What Can Lawyers Do About Negative Reviews on Social Media?

With social media, good and bad publicity can spread worldwide within minutes. Every business wants positive feedback concerning its customer service—and law firms are no exception. Bad reviews are viewed like the plague. While marketing experts have ways to turn every lemon into lemonade, this post addresses what lawyers can do, ethically, to deal with […]

5 tips for Attorney Fee Agreements

Most attorney-client relationships start the same way—with a fee agreement or engagement letter. Sometimes lawyers view the fee agreement as nothing more than a contract for legal services. It certainly is that, but also is so much more because it shapes everything that comes after the retention and provides the framework for the relationship. Identify […]

The “Anti-SLAPP” Statute: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You!

The Texas Citizens Participation Act (sometimes referred to as the “anti-SLAPP” statute) was enacted in 2011 as Chapter 27 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. Since its enactment, the Act has generated more than 200 appellate decisions, with many more cases in the pipeline. Despite its broad application—and the fact that it has […]

Ten things every young lawyer should know, but doesn’t (Because they don’t teach it in law school)

“Oh good grief, another article by an older (I prefer the word experienced) lawyer who assumes he knows things younger lawyers could not possibly know.” But let’s face it, if a significant legal career does not somehow impart wisdom to the older lawyer that is not available to a lawyer who is not yet had that […]

5 things to consider when buying your first drone

More and more people are joining the drone craze. And it’s no mystery why – drones are really fun to fly and the images you can get are mind-blowingly cool. In this blog, I am focusing mostly on the hobbyist – which just means someone using a drone for personal entertainment rather than commercial purposes. […]

Trial Lawyers Beware: How the TRAPS Can Trap You in Ordering Transcripts

The Supreme Court of Texas recently denied review in a case our firm handled concerning an appealing party’s obligation to order hearing and trial transcripts. The bottom-line result of that denial is to entrench a potential trap for trial lawyers under the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure. Rule 34.6(f) of the appellate rules provides that […]

Can Lawyers Get Advice About Their Cases on Social Media?

I have been practicing law since 1980. Throughout my career, lawyers have discussed their cases with each other.  As a young lawyer, I would seek out mentors both inside and outside my firm to give me good advice on how to handle cases generally and about specific issues relative to my cases.  In those days, […]

Disqualification Motions in Texas: Don’t Sit On Your Rights!

Among our firm’s growing practice areas is litigation where one party files a motion seeking to disqualify another party’s lawyers. These motions are becoming ever more common. We are hired both to file and pursue disqualification, and to represent lawyers in resisting disqualification. One of the critical issues in seeking disqualification—no matter what the grounds—is […]

My spouse got way too much of the property in our divorce! Can I appeal this disproportionate division?

One of the most common questions we get concerning divorce appeals concerns disproportionate property divisions. In most contested Texas divorces, trial courts attempt to divide the marital estate evenly between the parties. But not always. Sometimes, for various reasons, a trial court believes that one spouse should receive a disproportionately greater share of the estate. […]