Reverse and Render Welcomes Dallas' Newest Appellate Judge

Governor Perry has appointed Robert M. Fillmore to fill the seat on the Dallas Court of Appeals that was recently vacated by Justice Amos Mazzant.  Fillmore comes to the court of appeals from Hunton & Williams, LLP.  According to his recently-updated resume, his background is in regulatory law.  His appellate experience is described as "the supervision of litigation teams and appellate advocacy."   For the time being, his resume with the Hunton firm may be found at this link.  The Texas State Bar shows that he is a graduate of the University of Kansas Law School in 1977 and that his primary practice area is public utility law.  The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

Dallas internal operating procedures

Will the Dallas Court of Appeals grant oral argument to both sides of an appeal when only one party has requested it?  For the answer to that question, check out the Court's Internal Operating Procedures.  The answer might surprise you.  The Dallas Court of Appeals has posted its IOP's as of September 1, 2008 on its home page.  The IOP's contain helpful procedural information, such as number of copies of motions to file and a listing of fees.  But, the IOP's also contain some not-so-obvious information such as assignment of cases to panels, when voting occurs on an appeal, what happens with petitions for mandamus that are filed, and instructions to request oral argument if the opposing side has requested it and the Court has granted it.

A cover letter accompanying the IOP's promises to update the posting for the benefit of practitioners.