• Subscribe
  • Log In
  • Sign up for email updates
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

  • Appellate
  • Bankruptcy
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corp. Deal Tracker/M&A
  • GCs/Corp. Legal Depts.
  • Firm Management
  • White-Collar/Regulatory
  • Pro Bono/Public Service/D&I

Texas Supreme Court Task Force: Open the Door for Foreign Lawyers – Updated

January 10, 2013 Mark Curriden

© 2012 The Texas Lawbook.

By Mark Curriden
Senior Writer for The Texas Lawbook

The Texas legal system has long been one of the most hostile states toward foreign lawyers practicing law, handling cases or advising clients in the US, but that may soon change.

The Texas Supreme Court is considering a proposal that, if adopted, would make Texas second only to New York in welcoming lawyers educated and trained outside the US to practice law – either permanently or on a single case basis – in the state.

Reforming the rules of admission to the state bar to make them more friendly to foreign lawyers would make Texas-based law firms more competitive with their counterparts in New York and London and improve Texas’ position in the global economy, according to a 53-page report issued this week by the Texas Supreme Court Task Force on International Law Practice.

“The proposed amendments are intended to reflect changing market realities facing the state and thereby offer law schools, law firms and clients based in Texas greater access to international resources,” the 14-member task force stated in its findings.

Specifically, the task force recommends the elimination of requirements that candidates for the Texas Bar be US citizens, US Nationals or aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residency. The long-time mandate that applicants hold a valid and active law licenses would be dropped because some foreign jurisdictions don’t even having licensing procedures.

The Texas Supreme Court is expected to request public comments about the proposed changes this spring and then vote on whether to adopt the rule amendments later this year.

Larry Pascal
Larry Pascal

The proposed changes have wide support among the state’s largest law firms and the general counsels of global corporations based in Texas, according to Haynes and Boone partner Larry Pascal, who chaired the task force.

“More and more Texas law firms are competing head to head against international lawyers and these reforms will be good for the bar here in Texas,” says Pascal. “This rule change is good for lawyers in Texas and it’s good for business in Texas.”

The task force, which was created in 2009 by Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, points out that more than 4,000 foreign business lawyers from Vancouver to London and Beijing to Dubai sit for the New York State Bar examination. By contrast, less than 20 do so annually in Texas.

Leland de la Garza, a business litigator and partner at Shackelford, Melton & McKinley, says that foreign lawyers offer insights into and connections with global companies that could be potential investment partners with Texas businesses.

De la Garza, who is vice chair of the task force, says that working with foreign lawyers gives Texas lawyers an advantage in a legal world where international arbitrations and cross-border litigation is becoming increasingly prevalent.

“The bar admission rules have been burdensome and onerous and this proposal fixes that,” he says.

Jill Atha, a corporate transactional lawyer at ExxonMobil who served on the task force, says the changes allow global corporations to move their foreign-based lawyers to Texas more easily and allows them to have the same “client-attorney and privilege protections” that lawyers need to practice.

To view the entire report, please see: www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/ilptf/pdf/finalreport.pdf.

© 2012 The Texas Lawbook. Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.

Mark Curriden

Mark Curriden is a lawyer/journalist and founder of The Texas Lawbook. In addition, he is a contributing legal correspondent for The Dallas Morning News.

View Mark’s articles

Email Mark

©2025 The Texas Lawbook.

Content of The Texas Lawbook is controlled and protected by specific licensing agreements with our subscribers and under federal copyright laws. Any distribution of this content without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.

If you see any inaccuracy in any article in The Texas Lawbook, please contact us. Our goal is content that is 100% true and accurate. Thank you.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Stories

  • Zavitsanos Twins Set Their Sights on Filmmaking, Law
  • Genesis Healthcare Files Chapter 11 in NDTX
  • Recent Survey Reveals Work Modes of Attorneys, Offering Stability in Firm Real Estate Needs
  • P.S. — New State Bar President Launches Campaign to Fund Legal Aid for Low-Income Texans 
  • Beck Redden Bolsters Appellate Group With Hire From Troutman Pepper Locke

Footer

Who We Are

  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Contact Us
  • Submit a News Tip

Stay Connected

  • Sign up for email updates
  • Article Submission Guidelines
  • Premium Subscriber Editorial Calendar

Our Partners

  • The Dallas Morning News
The Texas Lawbook logo

1409 Botham Jean Blvd.
Unit 811
Dallas, TX 75215

214.232.6783

© Copyright 2025 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.