Houston Law Nerd Podcast, with Dylan Russell

In the 17th episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Ryan Zehl, a top Houston-based personal injury lawyer, with a long record of success in the courtroom. His profile on his firm website is found here: https://www.zehllaw.com/texas-trial-lawyers/ryan-zehl-houston-personal-injury-lawyer/

Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including his first success in a courtroom when successfully defended himself at 16 years old, which led to his decision to go to law school to become a lawyer, his first job as a lawyer working for Justice Scott Brister at the Texas Supreme Court, the importance of legal research and writing skills, his first private practice role working in the appellate section of a large law firm, how he took what he learned as an appellate attorney and then had to teach himself how to become a successful personal injury trial lawyer, his techniques and tips for picking a winning jury in state court, what he has learned from talking to jurors after his trials, his recent $37.5 million verdict in Dallas County, including his careful approach to presenting evidence that would survive a potential appeal and what one juror told him about the damage model, and some of his favorite courtroom movies and TV shows, among many other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, and suggestions for guests at [email protected]. Thanks again to Elias Haslanger and his group, Church on Monday, for the podcast's theme music. Elias's website is found here: https://www.elijazz.com/

In the 16th episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with the Fort Bend County Attorney, Bridgette Smith-Lawson, who was first elected in 2020 and is running for re-election as an unopposed candidate for the November 2024 election. Her profile on the Fort Bend County website is found here: hhttps://www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/county-attorney 

Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including her decision while at the University of Houston to head to law school to become a lawyer, her early career in private practice in the Houston area handling criminal law, bankruptcy, civil litigation, probate, and guardianship matters, the start of her legal career as a "government lawyer," as she puts it, as a Regional Attorney with the Texas Department of Family Protective assigned to Adult Protective Services and later to Child Protective Services, her promotion to Managing Attorney for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services - Office of General Counsel, her decision to run for office as the Fort Bend County Attorney where she oversees a large staff of attorneys and investigators covering an extensive array issues, including representing Fort Bend County and its many offices and personnel on matters such as child welfare law, government liability, civil litigation, probate, policy interpretation, immigration law, and regulatory issues, and her expertise with the Robert's Rules of Order when real-time advising the Commissioner's Court, among many other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, and suggestions for guests at [email protected]. Thanks again to Elias Haslanger and his group, Church on Monday, for the podcast's theme music. Elias's website is found here: https://www.elijazz.com/

In the fifteenth episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Attorney Robert M. "Randy" Roach Jr., the Founding Partner of Roach Newton, LLP and one of the top appellate attorneys in Texas, and the country. His firm website and profile is found here: https://www.roachnewton.com/randy-roach/. 

Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including the start of his road to law school beginning with undergraduate debate tournaments, his already-made decision to go to law school, his work with the U.S. Senate and U.S. Supreme Court, his early career as a litigation attorney focused on becoming the in-firm go-to appellate specialist before law firms had appellate sections, the development of his expertise as an appellate attorney focusing on both pre-trial practice issues such as jury charges and traditional appellate work in appellate courts, his theory and strategies for effective briefing writing, his unique method for oral argument preparation that is focused on question-oriented preparation, and the overall importance of oral argument in appellate cases for persuading the court, educating the judges or justices, and giving clients their "day in court," including on appeal, among many other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, and suggestions for guests at [email protected].

In the 14th episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Professor Charles W. "Rocky" Rhodes, a Professor of Law at South Texas College of Law Houston, and the Charles Weigel II Research Professor of State & Federal Constitutional Law. His faculty page at South Texas College of Law Houston is located here: https://www.stcl.edu/academics/faculty-and-adjuncts/#member-7558-info

Listen in and learn while we discuss many topics including his easy decision, as a 10-year-old, to become a lawyer like his father and uncle, his decision while at Baylor Law School, where he was class valedictorian, to ultimately become a law professor, his start as an attorney at the Texas Supreme Court, his time in private practice in a large firm where he worked on appeals and trials, his crossroads decision to apply for a law professor position, which he accepted at South Texas College of Law in 2001, his thoughts on the purpose of the law, including the late Professor Charles Weigel's answer "to provide certainty," the changing landscape of U.S. Constitutional jurisprudence including likely demise of Chevron deference, his approach to amicus briefs depending on whether he's advocating for a client or focusing on a particular area of law not fully addressed by the litigants or other amici, the change over the last two decades on how South Texas and other law schools approach assessing students and grading, the importance of doing your own research when presenting oral argument or briefs in appellate courts, and tips for current law students, among numerous other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions for guests at [email protected]. 

In the 13th episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Judge Christian Becerra, the Judge of the 434th District Court, Fort Bend County, Texas, a life-long resident of Fort Bend, Texas, who is running for reelection in 2024. His campaign website is located here: www.judgebecerra.com.

Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including his long-time family roots in Fort Bend County, his road to UT Austin for undergrad and then to law school, with his eyes initially set on politics not law practice, his becoming a successful prosecutor in the Fort Bend District Attorney's Office, his decision to leave that office along side the current Fort Bend District Attorney, his long career in private practice in both criminal and civil litigation in twenty different jurisdictions across Texas, his learning how different jury pools are in across Texas, how  Fort Bend's broad diversity requires intense focus on learning about each juror in voir dire, his strong if not controversial opinions that lead to his decision to run for office and for Judge of the 434th District Court, the drastic changes he has made in his court to significantly reduce the severe case backlog for the benefit of civil litigants, defendants, victims, and the public including through the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 434th District Court's unique and important role as the Felony Mental Health Court in Fort Bend County, and his preference for British crime dramas, including the Sherlock series with Benedict Cumberbatch, among other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions for guests at [email protected]. 

In the 12th episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Judge Christine Weems, the Judge of the 281st Civil District Court, Harris County, Texas, double Board-Certified in Personal Injury and Civil Trial Law, and a candidate for the Texas Supreme Court. Her campaign website is located here: https://www.weemsforjudge.com/.

Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including her participation in a mock trial program as an undergraduate student at UT Austin, which sparked her interest in becoming a lawyer, her long career as a personal injury and civil litigation attorney in Texas and New York, her concurrent career as an actor and director and theater company co-owner with her husband, an actor/playwright (website at https://www.conemanrunning.com/), her recommendations on work-life balance for attorneys and judges, her decision to run for Judge of the 281st District Court, how she runs her court in an efficient manner, tips for lawyers and law students about authenticity, her campaign to run for the Texas Supreme Court and some recommendations on procedural changes at the Court, and her favorite courtroom movies, among other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions for guests at [email protected]. 

In the 11th episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Judge Steve Duble, Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Place 2, a life-long Houstonian and a long-time civil litigation attorney before taking office.

Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including his long career as a civil litigation attorney, including arguing Houston-area and 5th Circuit appeals, his decision to run for Justice of the Peace of Harris County Precinct 1, Place 2, the types of matters that are within his Court's jurisdiction, his efforts while on the bench to make the court system more accessible for laypersons, including by securing grants to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse affect on the rental system and tenants and to secure funding for an eviction-prevention facilitator, the kiosks that are available at his courthouse to allow laypersons to access information and to prepare and file court documents, and his favorite courtroom TV show, among other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions for guests at [email protected]. 

In the tenth episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Attorney Daryl Moore of Houston, Texas, a decades-long civil appellate specialist and trial attorney, and the Honorable former Judge of the 333rd Civil District Court of Harris County, Texas. His firm profile is  located at https://azalaw.com/our-attorneys/daryl-moore/.

Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including his first lawyer job as a briefing attorney in the Houston Court of Appeals, his long career as a Board Certified Civil Appellate Specialist and trial attorney, his decision to run for the district court bench and why not the court of appeals, his approach to brief writing, working with a team of accomplished appellate lawyers, and how he prepares for oral arguments, including two back-to-back arguments on the same day at the Texas Supreme Court, and his favorite courtroom novel, among other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions for guests at [email protected]. 

In the ninth episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Attorney Sean Teare of Houston, Texas, a long-time prosecutor, former Division Chief of the Trial Bureau of the Harris County District Attorney's Office, among other roles, a defense attorney currently with the Cogdell Law Firm, and a Democratic Candidate for Harris County District Attorney. His firm profile is  located at https://cogdell-law.com/attorney/sean-b-teare/ and his campaign website is https://seanteareforda.com/.

Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including his early career as a prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney's Office, his time as a civil trial attorney, trying cases across the country, his transition back to the Harris County Attorney's Office where he had two leadership roles, including Division Chief of the Trial Bureau and supervisor of the  Office’s Vehicular Crimes Division, the differences between criminal and civil practice, his approach to voir dire in criminal cases versus civil cases, how and what he learns from juries, the reasons he is running for the Harris County District Attorney, including what he would change were he to take on that role, the instances where bringing in appellate counsel is warranted in a criminal case, and his favorite courtroom TV show and movie, among other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions for guests at [email protected]. 

In the eight episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Judge Tanya Garrison of the 157th Harris County, Civil District Court and who is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law.

Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including her early career as an appellate attorney for Weycer, Kaplan, Pulaski & Zuber, P.C., her decision to run for Judge of the 157th District Court, her tips on voir dire and jury charges in her court, when having outside appellate counsel is appropriate, and her favorite courtroom movies and TV shows, among other topics.

Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions for guests at [email protected].