John Council

August 08, 2011 | Texas Lawyer

Decades ago, Trevor Rees-Jones offered his former law partner Robert B. Allen a business deal that later earned Allen $8.2 million. Yet on July 28, Houston's 1st Court of Appeals allowed a suit to go forward in which Allen alleges if not for Rees-Jones' "fraud," Allen would be $100 million richer. Gregg Laswell (pictured) represents Allen in the litigation.

By John Council

6 minute read

October 20, 2003 | Law.com

It's one of the few votes taken by a state governmental body that the public never hears about. And the governmental body that makes the secret vote -- the Texas Supreme Court -- contends it should stay that way. But U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia of San Antonio is considering a case that seeks to force Texas' high court to reveal how it votes on petitions for review -- the threshold determination the appellate court makes on whether it will hear a case.

By John Council

10 minute read

July 09, 2007 | Texas Lawyer

While most attorneys celebrated Independence Day with friends and family, L. Clifford Davis sat alone in his law office in East Fort Worth, contemplating his 58-year legal career. There's a symbolic reason why the pioneering civil rights lawyer and former state district judge, 82, comes to work every year on the holiday. July 4, 1949, marks the day Davis was first sworn in as a lawyer before the Arkansas Supreme Court in the state where he grew up.

By John Council

12 minute read

March 23, 2005 | Law.com

Should a potential juror who readily admits bias be struck for cause from a venire panel by a trial judge? Not necessarily, according to a recent opinion from the Texas Supreme Court that is drawing fire from plaintiffs attorneys. The decision rejects more than 40 years of Texas appeals court rulings that say once a veniremember expresses bias, he cannot be rehabilitated. The ultimate result will be to give trial court judges more discretion in determining bias, say civil procedure experts.

By John Council

9 minute read

April 20, 2000 | Law.com

In his first high-profile resolution of a consumer case, Texas Attorney General John Cornyn is grabbing attention for a settlement with Aetna U.S. Healthcare that demands policy reforms from the HMO instead of money. As part of a wide-ranging agreement, the settlement requires Aetna to prevent the company's financial incentives to doctors from affecting a patient's quality of care.

By John Council

7 minute read

May 29, 2006 | Texas Lawyer

In a controversial arbitration-related opinion, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently found that a Marine Corps Reserves officer who alleged he was fired from his job because he had been called up for duty in Iraq cannot avoid an arbitration hearing.

By John Council

3 minute read

August 16, 2004 | Texas Lawyer

Stephen Ables' tenure as judge of the 216th District Court has been a bit of a traveling circus act. Since 1989, Ables has been busy as a judge whose jurisdiction spans four of the Hill Country's prettiest counties -- Kerr, Kendall, Bandera and Gillespie

By John Council

8 minute read

February 01, 2006 | Texas Lawyer

An East Texas judge declared a mistrial in a fen-phen suit on Jan. 31 after the plaintiff's lawyers claimed that defense counsel made improper remarks during his opening statement.

By John Council

3 minute read

September 20, 2004 | Texas Lawyer

It is hard to overlook the symbolism of Gov. Rick Perry's elevation of Justice Wallace Jefferson -- the Texas Supreme Court's first African American member -- to be the court's chief justice. The political drama of choosing the great-great-great-grandson of a slave who was owned by a McLennan County district judge to be the highest member of Texas' judiciary is as historic as it is moving.

By John Council

6 minute read

September 26, 2006 | Law.com

Dallas-based Strasburger & Price is embroiled in a class action suit in which the firm and one of its partners are accused of helping clients defraud hundreds of investors through what the plaintiffs allege was an "oil and gas Ponzi scheme." "There are some people that were unhappy with the investments, but they are investors and sometimes investments don't turn out the way we would like," says Steve McConnico of Scott, Douglass & McConnico, who represents the firm and Strasburger partner Lee Polson.

By John Council

7 minute read