Attorneys spend a lot of time choosing the right words to use in briefs and motions. But they often neglect thinking about how their words actually look on the page. Layout and typography can impact how legal work product is perceived and read. This week, Todd Smith and Jody Sanders interview an expert on how lawyers can combine solid arguments with visual appeal—writer, typographer, programmer, and lawyer, Matthew Butterick. Through books like Typography for Lawyers and Practical Typography, Matthew has encouraged many lawyers to consider how fundamental typography principles can elevate their work product. Learn how applying these ideas can turn a good brief into a great one!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube

Lobbying can have an outsized influence on which bills get passed and, sometimes more importantly, which ones do not. But many people don’t know what lobbyists actually do. In this week’s episode, Amy Bresnen and Steve Bresnen of Bresnen Associates explain to Todd Smith and Jody Sanders how their careers combine legislation, public policy, and advocacy in ways that most people don’t consider. They share experiences both passing and preventing bills, and how lobbyists can help shape legislation to make sure that laws don’t have bad results or unintended consequences. They also discuss the incredible workload involved in monitoring legislative bills during a session and how they interact with clients, legislators, and legislative staff during that process.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube

This week, Todd Smith and Jody Sanders welcome back Jerry Bullard, an attorney at Adams, Lynch & Loftin, PC, for a rundown on new statutes from the Texas Legislature’s regular and special sessions that affect trial and appellate practitioners. In this episode, you'll receive updates on bills concerning business organizations, healthcare for medical workers during the COVID pandemic, and more. The discussion includes revisions to Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Section 38.001, which now covers all business organizations, and bills of interest that didn’t make it out of the Legislature. Don’t miss these important updates!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterFacebookLinkedInYouTube

Most appellate practitioners deal with direct appeals from trial court rulings. But criminal practitioners know that direct appeals are only part of the process. At the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, writ practice takes up a large portion of the docket. Todd Smith and Jody Sanders sit down with an expert on writ practice, Michael Falkenberg, Supervising Attorney at the Court of Criminal Appeals. Michael overviews the types of writs the Court considers and how the process works. He also explains how technological innovations have contributed to innocence cases, particularly when new evidence emerges years after a criminal trial. He also shares some of the more interesting writs he has encountered in his legal career. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterFacebookLinkedInYouTube

Over the last several decades, appellate practice has transitioned from a part of general legal practice into its own discrete specialty. Luther T. Munford, an attorney in Butler Snow LLP’s appellate and written advocacy group, has been a part of that specialization and has directly influenced its development over the last 40 years, including a term as the President of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. From clerkships on the Fifth Circuit and the US Supreme Court, Luther has seen appellate practice change and develop. He’s taken that experience to carve his niche in an appellate practice that has included media law, constitutional law, professional liability, and product liability defense. Luther joins Todd Smith and Jody Sanders to share his experiences and discuss his work, including his development of the Mississippi Appellate Practice guide. Join us for Luther’s insights and anecdotes!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterFacebookLinkedInYouTube

In this week's episode, co-hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders visit about ways in which the podcast has helped them engage with other media, including hosting Twitter Spaces with previous guests, appearances on other podcasts, and interviews for online publications. They also discuss their upcoming live oral arguments and try out a "mailbag" segment by answering a question posed over Twitter.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterFacebookLinkedInYouTube

As technology improves, it opens new opportunities to change the way attorneys practice. From rethinking roles, tasks, and strategies to providing assistance in ways we’ve never contemplated, each year brings new opportunities for change. In this episode, Todd Smith and Jody Sanders talk to one of the people leading the technological revolution in law, Jake Heller, co-founder and CEO of CaseText. Jake explains his background in technology and law and how it led him and others to develop CaseText to make legal research better and more efficient. He also shares his thoughts on how legal technology is reshaping the industry and where it may go in the future.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterFacebookLinkedInYouTubeCall for GuestsIf you’re interested in being a guest on the Texas Appellate Law Podcast, please let us know by visiting https://bit.ly/3zapfoG.

For more than a century, oil and gas has remained the backbone of Texas’s economic growth. Despite repeated rumors that oil and gas is on the way out as an energy source, the industry continues to adapt and grow to meet new economic and technological developments. As a result, disputes over oil and gas remain an important part of Texas jurisprudence, something that today’s guest, Wesley Lloyd of Freeman Mills, PC, follows closely. Wesley’s practice focuses on litigation and appeals in energy, water, and real estate matters. Having handled both trials and appeals in oil-and-gas cases, Wesley explains the value in learning about how energy law impacts Texas practice. He also offers his personal story about taking a unique route to finding his current practice setting and the mentors that helped him along the way. Wesley also shares thoughts on remote work and adapting a practice to new technological realities.  Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterFacebookLinkedInYouTubeCALL FOR GUESTS: If you're interested in being a guest on the Texas Appellate Law Podcast, please let us know by visiting https://bit.ly/3zapfoG.

Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterFacebookLinkedInYouTube

While emerging technology has created new opportunities for the way both lawyers and the public interact with the judicial system, judges haven’t been left behind. On today’s show, Judge John Owens of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals joins Todd Smith and Jody Sanders, along with special guest co-host M.C. Sungaila, to discuss just how technology has helped from a judicial perspective. Judge Owens discusses how judges can embrace technology to better engage with attorneys at oral argument and prepare more efficiently to decide cases. He also offers tips to attorneys who are faced with tough oral argument questions and stresses the importance of preparation. Finally, he shares stories about his federal appointment process and, with M.C. Sungaila, provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the 9th Circuit operates.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »Join the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterFacebookLinkedInYouTube