Texas Lawbook New Managing Editor Osler McCarthy: ‘Let Me Hear From You’

Two days after I retired from 21 years with the Texas Supreme Court, Mark Curriden called.

“How retired do you want to be?”

How could I know, two days into it? But I’ve always loved a challenge with an opportunity. I was with him when he named his publication, no more than a paper idea then.

Now he wanted someone to assume more of the day-to-day mechanics of putting out this, his brainchild and vision that in almost 10 years has become the leading news source for business lawyers in Texas. He estimated the time for that to be 32 hours a week.

But wait! he said. There’s more!

For a mere eight hours I could work to develop broader appellate coverage for business lawyers.

That conveniently comes to 40 hours a week, by Mark’s calculation. But I’ve learned over the years that Mark’s math is not conventional. Forty hours plugged into his calculator comes out closer to 80 on mine.

My point is that I’ll need help in developing more robust appellate coverage. I need ideas – yours – and insight – yours again. Those of you who watch the appellate courts closely, I need your tips on decisions vital to Texas business lawyers as well as stories from appellate cases that are worth sharing because, well, they’re good stories.

I want to know what you see as trends.

I need your eyes and ears in what I see as a community venture. That’s how I tried to approach my last job: That I was a conduit for people who had a shared need to know what the Texas Supreme Court was deciding.  I want to report the news but make sure to give its meaning.

Some stories will be longer and more developed. Some will be nuggets still worth a bottom-line mention. But all should affect you.

When I taught journalism at the University of Texas, I called the best ideas the “Hey, Martha!” stories. Those are stories that generate such excitement you can’t resist turning to tell your friends, your family, your colleagues: Did you read that story in The Texas Lawbook?

We’re all in this venture together, but I need your eyes and ears and ideas to make it work.

This is part of what I want to do. Let me hear from you.