Texas Appellate Law Podcast
Todd Smith & Jody Sanders
Welcome to the Texas Appellate Law Podcast—your backstage pass to the Texas and federal appellate systems. Join your hosts, Texas appellate lawyers Todd Smith and Jody Sanders, as they explore the nuances of appellate advocacy with judges, court staff, leading trial and appellate practitioners, academics, and legal innovators. Whether you're immersed in an appeal or building your trial strategy, each episode delivers practical insights to help you enhance your advocacy skills, strengthen your arguments, and stay current with evolving legal trends.
Connect with us at texapplawpod.com or on LinkedIn and X (@texapplawpod).
Brought to you by Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC, a solo practice dedicated to appellate advocacy, trial support, and consulting for trial lawyers. For more information visit texappcounsel.com.
Sponsored by Court Surety Bond Agency and Counsel Press.
Produced and powered by LawPods, podcast marketing that converts prospects and drives revenue.
The views expressed by the participants on this podcast are their own and not those of their law firms, courts, or employers. Nothing you hear on this show establishes an attorney-client relationship or is legal advice.
Connect with us at texapplawpod.com or on LinkedIn and X (@texapplawpod).
Brought to you by Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC, a solo practice dedicated to appellate advocacy, trial support, and consulting for trial lawyers. For more information visit texappcounsel.com.
Sponsored by Court Surety Bond Agency and Counsel Press.
Produced and powered by LawPods, podcast marketing that converts prospects and drives revenue.
The views expressed by the participants on this podcast are their own and not those of their law firms, courts, or employers. Nothing you hear on this show establishes an attorney-client relationship or is legal advice.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 28, 2022 • 1h 2min
Enhancing Your Visibility Through Media Commentary | David Coale
While lawyers are used to reading and speaking legalese, breaking complex legal concepts into digestible bits is a talent not all lawyers have. But, with legal issues and court proceedings frequently in the news, it’s becoming an increasingly necessary skill set. This is particularly true when attorneys need to speak to the media about legal issues and cases. This episode’s guest, David Coale, a partner at Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann, LLP, has developed a talent for addressing hot legal topics in the media. David shares with Todd Smith and Jody Sanders how he uses his blog and podcast to produce media commentary about various aspects of the law that anyone can easily understand. He also offers tips for attorneys discussing their own cases or broader legal concepts in the media and how to protect their clients’ interests while educating the public.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersProudly presented by Butler Snow LLPJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube
Apr 14, 2022 • 51min
Employment Law and Attorney Fees from the Employee Perspective | Jason Smith
Employment cases present unique challenges in both state and federal courts. Attorneys who practice in that area have to operate comfortably in both forums and understand some of the traps that less experienced practitioners might miss. Sole practitioner Jason Smith has been practicing employment law in trial and appellate courts for most of his career. Jason joins Todd Smith and Jody Sanders to discuss how he handles those cases and ways to thrive in solo practice. He also discusses the impact of his time working as a briefing attorney and staff attorney at the Texas Supreme Court. Jason offers his unique perspective on using the law to help clients and right wrongs.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersProudly presented by Butler Snow LLPJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube
Mar 31, 2022 • 41min
Introducing The Portia Project | M.C. Sungaila
This episode features the Texas Appellate Law Podcast’s first three-time guest, M.C. Sungaila. She joins Todd Smith and Jody Sanders to discuss her new podcast, The Portia Project, which chronicles the careers of women judges and lawyers and their impact on the legal profession. M.C. discusses what drove her new project, as well as her goal of inspiring a new generation of women lawyers and law students. Join us to hear about the podcast and how we can continue to make the legal profession more inclusive. Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersProudly presented by Butler Snow LLPJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube
Mar 17, 2022 • 58min
Addressing Burnout in the Legal Profession | Katie Rose Guest Pryal
To practicing attorneys, the pandemic seemed to change the legal system overnight. These changes, along with preexisting systemic issues, underlie the mental-health crises that affect attorneys throughout the profession—depression, anxiety, burnout, and substance abuse. Attorneys need to acknowledge and understand those conditions, as well as how to address them properly. This episode features Katie Rose Guest Pryal, an author, educator, and attorney who researches and writes on disability and mental-health issues, focusing on public discourse, mental illness, and neurodiversity. Being neurodiverse herself, Katie strives to make the world more accessible through her scholarship and teaching. She discusses the challenges of addressing mental health and how to cope with burnout in our ever-changing world.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersProudly presented by Butler Snow LLPJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube
Mar 3, 2022 • 57min
Developing a Niche Within Your Law Practice | Zach Wolfe
Attorneys sometimes struggle to set themselves apart from their peers. One way is to find a niche and develop expertise. This is true for appellate lawyers, who, though already focused on appellate law, can cultivate unique areas of knowledge within that specialty. In this episode, Todd Smith and Jody Sanders find out what it takes to carve out a niche with non-compete and trade-secret litigation lawyer Zach Wolfe. Zach shares his experience in litigation and transitioning from working at a law firm to starting his own practice. Zach also takes a look at how the Texas advertising rules have changed and how attorneys can use them to better market themselves.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersProudly presented by Butler Snow LLPJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube
Feb 17, 2022 • 54min
Serving as Appellate Counsel on a Trial Team | Kirk Pittard
Sometimes an appellate attorney’s most important work never reaches an appellate court. Appellate counsel can play a critical part in trial court proceedings—helping make a record, making legal arguments, and assisting trial counsel with issues that might come up on appeal. Kirk Pittard, one of the founders of Durham, Pittard & Spalding, LLP, relishes that role. He specializes in civil appeals, but spends much of his practice helping trial lawyers in state and federal trial courts. In this episode, Kirk joins Todd Smith and Jody Sanders to discuss that function and offer tips for trial and appellate attorneys about maximizing value by adding appellate counsel to a trial team.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersProudly presented by Butler Snow LLPJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube
Feb 3, 2022 • 54min
Criminal Appeals from the Federal Public Defender's Perspective | Matthew Wright
The right to criminal defense counsel is a cornerstone of our justice system. This is particularly true in federal courts, where the stakes in criminal trials are very high. One of the ways we meet this constitutional guarantee is through the federal public defender system, which provides trial, appellate, and post-conviction services to criminal defendants in federal courts. In this episode, Todd Smith and Jody Sanders talk with Matthew Wright, an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Texas. Matthew shares his experiences and insights as counsel in criminal appeals and discusses how his office provides services to defendants at all stages of the federal criminal justice system.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersProudly presented by Butler Snow LLPJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube
Jan 20, 2022 • 48min
Overseeing the Texas Pattern Jury Charges | Judge Dan Hinde
Texas attorneys know the Pattern Jury Charges as valuable guide to properly instructing a jury at trial. But most don’t know all the work that goes into creating and updating the various volumes. In this episode, Todd Smith and Jody Sanders visit with Judge Dan Hinde, Chair of the State Bar’s Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee, about the process by which new editions are developed and published every two years. A board-certified civil trial lawyer who spent more than 10 years as judge of Harris County’s 269th District Court before becoming a partner at Schiffer Hicks Johnson, PLLC in Houston, Judge Hinde discusses his experience on the bench and the PJCs’ importance and utility in jury cases. He also provides insight on the work that goes into each volume and its subsequent updates and how attorneys throughout Texas work to provide practitioners with the best possible resource to use when preparing jury charges.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersProudly presented by Butler Snow LLPJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube
Jan 6, 2022 • 1h 3min
A Primer on the Texas Bar Disciplinary System | Seana Willing
The Texas Bar is a self-regulating entity—it handles attorney discipline through a unique procedural process. Although most attorneys steer clear of professional discipline, it’s important for practitioners to know about the disciplinary system and how it works. This week, Todd Smith and Jody Sanders sit down with an expert on this topic, Seana Willing, Chief Disciplinary Counsel for the State Bar of Texas. Seana provides a helpful primer on the attorney disciplinary system and the number and types of complaints the State Bar sees. Join us for a conversation important to all Texas lawyers.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here’s How »A special thanks to our sponsors:Court Surety Bond AgencyThomson ReutersProudly presented by Butler Snow LLPJoin the Texas Appellate Law Podcast Community today:texapplawpod.comTwitterYouTube
Dec 22, 2021 • 2min
Happy Holidays from the Texas Appellate Law Podcast!
As 2021 comes to a close, co-hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders pause to thank listeners and followers of the Texas Appellate Law Podcast. During the holiday break, we recommend revisiting our 2020 interview with Chris Ritter on Well-Being Strategies for the Pandemic and the Holidays. See you in 2022! 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
