Texas Appellate Lawyer & Attorney : D. Todd Smith Law Firm : Appeals, Sanctions, Summary Judgment : Austin, Texas

Though somewhat afield from this blog's primary focus, the topics of electronic discovery and computer forensics should concern anyone practicing law in this day and age.  I am therefore pleased to announce that nationally recognized expert Craig Ball—a board-certified trial lawyer in his own right—will speak to the Austin Bar Association's Solo & Small Firm Section at noon on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at the Austin Bar office.  (In case you're wondering, as the Section's Program Co-Chair, I'm the guy responsible for lining up speakers.)

The event is free for Section members, and others may attend for a nominal charge.  If you'd like to attend and reserve a catered lunch, please contact Bill Biggs at wbiggs@sbcglobal.net.

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UT Law School will be holding its annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals on May 29-30, 2008 at the Four Seasons Hotel here in Austin.  You can find more information about the conference and register online here.

This is a "don't miss" event for lawyers looking to stay up to speed on current trends and emerging issues in Texas and federal appellate practice.  I am particularly interested in the session entitled "Effective Use of Appellate Counsel in Federal District Court," during which we will learn "what’s effective and what’s not when appellate counsel venture into federal trial courts."

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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, March 27, 2008, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel here in Austin.  CLE credit (1.5 hours, .33 ethics) has been requested.

The event will feature a panel discussion with Chief Justice Jefferson and Justices Brister, Johnson, and Willet.  A reception with the justices will follow.

Register by mailing a $25 check payable to “State Bar of Texas Appellate Section” to Anne Johnson at Haynes and Boone, 901 Main Street, Suite 3100, Dallas, Texas 75202.  You may also reserve a space by calling Anne at (214) 340-7974 or by e-mailing her at anne.johnson@haynesboone.com, with $30 payable at the door.

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I am pleased to announce that this blog has moved over to the LexBlog platform.  The new URL is http://texasappellatelawblog.com.

All previous posts have been incorporated into the new format, and the old URL will remain active for a few weeks to ensure a smooth transition.  After that, visitors to the old address will be redirected here.

This is an exciting development as I look to take this blog and my practice to the next level.  If you have comments about the new format or any suggestions, please let me know.

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My fellow appellate lawyer Ray Ward (who writes a couple of excellent blogs, the (new) legal writer and Minor Wisdom) asked me to plug the upcoming DRI Appellate Advocacy Seminar, to be held at the J. W. Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes (that's Florida, folks) on February 28-29, 2008.  Though sponsored by "the voice of the defense bar," the brochure indicates that the seminar will benefit appellate specialists, in-house counsel who supervise appeals, civil trial lawyers, judges and law professors, and appellate court clerks alike.  Ray has posted a sneak peek at the agenda and his accolades for this program here.

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It's hard to believe, but I launched this blog one year ago today.  I have enjoyed writing the first 187 posts and interacting with readers, both through the blog and in person.  Your comments and compliments help keep this thing going.

I have big plans for the blog in early 2008, so keep your eyes open for some major changes.  Here's to a happy, safe, and productive 2008!

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I spoke at the Austin Bar Association's monthly members-only CLE luncheon this past Friday.  My topic was "Texas Supreme Court Update:  Developments Since Summer Recess."  With permission, I used a paper Dylan Drummond wrote and added other recent developments by inserting relevant posts from this blog at the end.  If anyone is interested, a copy of the paper is available here.

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The Summer 2007 issue of The Appellate Advocate is now available through the State Bar Appellate Section's web site.  As usual, the publication is packed with interesting articles and useful case updates.  Give it a read!

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The State Bar of Texas has contacted a number of law bloggers for assistance in promoting its YouTube contest, "Lone Star Stories:  Texans on Justice."  I am happy to oblige.

The SBOT is touting this contest as the first of its kind by a bar association.  Follow the links for a copy of the press release and an upcoming article in Texas Lawyer.

The contest is part of President Gib Walton's public education initiative on the justice system and is intended to give all Texans a venue to share their vision of the promise of justice for all.  Two winners will receive $2,500 prizes and a trip to the January State Bar board meeting in Grapevine.  Entries will be accepted between October 15 and December 15.

Congratulations to the SBOT for taking on such a worthy project in such an innovative way.

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The Texas Supreme Court has added links to its calendar (in Microsoft Word and PDF form) as a new feature on the Court's web site.  Advocates and others now have ready access to the Court's schedule through August 2008, including dates for oral argument, conference, orders, and holidays.

Thanks to Elana Einhorn for the tip.

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The State Bar Appellate Section and Texas Bar CLE are co-sponsoring the 21st Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, which will take place September 6-7, 2007 at the Four Seasons in Austin.  Related events are the ever-popular Appellate Boot Camp on September 5 and the Section's annual meeting on September 6, which will be followed by a cocktail reception with the judiciary.  A registration brochure is available here.

I strongly encourage any lawyer interested in appellate practice to attend this program.  The topics are always timely, and the speakers and written materials are always informative.  And if you think this group is dull, you've got another thing coming.  In connection with the annual meeting, the Appellate Section is holding its first Appellate Song Lyrics Contest, in which contestants are to alter the lyrics of a well known song to give it an "appellate" touch.  You can find the contest rules here or in the Summer issue of The Appellate Advocate, which should be hitting mailboxes now.  The submission deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 29.

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Per How Appealing:

The U.S. Supreme Court has issued a "Memorandum to Counsel" about the forthcoming revisions to that Court's rules:  You can access the five-page memorandum at this link.  Among other things. the memorandum suggests that the Court will begin making electronically-filed briefs available for access over the Court's own web site.

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One year ago today, I departed big firm life to start my own appellate boutique—if you can call one lawyer a boutique!   The result has exceeded my expectations in almost every way.  While I am grateful for the opportunities I had at Fulbright & Jaworski and the excellent experience I obtained there, my current practice is a much better fit for my personality and work style, and it is also better for my family (although my wife would say that I don't work any less).  Special thanks to all the folks who have referred cases to me or hired me over the past year.  Without you, I wouldn't be posting this message.

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The Spring issue of The Appellate Advocate is now available online.  Please send me your comments and suggestions on how we can improve the publication.  And feel free to contact me directly if you are interested in contributing to future issues.

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The State Bar Appellate Section has posted an electronic copy of The Appellate Advocate's current issue on the Section's web site.  As editor of the publication, I would encourage anyone visiting this blog to check it out.

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Per the Austin Bar Association's E-Bulletin, the ABA Civil Litigation Section will host a debate on SB 1204 at noon on Tuesday, April 10, between Lee Parsley (representing Texans for Lawsuit Reform, whose position paper is available here) and Jay Harvey (President of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, whose position paper is available here).  This one should be interesting.

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The State Bar Appellate Section and TexasBarCLE are offering a total of $95 off the combined registration fees for the 2007 Practice Before the Texas Supreme Court and Advanced Civil Appellate Practice courses.  To get this deal, attendees must register by telephone (800-204-2222 x1574), fax (512-427-4111), or mail by April 13, 2007.  (Unfortunately, online registration is not available, and I was unable to locate an online brochure for either seminar.)  Appellate Section and State Bar College members get an additional $25 off. 

These courses, along with the annual UT Conference on Federal and State Appeals, are some of the best and most informative CLEs around.  I would encourage anyone interested in appellate practice to attend.

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