http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/index.jsp Updated Daily - Texas Lawyer's RSS feed provides you with local and national legal news. en-us Copyright 2013. ALM Media Properties, LLC. All rights reserved. http://www.law.com/jsp/law/terms.jsp http://www.law.com/img/tx/tx_lawyer.gif http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/index.jsp Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:09 EDT "Dog bites man" is not a news story, the axiom goes. But when a pit bull took off part of Lonnie Burts' finger, the injured man hired Mark Anderson and Robert Kisselburgh of The Anderson Law Firm in Fort Worth. The two lawyers helped him win a May 7 final judgment against the dog's owners, who are his neighbors, for $147,000. Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:09 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202600519836&rss=rss_tx 1202600519836 As Texas law students wrap up the school year and lawyers wait to see how the gang of nine decides the remaining U.S. Supreme Court cases this term, it's time for some reflection. Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202599555972&rss=rss_tx 1202599555972 Julie Grantham has done it all: practiced law in private firms, worked as a nonlawyer executive for a tech company, raised funds for a political group and generated sales for a forensic-investigation company. Now, with her roots planted firmly back in Texas, she is the first general counsel of Boerne-based COI Enterprises. Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:06 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202599298348&rss=rss_tx 1202599298348 Big bankruptcies earned five Texas law firms a spot on Texas Lawyer affiliate The American Lawyer's "Corporate Scorecard 2013," while energy work secured a place for six other large Texas law firms on rankings of the nation's top dealmakers in 2012. Mon, 13 May 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202599606497&rss=rss_tx 1202599606497 The 5th Circuit wrote that the district court characterized a lawyer's "unsealed filing of the offending document as a 'vicious, deliberate smear.' Whatever might have been the negative effect on Employee A's public reputation, however, we can discern no improper purpose" in the lawyer's "zealous representation of his client." Wed, 15 May 2013 16:51:29 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202600302239&rss=rss_tx 1202600302239 Effective Sept. 1, a new law defines "trade secret" and the actions that constitute misappropriation. It provides for injunctive relief for misappropriation, and in some circumstances, allows "payment of a reasonable royalty" or "affirmative acts to protect a trade secret." Wed, 15 May 2013 16:09:07 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202600294281&rss=rss_tx 1202600294281 A Dallas County lawyer has been suspended for three years, and a Fort Bend lawyer has been suspended for six months, the State Bar of Texas reported recently. Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:00:09 EST http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202581456579&rss=rss_tx 1202581456579 Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:11 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202600519866&rss=rss_tx 1202600519866 Lawyers tend to organize life into manageable schedules. Sometimes this daily routine can make life too monotonous, even for workaholics. Finding extra time for new experiences can be challenging. Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:02 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202600522529&rss=rss_tx 1202600522529 Three key 2012 rulings indicate that predictive coding may require a degree of transparency that litigators could find unsettling. Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:02 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202598550742&rss=rss_tx 1202598550742 Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:01 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202598550810&rss=rss_tx 1202598550810 Strict products liability is limited for component-part manufacturers when the component part is integrated into the final product before distribution. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:02 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202597633383&rss=rss_tx 1202597633383 With the advent of DropBox and other cloud-storage possibilities, cloud computing has become a way to increase productivity and mobility while decreasing information technology costs. But, as with most technological advances, firms must address ethical and business risks before floating their practices to the cloud. Mon, 29 Apr 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202597633237&rss=rss_tx 1202597633237 Sometimes lawyers fall short their efforts to bring in business, despite their technical skills. While it may be counterintuitive, approaching potential clients with vulnerability can be far more successful than adopting a battleground mentality. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:03 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202596673479&rss=rss_tx 1202596673479 Congratulations, the phone is ringing, and a new client is calling. But don't go celebrate with an early lunch just yet. Unless the client is an individual or sole proprietor, the wise attorney must make sure that the engagement letter identifies exactly who the client is, especially if room exists for interpretation or doubt. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:03 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202596673376&rss=rss_tx 1202596673376 Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:01 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202596673344&rss=rss_tx 1202596673344 Beatriz Gonzalez says one of the reasons she entered the law was to join a profession that functions above racism and discrimination. But an experience early in her career showed her that American jurisprudence is never far removed from the realities of inequality. Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:03 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202595756075&rss=rss_tx 1202595756075 There used to be a time when layers of secretaries and executive assistants insulated decision-makers against strangers, including peddlers of services. It was hard to position yourself to meet and impress the boss. Social media — and LinkedIn in particular — have broken down those barriers. Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:02 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202595755914&rss=rss_tx 1202595755914 Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:01 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202595756043&rss=rss_tx 1202595756043 Creativity is making something of real value that did not exist before. The law requires creativity when attorneys practice at the highest levels. Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:02 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202594870788&rss=rss_tx 1202594870788 Let's recognize the benefits of our superior procedure for submitting jury questions. Put the instructions and definitions where they belong: right after the question and before the answer blank. And don't ruin the Texas jury charge. Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:01 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202594870718&rss=rss_tx 1202594870718 For those of you who want to learn to develop business, one of the easiest ways is to learn how to ask for referrals. Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:12 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202593993876&rss=rss_tx 1202593993876 Dip your toe into the sea of YouTube recordings, and you can imagine how that medium might help law department managers. Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:11 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202593993672&rss=rss_tx 1202593993672 The motion for summary judgment, which is essentially a paper trial, needs to be clear, unambiguous and persuasive. It can narrow issues, save time and resources, educate the parties as to each other's strategies and familiarize the judge with the disputes at issue. Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:00:02 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202593127345&rss=rss_tx 1202593127345 Let's say your time has arrived: Your social media messaging has caught the attention of an old-media platform, and you have the chance to be interviewed on national TV. Will you be ready? Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:00:01 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202593127207&rss=rss_tx 1202593127207 Serious unintended consequences can result if family lawyers don't carefully navigate some dangerous areas in family law practice. Two of those involve liability for unlawful interception of, or access to, communications and liability for improper disclosure of protected health information. Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:02 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202592199698&rss=rss_tx 1202592199698 Let's accept that lawyers vehemently oppose reporting their time on matters, even periodically or in units of hours. Without timesheets, where might a general counsel turn for data on what the law department has done or accomplished? Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:01 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202592199504&rss=rss_tx 1202592199504 Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202592199540&rss=rss_tx 1202592199540 It's time for the justice system to show concern and respect for jurors by limiting long trials to four days a week. The judge needs that extra day, the lawyers want that extra day, and jurors deserve that extra day. Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:01 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202591384667&rss=rss_tx 1202591384667 Brief writing is so hemmed in with picayune rules, it's no wonder lawyers want to bust loose now and then. Required sections, word limits, margin width and font size — not much is left to the imagination. Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:02 EDT http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202591384941&rss=rss_tx 1202591384941 Travis County District Court's unique central docket sometimes has pitfalls for the uninitiated. When seeking summary judgment, movant's counsel always should err on the side of filing a reply when faced with a response. Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:12 EST http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202590497447&rss=rss_tx 1202590497447 Perhaps you are familiar with the best-selling book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff ? and It's All Small Stuff" by Richard Carlson. The book's advice may be very good for everyday life, but it is very bad advice for lawyers arguing their cases in court. Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:11 EST http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202590497579&rss=rss_tx 1202590497579 Many firms are brimming with hatred and all its manifestations: rage, gossip, sabotage, contempt, yelling and abuse of power. But understanding the origins of hatred can free lawyers from its toxic power. Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:02 EST http://www.law.com/jsp/tx/PubArticleTX.jsp?id=1202589172950&rss=rss_tx 1202589172950