As a Board-Certified Civil Appellate specialist, Amanda helps to shape successful case strategy from the outset of litigation through the end of an appeal. Amanda is a detail-oriented lawyer who represents her clients with passion, stays current on emerging trends and issues, and brings a practical perspective to problem solving. She has experience handling complex civil disputes regarding contracts, fraud, tax, insurance, products, employment, real property, and trust and estates. Amanda provides pro bono appellate services each year and is committed to community service through her State and Local Bar Associations.
Overview
As a Board-Certified Civil Appellate specialist, Amanda helps to shape successful case strategy from the outset of litigation through the end of an appeal. Amanda is a detail-oriented lawyer who represents her clients with passion, stays current on emerging trends and issues, and brings a practical perspective to problem solving. She has experience handling complex civil disputes regarding contracts, fraud, tax, insurance, products, employment, real property, and trust and estates. Amanda provides pro bono appellate services each year and is committed to community service through her State and Local Bar Associations.
About
Amanda has served as appellate counsel in nearly 200 matters before the Texas Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth, Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits, and appellate courts across Texas and other jurisdictions. She also regularly appears in district court to assist with dispositive motions, legal issues, and preservation of error.
She has developed an expertise related to the Texas Citizens Participation Act (a/k/a, anti-SLAPP statute). She frequently represents clients, writes, and presents legal education on this topic, and other topics related to Texas appellate law. She has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer® in Appellate practice every year since 2014.
Amanda is involved in a number of professional organizations including the Austin Bar Association, where she served as a member of the Board of Directors (2015-2018), Chair and Council Member of the Civil Appellate Section (2014-2019), Foundation Fellow (2016-Present), and Lawyer Well-Being Committee Co-Chair (2019-2020), as well as holding numerous other leadership positions. She served as the President and as a Board Member of the Travis County Women Lawyers Association (2008-2013) and has been actively involved in the organization as a Fellow and mentor for many years. She also dedicates professional service to the State Bar of Texas including service on the Grievance Committee (Dist. 9 Panel Member, 2020-2023), Foundation (Fellow, 2014-Present), and Civil Appellate and Litigation Sections (Member, 2008-Present). She is a member of the Baylor Law School Alumni Association, where she served on the Austin Steering Committee (2016-2018), volunteered for the Mentorship Program (2016-2018), and was an Assistant Coach to Texas Young Lawyers Moot Court Competition (2017). Additionally, she has served as a program mentor for The Appellate Project, which empowers law students of color to thrive in appellate law.
Amanda completed her undergraduate education at Vanderbilt University and earned her Juris Doctor from Baylor University. She previously served as a law clerk to Justice Jan Patterson and staff attorney to Chief Justice Kenneth Law, both of the Texas Third District of Appeals. She is admitted to the State Bar of Texas, the Western District of the U.S. District Court of Texas and the Fifth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.
Experience
- Amanda has served as appellate counsel in nearly 200 matters before the Texas Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Ninth Circuits, and appellate courts across Texas and other jurisdictions.
- She also regularly appears in district court to assist with dispositive motions, legal issues, and preservation of error.
- Successfully represented a municipality on appeal in pursuit of multi-million dollar fraud and conspiracy claims against commercial construction entities that organized an elaborate bribery scheme to be awarded lucrative contracts for the construction of water-treatment facilities.
- Successfully represented a multi-state company in an employment dispute brought by a terminated employee who claimed he was retaliated against for filing a worker’s compensation claim. In an issue of first impression, the court of appeals held that the state’s anti-SLAPP statute applied to the claims at issue, resulting in a complete dismissal of the plaintiff’s suit and an order that the plaintiff pay the company’s legal fees.
- Successfully represented a South Korean-based insurance company on appeal to uphold a $4.2+ million judgment against re-insurers who engaged in an international scheme to fraudulently induce the payment of premiums on a ship-building “refund guarantee” policy and the eventual issuance of a release agreement, without any intent to refund the amount invested. The court found that our client was justified in relying on the defendants’ representations and that the damages were correctly calculated.
- Successfully represented a Fortune 500 waste services company in defending against class certification of claims regarding allegedly unauthorized service fees charged over a fourteen-year period. The court of appeals held that the first proposed subclass was legally defective based on its lack of actual damages and that the second proposed subclass failed to satisfy the predominance requirement.
- Successfully represented a global oil-and-gas-industry training company in a franchise tax protest suit seeking a costs-of-goods-sold deduction and a reduced apportionment of state tax liability. After the trial court dismissed the suit for a lack of jurisdiction, the court of appeals reversed because the state comptroller was not conclusively insulated from suit by sovereign immunity.
Distinctions
- Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Board Certified in Civil Appeals
- Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business
- Litigation: Appellate (Texas), 2022-2024
- Travis County Women Lawyers' Association (TCWLA), Litigation/Appellate Attorney Award, 2019
- BL Rankings, The Best Lawyers in America®
- Appellate Practice, 2021-2025
- Commercial Litigation, 2021-2025
- Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers®
- Texas Super Lawyer, Appellate, 2014-2024
- Top 100 Texas Super Lawyer, 2022, 2024
- Top 50 Central/West Texas Lawyer, 2018-2024
- Top 50 Women Texas Super Lawyer, 2021-2024
- Texas Rising Star, Civil Appeals, 2012-2014
- Austin Monthly
- Top Attorney in Appellate Law, 2019-2021, 2024
- Austin Bar Foundation, Larry F. York Mentoring Award, 2021
Bar Admissions
- Texas, 2004
- U.S. District Courts
- Texas: Western, Southern, Eastern
- U.S. Court of Appeals
- 5th Circuit
- 7th Circuit
- 9th Circuit
- 11th Circuit
Education
- Baylor University, J.D., cum laude, 2004
- Associate Editor, Law Review
- Administrative Law Moot Court Team – Winner: Best Brief
- Vanderbilt University, B.A., Political Science and Sociology, cum laude, 2001
- Kappa Delta Sorority
- Texas Third District of Appeals
- Law Clerk to Justice Jan Patterson, 2004-2005
- Staff Attorney to Chief Justice Kenneth Law, 2005-2007
Associations
- Austin Bar Association
- Board of Directors
- Director, 2015-2018
- Liaison, 2011-2013
- Civil Appellate Section
- Immediate Past Chair, 2019-2020
- Chair, 2018-2019
- Chair-Elect, 2017-2018
- Secretary/Treasurer, 2016-2017
- Council Member, 2014-2016
- Member, 2007-Present
- Foundation Fellow, 2016-Present
- Lawyer Well-Being Committee
- Co-Chair, 2019-2020
- Community Engagement Committee
- Member, 2018-Present
- Gala Committee
- Auction Chair, 2016-2017
- Member, 2014-2018
- Mentorship Committee
- Co-Chair, 2015-2016
- Civil Litigation Section, 2007-Present
- Austin Young Lawyers Association, 2007-2017
- Frequent volunteer for community projects
- Board of Directors
- Travis County Women Lawyers Association
- President, 2010-2011
- President-Elect, 2009-2010
- Secretary, 2008-2009
- Foundation Board of Directors, 2011-2013
- Foundation Fellow, 2010-Present
- Mentorship Program Committee Member and Mentor, 2014-2020
- Member, 2007-Present
- Color of Justice Volunteer, multiple years
- State Bar of Texas
- Grievance Committee, District 9 Panel Chair, 2022-Present; Member, 2020-Present
- Pro Bono Committee for the Third Court of Appeals Member/Case Screener, 2016-2018
- Foundation Fellow, 2014-Present
- Civil Appellate Section, 2008-Present
- Civil Litigation Section, 2008-Present
- Baylor Law School Alumni Association
- Member, 2012-Present
- Austin Steering Committee Member, 2016-2018
- Mentorship Program Volunteer, 2016-2018
- Assistant Coach to Texas Young Lawyers Moot Court Competition, 2017
- Women in the Law Institute at Texas Law
- Faculty Member, Communicate with Impact, 2017
- Texas Supreme Court Historical Society
- Board of Trustees, 2024-2027
Papers, Presentations & Publications
- Speaker, "Motion Potion: Crafting Irrefutable Pre-Trial and Post-Trial Motions," Austin Bar Association Civil Litigation Ultimate Trial Notebook Seminar, September 20, 2024.
- Author and Presenter, "Jury Change Update" SBOT Civil Litigation Conference, May 2024; Austin Bar Association Construction Law Section, April 2024; UTLaw CLE's 33rd Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals, June 8, 2023.
- Presenter, “Top 10 Appellate Mistakes Made in Trial Court," Williamson County Bar Association, February 2024; Amarillo Bar Association, March 10, 2022.
- Presenter, "The Role of Appellate Lawyers at Trial," alongside Supreme Court of Texas Justice Brett Busby and Ret. W.D. Texas District Judge Lee Yeakel at Austin Bar Association Civil Appellate Section, November 2023.
- Co-Author, "Help Us Help You: Top 10 appellate mistakes in the trial courts," Texas Bar Journal, July/August 2023.
- Author and Presenter, "Interlocutory Appeals" State Bar of Texas Appellate Practice 101 Conference, September 2022.
- Co-Author and Presenter, “Remedy: Remand, Render, or Retreat?,” with Houston First Court of Appeals Justice Sarah Beth Landau, UT Law CLE’s 32nd Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals, June 17, 2022.
- Panelist, "Law Specialization Panel," Phi Alpha Delta, Vanderbilt Law School, February 3, 2022.
- Course Director, Texas Bar, 13th Annual Business Disputes Conference, September 2-3, 2021.
- Presenter, “Anti-SLAPP, Is This Still a Thing?” Harris County Civil District Judge Retreat, July 28, 2021.
- Presenter, "Three Pack Update on TRAP Amendments, the TCPA, and Sufficiency Standards of Review," UT Law Conference on State and Federal Appeals, June 10, 2021.
- Quoted, "As Clients' Challenges Continue, Client Service Is More Important Than Ever," Texas Lawyer, May 5, 2021.
- Presenter, “The Ides of March CLE: Top Ten Appellate Errors Made by Trial Lawyers,” Austin Bar Association, Civil Litigation Section and Civil Appellate Section Joint Remote CLE, March 15, 2021.
- Author and Presenter, "Update on the TCPA and Rule 91a," Texas Bar, Advanced Business Law Conference, November 5, 2020.
- Author and Presenter, "TCPA: A Shifting Tide in 2020," Advanced Civil Appellate Practice, TexasBarCLE, September 11, 2020.
- Author and Presenter, "Use of the TCPA and Rule 91a in Business Disputes: A Shifting Tide in 2020," Business Disputes, TexasBarCLE, September 10, 2020.
- Guest, “The TCPA’s Impact on Civil Appellate Practice,” Texas Appellate Law Podcast, September 3, 2020.
- Author and Presenter, “TCPA and 91a,” Advanced Civil Trial, TexasBarCLE, July 15, 2020, August 19, 2020, October 28, 2020.
- Author and Presenter, “The Texas Citizens Participation Act: A Practical Bench Guide with 2019 Amendments,” Texas Center for the Judiciary, October 28, 2019.
- Author and Presenter, “The Texas Citizens Participation Act: Implications in Administrative Law Cases,” UT Law’s Advanced Administrative Law Conference, August 16, 2019
- Presenter, “A Deep Dive Into Selected Issues Under the Texas Citizens Participation Act,” UT Law’s Conference on State and Federal Appeals, June 21, 2019.
- Author and Presenter, “Monetary Relief Under the TCPA: Best Practices for Obtaining or Avoiding It,” Texas Bar CLE, Damages in Civil Litigation, Dallas, Texas, February 8, 2019.
- Author and Presenter, “Anti-SLAPP Update,” Litigation Update Institute, January 18, 2019.
- Author and Presenter, “The Texas Citizens Participation Act (TCPA): A Statutory Overview and Analysis of its Potential Impact on Real Estate Disputes,” Texas Apartment Association Legal Symposium, November 2018.
- Co-Author, “TCPA Procedures: Statutory Requirements and Open Questions,” published in The Advocate by the SBOT Civil Litigation Section, Fall 2018.
- Author and Presenter, “Surprise SLAPP: Applications and Consequences of the TCPA,” 28th Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals, UT School of Law, June 2018.
- Author and Presenter, “Anti-SLAPP for Administrative Lawyers,” SBOT Advanced Administrative Law Conference, June 2018.
- Author and Presenter, “Workplace Communications The Texas Citizens Participation Act: A Quickly Changing Legal Landscape that Businesses Need to Understand,” Association of Corporate Counsel, March 2018.
- Guest Lecturer, “Communicating Effectively on Appeal: Lessons for Litigators,” UT School of Law, October 2017.
- Co-Author and Presenter, “Preparing for the TBLS Board Certification Exam in Civil Appellate Law,” SBOT Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, September 2017.
- Author and Presenter, “Interlocutory Appeals and Early Dismissals: Impact on Appellate Dockets and Other Consequences,” 27th Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals, UT School of Law, June 2017; and as published in The Appellate Advocate Summer 2017.
- Author and Presenter, “Interlocutory Appeals,” SBOT Civil Appeals Practice 101, September 2014, September 2016; Austin Bar Association, October 2014; Bell County Bar Association, March 2015; Tarrant County Bar Association, April 2015.
- Author and Presenter, “Mentorship: Why it Matters and How to Do It,” SBOT Leaders’ Conference, July 2016.
- Author and Presenter, “So You Have a Verdict, Now What? Perfecting & Pursuing a State Civil Appeal,” TCWLA, April 2012; Austin Bar Association, May 2012; CAFTA, August 2012; SBOT Webcast, February 2013.
- Author and Presenter, “Administrative Case Law Update,” 8 Tex. Admin. L.J. 1, Spring 2007.
Civic Involvement
- The Appellate Project
- Program Mentor (Mission: Empower law students of color to thrive in appellate law), 2020-Present