Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Paul Green has made his next career move.
Green, who was the second-longest running justice on the court before announcing his retirement in July, is reuniting with his old friend and colleague Wallace Jefferson at Alexander Dubose & Jefferson and leading the launch of the appellate boutique’s San Antonio office.
“During my time on the court ADJ was a very well recognized appellate boutique law firm. When we saw a case with their name on it, we knew it would be an interesting case, well briefed and well argued,” Green told The Texas Lawbook.
“When the time came to leave the court, Wallace called me and said I needed to work with them,” he said.
Green says he is excited to open an office in San Antonio, his hometown and what he calls the “gateway” to the Valley and South Texas. The outpost at 10001 Reunion Place will also serve clients in Corpus Christi and Laredo courts.
Alexander Dubose & Jefferson Managing Partner Marcy Hogan Greer says the firm is “thrilled” for the opportunity to add Justice Green.
“Justice Green brings a wealth of experience serving on the Texas Supreme Court and the San Antonio Court of Appeals. His extensive involvement in the Texas judiciary will provide us with a unique lens that will greatly enhance the work we do for clients,” Greer said. “He is a wonderful human being and a delightful addition to the firm.”
Green joins an already impressive bench of former Texas appellate court jurists including former Chief Justice Jefferson, former Chief Justice of the Third Court of Appeals Woodie Jones and ex-Fourteenth Court of Appeals Justice Bill Boyce. Earlier this year, the 18-lawyer firm added a U.S. Supreme Court practice by bringing on Dallas advocate Dan Geyser.
Appellate experts say Green – affectionately known as “PWG” – will be remembered as a conscientious and fair judge who treated everyone with respect and dignity. During his almost 16 years on the Texas Supreme Court bench, he authored 99 majority opinions – and jokes that he wished he had one more for 100.
Even when writing the majority opinion, Green is quick to note that opinions are truly a collaborative effort by the court. He says two of his most memorable rulings were in Italian Cowboy Partners v. Prudential and Rohrmoos Venture v. UTSW DVA Healthcare.
Italian Cowboy, considered a crucial bulwark to protect victims of fraudulent inducement, has been cited 572 times since it was issued in 2011 and is Green’s most cited opinion.
But Rohrmoos, issued in 2019, could end up with more citations than Italian Cowboy, according to appellate practitioners. Haynes and Boone appellate partner Anne Johnson predicts Green’s 56-page opinion “will be the seminal case on attorneys’ fees for years to come.”
Though Green says he misses the back-and-forth between the justices in conferences, he notes that the law firm environment also provides for that kind of deliberation and debate.
“We had great cases with very difficult questions that impact everyone in the state and sometimes beyond. It was a lot of fun to do. Everyone is working hard to get the right results and sometimes we didn’t agree on how to get there,” Green said.
“It is something you can get working at a law firm, too. It will be great to kick some very tough cases around with brilliant lawyers around the state.”
Green says the current backlog of jury trials due to the Covid-19 pandemic is a “big problem” but is proud of the Texas Supreme Court’s hard work to get the state courts back up and running. While he says conducting trials remotely via Zoom “isn’t the best way of doing things,” he believes remote hearings are here to stay.
“Whether it affects the outcomes, there is a long way in determining whether that is true or not,” Green said. “I think we are in it for the long haul, frankly.”
Green, a third-generation lawyer, has deep roots in San Antonio.
The former justice received his law degree from St. Mary’s, which has honored him as a distinguished law graduate and recipient of the Rosewood Gavel Award for achievement in the judiciary. Prior to his time on the state Supreme Court, he served on the Fourth Court of Appeals for 10 years. Green is also a past president of the San Antonio Bar Association.
In addition to his post-retirement gig at Alexander, Dubose & Jefferson, the noted aviation enthusiast is looking forward to flying more – a hobby he shares with his son, who earned his pilot certificate shortly after his 17th birthday and is “flying his pants off.”
“I love flying,” said Green, who operates a Cessna 182. “It’s something I always wanted to do growing up but just got into about 10 years ago.”
During his time on the bench, Green would fly to hard-to-get-to places like Huntsville, South Padre and West Texas when the court would hear arguments there. His next air adventure is a flight next month to the Gage Hotel in Alpine, TX.