Top Rated Business Litigation Attorney in Austin, TX

Bar/Professional Activity

• President, National Board of Trial Advocacy (2020-2022); President-Elect (2017-2020); Executive Committee (2016-present); Member, Board of Directors (2015-present); Civil Trial Advocate (2002-present); Civil Practice Advocate (2012-present); State Coordinator–Texas (2013-present)
• State Bar of Texas, Rules of Evidence Committee (1996-98); Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Committee (2000-04); Panel Chair, District 9A Grievance Committee of the State (2002-03) (Member from 1997)
• Austin Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section (Past-Chair, 2016-17; Chair, 2015-16; Vice-Chair, 2013-14; Treasurer, 2012-13; Secretary 2011-12); Member, Board of Directors (2009-12; Chair, CLE (1994-96); (Member from 1985)
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates, TEX-ABOTA Chapter
• Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America (2015-present)
• Fellow, American College of Board Certified Attorneys (2015-present)
• Master of the Bench, American Inns of Court, Robert W. Calvert Chapter (2005-present)
• Special Assistant Attorney General, State of Texas, 1982
• Outstanding Law Graduate, Oklahoma Bar Association

Honors/Awards

• President, National Board of Trial Advocacy, 2020-2022
• Top 50 Texas Super Lawyers, Central and West Texas Region, by Thomson Reuters, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019
• The Best Lawyers in America© in Commercial Litigation by BL Rankings, 2012-2022, BL Rankings
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers®, The National Trial Lawyers, 2019, 2020, 2021
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Martindale-Hubbell/LexisNexis, AV®Preeminent™ 5.0-5 
• Editor-in-Chief, Tulsa Law Review
• Outstanding Law Graduate of Oklahoma, Oklahoma Bar Association

Pro bono/Community Service

• Pro Bono College, State Bar of Texas (2019-present)
• Founding Life Fellow, Austin Bar Foundation (2005-present)
• Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation (1999-present)

Special Licenses/Certifications

• Board Certified, Civil Trial Law, National Board of Trial Advocacy
• Board Certified Civil Practice Advocacy, National Board of Trial Advocacy
• Board Certified Civil Trial Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization

Scholarly Lectures/Writings

• Course Director/Presenter, Essential Trial Advocacy Workshop®, Winning Motions, Presented by National Board of Trial Advocacy, Hosted by Jackson Walker LLP (Oct. 2017)
• Presenter, 14th Annual Ultimate Trial Notebook®, Voir Dire, Presented by the Austin Bar Association Civil Litigation Section (Oct. 2018)
• Co-Chair/Moderator, 12th Annual Ultimate Trial Notebook 2016 (Co-Chair/Moderator in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015)
• Presenter, Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (March 2015)
• Presenter, Texas Lawyers and the Disciplinary Process, 2014
• Presenter, Lawyers and Social Network Media Websites: Litigation and Advertising Issues, American Inns of Court, Austin, Texas (Nov. 2009)
• Author, Advanced Courtroom Evidence Examination, National Board of Trial Advocacy (2009)
• Presenter, Tort Reform Time Machine, American Inns of Court, Austin, Texas (Mar. 2007)
• "Ask a Super Lawyer," Automated Camera Defenses, Texas Monthly (Oct. 2006)
• Presenter, Litigating Disaster Recovery Issues, American Inns of Court, Austin, Texas (Oct. 2006)
• Author, Advanced Courtroom Evidence Examination, National Board of Trial Advocacy (2006)
• Co-Chair, National Business Institute, How to Litigate Your First Civil Trial in Texas, Austin, Texas (2002)
• Panelist, Review of Litigation/Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, Conflicts of Interest Symposium: Cutting Edge Conflicts of Interest Hypotheticals, Austin, Texas (1997)
• Presenter, Advanced Civil Trial Course, Offering and Excluding Evidence, Houston, Texas (State Bar of Texas 1996)
• Presenter, Austin Bar Association, Offering and Excluding Evidence in Commercial Trials, Austin, Texas (1996)
• Presenter, Advanced Civil Trial Course, Sanctions and Alternatives to Sanctions, Houston, Texas (State Bar of Texas 1996)
• Presenter, Texas Association of Defense Counsel, Texas Rules of Evidence: Predicates and Exclusions for Selected Rules, Lake Tahoe, Nevada (1996)
• Presenter, Advanced Civil Trial Course, Offering and Excluding Evidence, Fort Worth, Texas (State Bar of Texas 1996)
• Presenter, Advanced Civil Trial Course, Offering and Excluding Evidence, San Antonio, Texas (State Bar of Texas 1996)
• Panelist, Houston Board of Realtors, Dual Agency and Broker Liability, Houston, Texas (1986)
• Nova Health Systems, Preparing for the Jury Trial, San Antonio, Texas (1986)
• Author, Whom Do You Represent? Knowing Your Principals – Accidental Agency (co-author), 39 Texas Realtor 6 (Feb. 1986)
• Panelist, Texas Association of Realtors, Litigation Tips for the Unwary, Austin, Texas (1985)
• Author, Helicopteros Nacionales v. Hall: Clarifying the Limits of Personal Jurisdiction, 48 Texas Bar J. 651 (1985)

Educational Background

• University of California at Los Angeles, B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Political Science, 1977

Industry Groups

• AMERICAN BOARD OF TRIAL ADVOCATES
• National Board Of Trial Advocacy