Main Practice Contacts

Lynne Liberato
+1 713.547.2017


Nina Cortell
+1 214.651.5579


Karen S. Precella
+1 817.347.6620


In the News

Haynes and Boone Appellate Lawyers Achieve Victory in San Antonio Court of Appeals

SAN ANTONIO – A team of Haynes and Boone, LLP lawyers successfully represented Keystone-Texas Property Holding Corporation in an appeal arising out of a failed sale of the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel.

Keystone owned the land underlying the hotel, and HMC Hotel Properties II Limited Partnership leased the land from Keystone. HMC later sued Keystone for breach of the lease as Keystone was set to close an agreement to sell the land to a third party. After the sale fell through, Keystone filed counterclaims against HMC for slander of title and tortious interference with contract. >>



Recent Publications

Texas Bar Journal Guest Article: 2011 Year in Review - Texas Supreme Court

At the Texas Supreme Court, 2011 will be remembered as the year the Court conquered its backlog. >>

Texas Supreme Court Update

As seen in The Appellate Advocate, State Bar of Texas Appellate Section Report, Fall 2011, Vol. 24, No. 1. >>




We Know How to Lead

  • Eight lawyers who are Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law
    by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • Ten former federal and state judicial clerks
  • Former chairs of the Appellate Sections of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association (current chair), Tarrant County Bar Association, Houston Bar Association and Dallas Federal Bar (president-elect)
  • Former President of the State Bar of Texas
  • Former President of the Houston Bar Association
  • Member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee
  • Authors of two articles named "Law Review Article of the Year" by the Texas Bar Foundation
  • Three of the Top 50 Women "Super Lawyers"
  • Five Appellate "Super Lawyers," plus one of our lawyers rated second of all Texas Super Lawyers regardless of specialty
  • Seven Appellate "Texas Rising Stars"
  • Four members of the American Law Institute

Appellate

Unlike many law firm appellate practices, which are made up of lawyers who only occasionally handle appeals, Haynes and Boone's appellate practice encompasses 18 full-time appellate practitioners. No firm in Texas has more full-time appellate lawyers than Haynes and Boone.

What that means for our clients is an enviable breadth of appellate experience. For example, one of our appellate lawyers concentrates on jury submissions in areas where no pattern jury charge exists. Another focuses on the enforcement of judgments pending appeal. A third is the foremost expert in Texas on summary judgments and summary judgment appeals. Because we are well-versed in every area of appellate practice, we provide more than general appellate proficiency - we provide specialized appellate knowledge that matches the needs of each case.

Part of the Trial Team

In the trial court, Haynes and Boone’s appellate lawyers are known for supporting trial lawyers, not second-guessing them. Because we excel at our jobs, trial lawyers are free to focus on theirs - developing the evidence and persuading the jury.

As a result, we are often retained on the recommendation of trial lawyers at other firms who recognize our expertise in the following areas:

  • jurisdictional disputes 
  • summary judgment motions 
  • expert witness challenges 
  • preservation of error 
  • jury charges 
  • post trial motions 
  • arbitration challenges, and 
  • writs of mandamus.

Evaluating the Potential Appeal 

Persuading trial and appellate judges is only part of what we do. We also help our clients make sound business decisions about their cases.

We understand that after judgment, a client must make critical decisions. To help our clients make the right choices, we use tools that no other firm can offer, including two empirical studies in which our appellate lawyers examined civil opinions from Texas courts of appeals to determine statistically how likely a court is to reverse an appeal and on what grounds. And, we use our collective judgment and years of experience when assessing a potential appeal. 

Proven Results in High-Stakes Appeals

We tackle cutting-edge legal issues in high-stakes cases. Our cases have set precedent in all areas of civil litigation - including contracts, business torts, intellectual property, bankruptcy, oil and gas, products liability, financial services, health care, insurance coverage, and family law.