Zoom court hearings in Texas are here to stay. A backlog of thousands of jury trials caused by Covid-19 must be addressed. Access to justice for the poor must be improved. Racial prejudice – and the perception of bias – is a “disease” in the Texas justice system. Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht delivered his State of Judiciary address to a joint session of the Texas legislature Tuesday by live video.
More Stories
Texas Lawbook Q&A: Two Advocates Explain the Need for Texas Business Courts
Evan Young and Jason Villalba helped draft pending legislation to create complex business litigation courts in Texas. Last week, The Texas Lawbook interviewed them.
Jason Villalba: When you are dealing with billions of dollars and thousands of jobs are on the line, you don’t want to be rolling the dice. There needs to be a judicial ecosystem in place that better handles these types of cases. Having predictable outcomes is crucial in these large business disputes. Texas needs something like Delaware Chancery Courts to put us on the same global scale.
Five Reasons Why It’s Time to Disrupt Your eDiscovery Model – and Get Fit for the Future
Many legal departments have suddenly found their security posture to be off-strategy, potentially raising their exposure for any future incident. A cybersecurity, privacy and forensics expert at PwC outlines the reasons why corporates should move from a provider-centric eDiscovery model to a security-centric one.
Hospice CEO Pleads Guilty in $60M Fraud, Cooperates Against Co-conspirators
The CEO of a onetime thriving North Texas hospice-care agency has pleaded guilty to his role in a $60 million Medicare and Medicaid fraud – and he’s not alone.
FCA Suit Alleges Dallas Doctor and Clinic Made $4.2M in Bad Claims
The civil False Claims Act complaint alleges the Dallas dermatopathologist and his clinic falsely billed the government for medically unnecessary tests through TRICARE.
DBJ: Fort Worth Real Estate Firm Files for Bankruptcy
The Fort Worth company is represented by a solo attorney and lists assets ranging from $0 to $50,000 and debts ranging from $1,000,001 to $10,000,000.
Former U.S. Attorney Joins Haynes and Boone
Exactly one month after announcing his resignation as the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of Texas, President Trump-appointee Ryan Patrick has returned to private practice in a move that adds depth to Haynes and Boone’s white-collar practice in Texas.
M&A, PE Deal Team Jumps to Reed Smith
The four new partners bring a breadth of experience in private-equity and middle-market transactions, in addition to business tax counseling.
When Will In-Person Jury Trials Resume in TX? Three Major Counties Weigh In
Now that the Texas Supreme Court lifted its statewide ban on in-person court proceedings and jury trials, the question is when and how will district courts open their courtrooms. The answer: Not all at the same time or the same way. This article has in-depth interviews with the judges making the decisions.
Has Time Come for Business-Only Courts in Texas? The Jury is Out
Corporate executives and a handful of their lawyers want to create a new specialized court system that focuses only on complex commercial disputes similar to the chancery courts in Delaware – but with a Texas twist. The proposed Texas business court would have appointed judges, juries and its own business appellate court. It also has opponents who argued that there is nothing wrong with the current civil court system and judges elected by citizens. The Texas Lawbook has both sides arguments and in-depth details of the business court proposal.