Still Taking Care of Business: The Business of Law One Year Later

One year after the Texas Business Court and 15th Court of Appeals opened, and one year after our "Taking Care of Business" episode, Texas courts and Texas lawyers are still taking care of business. In this episode, Justice April Farris of the 15th Court of Appeals, Nick Brown (a member of the Texas Business Law Foundation), Tori Clark (a staff attorney for the Texas Business Court), and Stephen Kreider (Harris County DRC and Kreider Mediation), address different aspects of business law in Texas. The episode also includes two business-related service spotlights. 

Taking Care of Business (and Other) Appeals

Justice April Farris, Justice of the 15th Court of Appeals, reflects on the court's first year, including the court's caseload, challenges, and surprises. She also provides tips for lawyers practicing in the Court and advice for young lawyers or students who may one day want to be a Justice on a Texas Appellate Court. 

Taking Care of Texas Business Law

Nick Brown of Kirkland & Ellis serves on the Texas Business Law Foundation, a group of lawyers from throughout the State who are focused on making Texas a leader in the business law arena. Nick talks about his work for the Foundation and its past and future roles relating to business law and the Business Court in Texas. He also addresses substantive issues relating to the Business Court. 

Taking Care of Business Court Cases

Victoria (Tori) Clark is Staff Attorney for the Honorable Melissa Andrews, Judge of the Texas Business Court, Third Division, based in Austin. Tori discusses what Texas Business Court staff attorneys (or court counsel/term law clerks) do, and she reports on the reasons the job is interesting and what it's like to work for a judge in a brand new court. She also talks about how students or lawyers can apply for positions with the Texas Business Court and what types of lawyers they are looking for. 

Service Spotlight: LABB

New BTL-Interviewer Chandria Jackson talks with Andrew Pearce of Boyar Miller about its Legal Assistance for Black-Owned Businesses program (LABB), which assists business owners with legal tasks relating to business formation and the like. For more information about LABB, visit https://www.boyarmiller.com/about-us/legal-assistance-for-black-owned-businesses/. 

Taking Care of Business Dispute Resolution

Stephen Kreider, who is the director of the Harris County Dispute Resolution Center and the founder of Kreider Mediation, discusses requirements to be a mediator and different types of mediation classes offered by both organizations, including a new business dispute course offered by Kreider Mediation. 

Service Spotlight: Starting a Non-Profit

BTL-Interviewer Rachael Thompson interviews Pete Staviski and Olivia Wogon, attorneys at Winston & Strawn, about starting their own non-profit organization, New Beginnings Health Houston, which provides legal services to very low-income individuals and people who are experiencing homelessness. More information about the non-profit is available here: https://www.newbeginningshealth

For full speaker bios, visit The Houston Lawyer (hba.org/thehoustonlawyer). To read The Houston Lawyer magazine, visit The Houston Lawyer_home. For more information about the Houston Bar Association, visit Houston Bar Association (hba.org).
*The views expressed in this episode do not necessarily reflect the views of The Houston Lawyer Editorial Board or the Houston Bar Association.

Chapters

• 0:53 Taking Care of Business (and Other) Appeals, Justice April Farris
• 10:24 Taking Care of Texas Business Law, Nick Brown
• 21:59 Taking Care of the Business Courts, Tori Clark
• 36:00 Service Spotlight: LABB, Andrew Pearce
• 53:19 Taking Care of Business Dispute Resolution, Stephen Kreider
• 1:17:27 Service Spotlight: Starting a Non-Profit, Pete Staviski, Olivia Wogon