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Janet Elliott

Janet has deep knowledge of Texas government, including the Texas Legislature and Texas Supreme Court. Her policy expertise includes public and higher education funding and policy, civil justice, pension and investment funds, and state budget. Janet's news media career has also included stops at the Houston Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal and Texas Lawyer.

SCOTX Decision Preserves $1.7M Verdict in ‘Borrowed Employee’ Case

The 7-1 decision is a win for Austin lawyer Kevin Dubose in the first Texas case argued via Zoom. Janet Elliott has the details.

June 8, 2020 Janet Elliott

SCOTX: “Anti-Washout” Clauses Can Violate Texas Constitution

In a case closely monitored by oil and gas interests, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that contract clauses designed to perpetuate royalty interests from lease-to-lease can violate the rule against perpetuities. But the outcome of the case itself is less explicit, as Janet Elliott, who has been following the case, explains.

May 20, 2020 Janet Elliott

SCOTX Returns “Fuzzy Animal” to 2nd COA

The City of Fort Worth's decades-old struggle with the "fuzzy animal" exception to state gaming laws entered a new phase Friday when a unanimous Texas Supreme Court sent its case back to the Second Court of Appeals. The state's highest court asked the lower court to make the constitutionality of Fort Worth game rooms less...well, fuzzy. Janet Elliott explains.

May 14, 2020 Janet Elliott

SCOTX: Jurisdiction Challenge Not Allowed in Parental Termination Case

The custody dispute was closely watched for its potential implications to allow challenges to other final custody rulings. It also attracted attention for the lineup of high-powered legal talent involved in the appeal. Janet Elliott has the details.

May 13, 2020 Janet Elliott

Low Tax Revenues, Interest Rates Sap Legal Aid Funds

The two-fisted beating of an coronavirus shutdown and an oil market crash is begetting yet another crisis on the horizon in Texas: the need for legal aid. Zero interest rates and dwindling tax revenues are sapping low-income legal resources, even as the need for them is set to explode. "That's the next big story," says SCOTX Chief Justice Nathan Hecht. Janet Elliott explains.

May 5, 2020 Janet Elliott

SCOTX Makes Moot Case Moot-er

The Supreme Court of Texas took the unusual step of vacating a lower court decision in an already moot case involving the Texas Education Agency. In a per curiam decision, the court said it wanted to avoid future “gamesmanship” on issues of public importance. Janet Elliott has the details.

April 20, 2020 Janet Elliott

SCOTX Resumes Oral Arguments — by VTC

When the Texas Supreme Court convened for oral argument Wednesday, it wasn't in the familiar halls of the court, but in virtual space. Honoring COVID-19 stay-at-home directives, the court conducted oral arguments in three cases via teleconferencing, becoming only the second state supreme court in the nation to do so (Ohio apparently beat them by a day). Bottom line: The technology performed smoothly for the most part, appellants got their virtual day in court and some of the justices got to wear their robes at home. Janet Elliott describes the court's first argument in W&T Offshore v. Fredieu

April 9, 2020 Janet Elliott

A Most Unusual SCOTX Case

A seemingly mundane child custody battle between two divorced parents has attracted an extraordinary collection of Texas appellate talent. It has also attracted the amicus attention of the Texas attorney general. Janet Elliott explains.

March 16, 2020 Janet Elliott

An Email is Still Not a Contract — SCOTX

Emails can be useful tools for negotiation, but they aren't definitive until both sides agree they are, wrote Nathan Hecht in Chalker Energy Partners III v. Le Norman Operating. Janet Elliott has details.

March 3, 2020 Janet Elliott

SCOTX: A Tale of Two Lawyers

Two cases decided by the Texas Supreme Court last week involved lawsuits against lawyers. One involved representational immunity, the other criminal defense malpractice. Not all they had to say favored lawyers. Janet Elliott explains.

February 25, 2020 Janet Elliott

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Primary Sidebar

Features

  • My Five Favorite Books: Melanie Koltermann (General Counsel at Five Star Management) - My reading habits have changed dramatically over the years. Where I once lingered over actual hard copy books late at night, these days I “read” mostly on the move. I now listen to my books, filling the hours I spend driving to/from work and after dropping of the kids for their many events. What might once have felt like idle time has become some of my most rewarding reading time, and I’ve grown to love how stories accompany me in the car. Much like my taste in music, my reading choices are eclectic and all over the place. I rarely stick to one genre or style, preferring instead to explore whatever captures my curiosity at the moment. September 17, 2025Melanie Koltermann
  • P.S. — House Moves to Slash Legal Aid Funding as Senate Proposes Increase, SALSA Makes Plea for Giving, Texas Tech Tops ABA Competition and More - In this week’s P.S. Column, we cover the House Appropriations Committee’s vote to cut Legal Services Corporation funding by 46 percent, a move that could leave millions without access to legal aid. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Legal Services Association makes a plea for donations to support core operations. September 12, 2025Krista Torralva

GCs, Lawyers & Firms

  • SALSA Names New Executive Director - The San Antonio Legal Services Association announced it has hired nonprofit executive and fundraising strategist James Martinez to lead the organization as executive director. After experiencing a funding shortfall earlier this year, SALSA touted Martinez’s more than two decades of experience fundraising and leading nonprofit organizations.
  • Ross & Smith Announces Partnership with Full-Service Maryland Firm
  • Martin Sosland, Candice Carson Join Vartabedian Hester
  • Banks Brings Decades of Experience to Husch Blackwell’s New Biz Dev Leadership Role
  • Former Energy GC Brock Degeyter Joins Troutman Pepper Locke in Dallas
  • Houston Law Firm Adds Former Texas Supreme Court Justice to Name 
  • Hunton AK Adds New Leader of Appellate Practice
  • Dallas PE Partner Boomerangs Back to Weil
  • Ret. Judge Barbara Lynn Joins Lynn Pinker
  • Holland & Knight Hires Another Longtime King & Spalding Healthcare Veteran
More GCs, Lawyers & Firms

Lawyers in the News

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Barry Barnett
Wes Bearden
Emily Westridge Black
Michael Burke
Alicia Campbell
John Campbell
Madeleine Carpenter
Alexander Clark
Dawn Pittman Collins
Richard Finneran
Elizabeth Freeman
David Gail
Elizabeth Gibson
David Jones
Frank Lopez
Abbe Lowell
Neal Manne
Billy Marsh
Tom Melsheimer
Tasha Moser
Justin Nelson
Reed O'Connor
Kate Pennartz
John “J.” Pieratt
Danielle Reyes
Christopher Richardson
Randy Sorrels
Harry Susman
Larry Vincent
Victor Vital
Brent Walker
Matt Weybrecht
Melody Wilkinson
Alex Wolens

Firms in the News

Hover right to show full list

A&O Shearman
Bryan Cave
Cozen O'Connor
Haynes Boone
Holland & Knight
Jackson Walker
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Law Office of Liz Freeman
Paul Hastings
Porter Hedges
Sorrels Law
Susman Godfrey
Toyota
Troutman Pepper Locke
Willkie
Vinson & Elkins
Weil
Winston & Strawn

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