Degrees:

• University of Texas Law School (J.D., 1979)
• Rice University (B.A., English 1976)

Practice Focus:

• Handling appeals in Texas and federal courts
• consulting with trial lawyers on complex civil litigation
• appellate counsel in over 100 appeals.

Publications:

• Writing a Persuasive Supreme Court Brief, SUPREME COURT PRACTICE MANUAL, Chapter 6 (2005)
• Legal Writing, LEGAL NURSE CONSULTING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE, Chapter 14 (2d ed. 2002)
• Oral Argument, TEXAS APPELLATE PRACTICE MANUAL, Chapter 16 (2d ed. 1993) Standards for Appellate Conduct Adopted in Texas, 2 J. APPELLATE PRACTICE & PROCESS 191 (2000)
• Standards of Appellate Conduct: Insight into Their Creation and Purpose, 62 TEX. BAR J. 558 (1999)

Representative Cases:

• Rotella v. Wood, 528 U.S. 549 (2000)
• U.S. ex rel. Riley v. St. Luke’s Epis.Hosp., 355 F.3d 370 (2004)
• Allied Bank-West, N.A. v. Stein, 996 F.2d 111 (1993)
• Battaglia v. Alexander, 177 S.W.3d 893 (Tex.2005)
• Sixth RMA Partners, L.P. v. Sibley, 111 S.W.3d 46 (Tex. 2003)
• Lee Lewis Const., Inc. v. Harrison, 70 S.W.3d 778 (Tex. 2001)
• Lopez v. Munoz, Hockema & Reed, L.L.P., 22 S.W.3d 857 (Tex. 2000)
• Williams v. Khalaf, 802 S.W.2d 651 (Tex. 1990)
• Babcock v. Northwest Mem. Hosp., 767 S.W.2d 705 (Tex. 1989)
• Archibald v. Act III Arabians, 755 S.W.2d 84 (Tex. 1988)

Honors and Awards:

• Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award 2012
• Chair of State Bar of Texas Appellate Section (1995-96)
• Chair of Houston Bar Association Appellate Section (1991-92)
• Board certified in Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization (1987-present)
• Listed in Texas Super Lawyers in Appellate Law (2002-present), Top 100 Lawyers in Houston (2006-present), Top 100 Lawyers in Texas (2007, 2009-2011)
• Listed in Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Practice 2004-present, Houston Lawyer of the Year 2013 in Appellate Practice

Nature of Firm's Practice:

• Civil Appellate Law and Consultation on Complex Civil Litigation

Other Information:

• Played a role in initiating, drafting and securing approval of Standards for Appellate Conduct, which Texas Supreme Court adopted in 1999, making Texas first jurisdiction in country to adopt professional standards for appellate practice
• Director of Appellate Advocacy, University of Houston Law Center (1990-94)
• Director of Legal Research & Writing, University of Houston Law Center (1987-91)
• author and presenter of over 90 CLE Presentations (1988-present)