Karen S. Precella

As a dedicated appellate lawyer with over thirty years of experience, Karen Precella has secured favorable rulings in all phases of trial and appellate proceedings—from pre-trial summary judgment to post-verdict motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict to appeals at the intermediate and supreme court levels. Karen has briefed and argued numerous cases in the Fifth Circuit and Texas appellate courts. She understands that an appellate practice involves not only an in-depth knowledge and respect of the law but also working together with the trial team to get the best results for the client.

Karen was board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in 1996, after five years of practice. She is recognized in Texas appellate litigation by Chambers USA (Chambers and Partners) (in a Chambers USA recognized Texas appellate litigation practice group), listed in The Best Lawyers in America, and a member of the American Law Institute and College of the State Bar of Texas.

Karen speaks and writes frequently on appellate issues and has earned a state-wide reputation on jury charge and mandamus procedures through her legal writing and bar service. She currently serves on the Pattern Jury Charge Oversight Committee and has served a three-year term as Chair of the State Bar Pattern Jury Charge Committee for the Business Volume (and as a member for five years), and nine years as a member of the Pattern Jury Charge Committee for the Oil and Gas Volume. Karen has taught jury charge procedures at the Texas College of Judicial Studies and Annual Judicial Conference on numerous occasions. She is a contributing author for two American Bar Association books—A Practitioner's Guide to Appellate Advocacy (Anne Marie Lofaso ed., 2011), and The Class Action Fairness Act: Law and Strategy (2022, 2013), and taught legal writing for several years at the Texas A&M School of Law.

Karen is also committed to other bar and community service work in a wide variety of organizations. She is currently Chair of the ABA Council of Appellate Lawyers of the Judicial Division and served as the 2023 CAL AJEI Summit Chair. Karen is Secretary of Council of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas, having served six years on the Council and having organized the Section’s online CLE webinars for two years and managed the bi-monthly newsletter for two previous years. She also has served as co-chair of the Appellate Practice Committee of the American Bar Association's Section of Litigation, member of the board of editors for the Texas Bar Journal, council member of the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section, and chair of the Tarrant County Appellate and Business Litigation Sections. She is active in the local Federal Bar Association as well. Karen has served on the Board of the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation for fifteen years. Karen is also a past administrative partner of the Fort Worth office of Haynes Boone.