Main Practice Contacts

Lynne Liberato
+1 713.547.2017


Nina Cortell
+1 214.651.5579


Karen Precella
+1 817.347.6620


In the News

Lynne Liberato: A Lawyer Behaving Well

Lynne Liberato is the first female lawyer to be awarded the Houston Bar Association Auxiliary's Leon Jaworski Award, honoring outstanding volunteer service to the greater Houston community. >>

Texas Supreme Court Throws Out Multi-Million Dollar Jury Verdict Against Haynes and Boone Client Whirlpool

AUSTIN – The Texas Supreme Court has reversed a jury verdict awarding $14 million for a fatal fire after finding as scientifically unreliable an expert’s testimony the blaze was caused by a clothes dryer manufactured by Whirlpool Corp. Haynes and Boone, LLP represented the company on appeal. >>

Haynes and Boone’s Lynne Liberato First Woman to Win Leon Jaworski Award

Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Lynne Liberato has been named the 2010 recipient of the Houston Bar Association Auxiliary’s annual Leon Jaworski Award, which recognizes her outstanding commitment to community service. She is the first female recipient in the award's 23-year history.

The Leon Jaworski Award, named for the famed Watergate special prosecutor, was created to publicly recognize attorneys who donate their time to community improvement. Ms. Liberato was selected for nearly three decades of community involvement. >>



Recent Publications

Texas Supreme Court Update

As seen in The Appellate Advocate, State Bar of Texas Appellate Section Report, Fall 2009, Vol. 22, No. 1. >>

Results of the 2009 Judicial Survey

This Spring, the Appellate Section’s Member Services Committee sent a survey to the Texas Supreme Court and to each of the fourteen courts of appeals. The Committee co-chairs, Kent Rutter and JoAnn Storey, prepared the survey and tabulated its results. The survey consists of 64 questions, which cover brief writing, oral argument, motion practice, and miscellaneous topics. (Reprinted by permission of State Bar of Texas Appellate Section's Appellate Advocate.) >>




We Know How to Lead

  • Ten lawyers who are Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law
    by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
  • Twelve former federal and state judicial clerks
  • Former chairs of the ABA Council of Appellate Lawyers and Appellate Sections of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association, Tarrant County Bar Association, and Houston Bar Association
  • Former President of the State Bar of Texas
  • Former President of the Houston Bar Association
  • Member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee
  • Three lawyers who have taught appellate advocacy at Texas law schools
  • Authors of two articles named "Law Review Article of the Year" by the Texas Bar Foundation
  • Three of the Top 50 Women "Super Lawyers"
  • Six Appellate "Super Lawyers"
  • Four 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 20 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 
  • interlocutory appeals, 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 an empirical study in which our appellate lawyers examined the types of judgments that are most frequently reversed in Texas appellate courts. And, we use our collective judgment and years of experience when assessing a potential appeal. One measure of this experience is that nine of our ten partners have been appellate lawyers at Haynes and Boone for more than ten years each. In addition, our lawyers have served as president of the State Bar of Texas, president of the Houston Bar Association, chair of the ABA Council of Appellate Lawyers, and chairs of the Appellate Sections of the State Bar of Texas, the Dallas Bar Association, the Tarrant County Bar Association, and the Houston Bar Association.

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.