focus… Continue Reading
An Evening with the Texas Supreme Court v.3.0
Posted in AnnouncementsIn what has become a biennial event, the Appellate Sections of the State Bar of Texas and the Austin Bar Association are sponsoring a program entitled “An Evening with the Texas Supreme Court” on Thursday, April 26, 2012, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel here in Austin. CLE credit… Continue Reading
Follow-Up on Villarreal Argument
Posted in Announcements, Oral ArgumentTo follow up on my last post, Texas Lawyer has run a front-page story on the Villarreal case. Access the article here or here.
SLG’s Brandy Wingate to Argue at Texas Supreme Court
Posted in Announcements, Oral ArgumentAfter just over a year with my firm, Brandy Wingate has landed an oral argument at the Texas Supreme Court. The argument will take place at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow at the John B. Connally Center at the University of Texas School of Law here in Austin. The case is Rio Grande Regional Hospital Inc. and… Continue Reading
Solo/Small Firm Section CLE Set for 2/23
Posted in Announcements, TechnologyAs immediate past chair of the Austin Bar Association Solo/Small Firm Section, my main responsibility is to organize and run a half-day CLE program the Section puts on each year. We have put together what I think will be an outstanding program that will educate attendees on a number of subjects relevant to solos and small… Continue Reading
Austin Appellate Section to Host Chief Justices on January 19
Posted in Announcements, Appellate PracticeThe Austin Bar Association’s Civil Appellate Law Section will kick off the new year with a special program featuring chief justices from several of the fourteen intermediate state courts of appeals. The luncheon meeting, which will take place at noon on January 19, 2012 at Green Pastures, will include the following lineup: Moderator: Chief… Continue Reading
Happy 2012!
Posted in Announcements, Appellate PracticeRinging in the new year takes us to another milestone—the fifth anniversary of this blog’s launch. Year-end has been a natural time to re-evaluate, re-assess, and plan for the next twelve months. Last January 1, I announced that Brandy Wingate had joined my firm, @Smith Law Group, and we are enjoying what she has added… Continue Reading
Results of the Twitter Brief Contest
Posted in Announcements, Briefs, TechnologyAs I wrote about here, the State Bar Appellate Section sponsored a Twitter brief contest in conjunction with the recent Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course in Austin. The winners were announced during the Section’s annual meeting. The official PowerPoint containing the winning entries and several honorable mentions is embedded below for everyone’s enjoyment. I intend… Continue Reading
Networking Group for Appellate Lawyers and In-House Counsel
Posted in Announcements, Appellate PracticeAfter attempting to start some discussions on the LinkedIn Appellate Lawyer Network, I’ve concluded the group is useless. My posts aren’t being accepted, and what’s made the cut doesn’t involve anything specific to appellate practice. In fact, the list seems like just another place for self-declared “marketing experts” or “social media gurus” to ply their… Continue Reading
Smith Elected Chair of Austin Bar Appellate Section
Posted in AnnouncementsD. Todd Smith (pictured), founder of the Smith Law Group, P.C., has been elected Chair of the Austin Bar Association Civil Appellate Law Section for 2011-12. Smith is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and focuses his practice on civil appeals and mandamus proceedings in Texas and federal… Continue Reading
Reaching a Benchmark
Posted in Announcements, Appellate PracticeToday marks the fifth anniversary of my firm, the Smith Law Group. On July 12, 2006, I left Fulbright & Jaworski to begin a new adventure as head of a civil appellate boutique. What began as a solo practice has grown to three people (me, Brandy Wingate, and our wonderful legal assistant, Sharon Kamus), and… Continue Reading
Wingate Takes New Bar Positions
Posted in AnnouncementsThe Smith Law Group is committed to state and local bar involvement and leadership. Brandy Wingate, of our McAllen office, confirmed that commitment in two significant ways last week. First, Brandy was elected District 13 Director for the Texas Young Lawyers Association. TYLA’s primary purposes are to facilitate the administration of justice, foster respect for… Continue Reading
Gateway to Appellate Practice
Posted in Announcements, Appellate PracticeIn early 2009, I began teaching a course on Appellate Practice and Procedure at Solo Practice University, a web-based educational and professional networking community where faculty from across the country teach lawyers and law students how to practice law. Over that year, I planned and self-produced a series of eight video lectures, which remain available… Continue Reading
An Evening with Third Court of Appeals
Posted in AnnouncementsThe Austin Bar Association Civil Appellate Law Section is sponsoring a reception entitled “An Evening with the Third Court of Appeals” on Thursday, April 28, 2011, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. at Green Pastures, 811 West Live Oak Street. Admission is $25 with a paid RSVP and $30 at the door. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres… Continue Reading
Texas Appellate E-Filing Goes Live
Posted in Announcements, Appellate Practice, TechnologyHere is the text of an e-mail I received from SCOTX Clerk Blake Hawthorne this morning, along with links he included in the message: Effective March 28, 2011, you may electronically file documents, pay your fees, and serve opposing counsel using the Texas.gov electronic filing system. To use the electronic filing system you must first choose… Continue Reading
E-Filing Rollout Rescheduled for March 28
Posted in Announcements, Appellate Practice, TechnologySo say the programming people, according to TexParte. See my last two posts for more information. That should give us plenty of time to try the system out before I speak on appellate e-filing at the 2011 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting in San Antonio in late June. The State Bar has invited me… Continue Reading
E-Filing Launch Delayed
Posted in Announcements, Appellate Practice, TechnologyTexas.gov has pushed back the previously announced March 14, 2011 launch for Texas appellate e-filing, according to Texas Supreme Court Clerk Blake Hawthorne. In the process of addressing performance issues in Harris County, technical problems have arisen regarding electronic payments. A new roll-out date has yet to be announced.
At Last, E-Filing Is Coming to Texas Appellate Courts
Posted in Announcements, Appellate Practice, TechnologyFour years ago, I first asked when appellate courts would catch up on e-filing. Since then, the Fifth Circuit has successfully implemented an e-filing program, which has been mandatory for almost a year now. In state appellate courts, however, the process has been painfully slow. The Texas Supreme Court took a giant step in the… Continue Reading