Parties in Texas divorce cases often become confused over when decrees can be clarified—and what constitutes a clarification as opposed to a modification. Being able to distinguish the two often means the difference between success and failure in divorce matters. Under Texas law, a trial court cannot change its final judgment after expiration of what […]
As a general rule, only the final judgment in a lawsuit can be appealed. With a very few specifically enumerated exceptions, Texas law does not permit appeals from what are known as interlocutory orders (interlocutory orders are orders made during litigation of the case but before entry of final judgment). See generally City of Beaumont […]
Texas law recognizes judicial admissions, which “are assertions of fact, not pleaded in the alternative, in the live pleadings of a party.” Lyons v. Lindsey Morden Claims Mgmt., 985 S.W.2d 86, 92 (Tex. App.—El Paso 1999, no pet.) (citation omitted). In other words, a judicial admission is a factual statement made by a party to […]
There is a reason that major trials today almost always involve appellate lawyers on both sides. The best trial lawyers in America recognize the value an appellate lawyer adds to the trial team—and the danger inherent in proceeding without one. Unfortunately, too many clients remain reluctant to incur the costs associated with having an appellate […]
In 2015, the Supreme Court of Texas decided Cantey Hanger, LLP v. Byrd, 467 S.W.3d 477 (Tex. 2015), clarifying what is known as the “attorney immunity doctrine.” Essentially, the doctrine posits that, “as a general rule, attorneys are immune from civil liability to non-clients ‘for actions taken in connection with representing clients in litigation.’” Id. […]
Section 2.401 of the Texas Family Code provides that a party may prove an informal marriage (formerly known as a common law marriage) “by evidence that . . . the man and woman agreed to be married and after the agreement they lived together in this state as husband and wife and there represented to […]
Texas litigants considering filing a legal action for defamation need to consider whether the Texas Citizens Participation Act covers their claims. Signed in 2011, the Act provides powerful tools by which defamation defendants may not only escape liability but also can turn the tables on their accusers by obtaining an award of attorney’s fees incurred […]
Next month, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case of Taylor Bell, an aspiring rapper suspended from his Mississippi high school for recording a song critical of two coaches accused of misconduct with female students.
Most trial lawyers are familiar with the provisions of Rule 803(6) of the Texas Rules of Evidence, providing for admissibility of business records.
Your odds of appellate success are greatest when you include an appellate specialist as part of the trial team from the beginning of the litigation.
