The Texas Lawbook is expanding its coverage of litigation and trials in Texas with the hiring of Houston journalist Michelle Casady.
Casady, previously a civil litigation writer with Law360 and the San Antonio Express-News, joined the The Lawbook team this week and is one of three Lawbook writers who focus full-time on covering the civil trial and appellate courts in Texas.
“Michelle’s tremendous experience and knowledge in covering Texas courts will mean The Lawbook will provide our readers with more breaking news stories and more in-depth coverage of litigation trends and personalities than ever before at any news publication in Texas,” said Texas Lawbook senior litigation writer Natalie Posgate. “Michelle is a highly respected and gifted reporter and we are greatly pleased to be working with her now as a colleague rather than against her as a competitor.”
Casady joins Posgate, who has been with The Lawbook for a decade, and former Dallas Morning News writer and editor Bruce Tomaso in covering litigation for The Lawbook.
Casady, Posgate and Tomaso plan to spend the next month meeting with trial lawyers and judges to identify specific cases that The Lawbook should be following and learning about issues and trends in litigation that deserve our focus.
Last month, The Lawbook also premiered a new weekly column called the Litigation Roundup, which highlights a half-dozen or so cases that experienced a development of some sort during the past seven to 10 days. The goal is to document the work of Texas trial lawyers much the same way that Texas Lawbook writer Claire Poole tracks M&A activity each week in the Corporate Deal Tracker Weekly Roundup.
To submit litigation developments, such as new lawsuit, key court decisions such as summary judgments, the setting of a trial date or even settlements, you can email The Lawbook litigation team at tlblitigation@texaslawbook.net.
A 2008 graduate of Texas Tech University, Casady covered the police and crime at The Bryan-College Station Eagle and then courts at the San Antonio Express-News. In 2015, Law360 hired Casady to write about civil litigation in Texas — a position she held until this month when she joined The Lawbook.
Here is a Q&A with new Texas Lawbook litigation writer Michelle Casady.
Texas Lawbook: Tell us a little about where you were born and where you grew up?
Michelle Casady: I was born in Galveston, Texas, and grew up in Alvin, Texas, where most of my family still lives.
Lawbook: What did your parents do for a living and any journalists in the family?
Casady: I’m the only journalist in the family. My dad is a process technician supervisor at Ineos Chocolate Bayou. My mother managed the household when my brother and I were young and later worked at Phillips66 as an operations analyst.
Lawbook: When did the idea of being a reporter first surface for you?
Casady: I was in eighth grade when my Texas history teacher suggested I look into journalism as a career and a few teachers in high school also encouraged me to follow that path. But it was Mrs. Rose King, my high school journalism teacher, who really helped me make that dream a reality.
Lawbook: Do you remember your first byline and story? What was it?
Casady: My first byline would have been something in The Clarion, the student newspaper of Alvin High School, and thankfully I can’t remember the specifics of that story. My first professional byline came on my first day at the Bryan-College Station Eagle, covering a fatal Blackhawk helicopter crash on Texas A&M’s campus.
Lawbook: Give the readers a little tour of your career.
Casady: I went to college at Texas Tech University, where I served as a reporter and later editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Daily Toreador. After graduating in December 2008, I spent the next three years as a reporter covering mostly cops and crime at The Eagle in Bryan, Texas. I took a job covering crime and courts at The San Antonio Express-News in February 2012 and stayed there until October 2015 when I moved to Houston to cover civil litigation for Law360.
Lawbook: What are the two most important stories you have done in your career so far?
Casady: This is a tough question to answer but there are two stories that have really stuck with me through the years.
I wrote a few stories in 2014 for the Express-News chronicling the scheduled execution and legal history of convicted murderer Scott Panetti, a schizophrenic man whose attorneys argued wasn’t sane enough to understand why he was being put to death. He remains on death row.
In 2012 and 2013 I wrote a few stories about Josiah Williams, a five-year-old boy who died after being starved and beaten. His father, stepmother and stepgrandmother all were sentenced for their roles in his death.
Lawbook: Do you like dealing with lawyers?
Casady: Of course. Lawyers are people, too.
Lawbook: What do lawyers need to know about Michelle Casady?
Casady: That I care deeply about getting it right above all else when reporting a story and appreciate any and all feedback.
Lawbook: How do you like to be contacted about story ideas or pitches?
Casady: I’m not particular about the method, so long as I’m getting the pitches. Email, phone and Twitter all work just fine.
You can reach Michelle Casady at michelle.casady@texaslawbook.net or (713) 614-7929.