Plus, How to Become an Appellate Lawyer and the Latest SCOTX Opinions

Texas Appellate Counsel Digest

Notable Developments Last Week

The Texas Supreme Court made key supplemental appointments to the Supreme Court Advisory Committee, naming Chief Justice Tracy Christopher (14th Court of Appeals) as chair and Justice Jane Bland as the Court liaison. These appointments follow the departures of Chip Babcock and former Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, who have been appointed as emeritus SCAC members.

SCOTX also directed SCAC to study and propose rules that would eliminate pre-grant merits briefing and prohibit central dockets like those currently used in Travis and Bexar Counties. The Court has signaled its interest in the first potential change for a while now, but the second one is new. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more on both.

The State Bar Professional Ethics Committee issued Opinion 705 addressing ethical concerns about lawyers’ use of generative AI. I've long questioned the need for new rules to address variations on old themes, so I'm glad to see a measured ethics opinion that points out how areas of concern fit into existing ethical duties.

From the Blog

​I wrote about an outstanding new TexasBarCLE program, "Becoming an Appellate Lawyer," which is coming up on March 6 & 7 in Houston. I’m excited to be presenting on "Navigating Entry Points: Strategies for Engagement as Appellate Counsel at Different Stages of Litigation."

I wish a program like this had existed when I was first starting out. It’s a great resource for lawyers looking to build or refine an appellate practice.

From the Podcast

The Texas Appellate Law Podcast has been on hiatus as I've transitioned into my new solo practice, but that will change this week. We'll release a new episode on Thursday after going through a rebrand and refresh.

Texas Supreme Court Orders & Opinions

The Texas Supreme Court issued its latest orders on Friday, February 14, including three new opinions. You can view the full list of orders here and check out the case summaries here, courtesy of the Court.