Texas Appellate Law Podcast

• Using AI to Bridge the Justice Gap in Texas | Joe Stephens

  The world of public defense is traditionally challenged by limited resources. Appellate practice carries weighty time demands. Now comes AI—a disrupting force that can solve those problems and bridge the justice gap, says Joe Stephens. His insights come from several roles, including as chief public defender for the Caprock Regional Public Defender Office, consultant for Steno, a court reporting services firm with an AI-powered “Transcript Genius” tool, and clinical lecturer at Texas Tech University School of Law. “I just think that if you deploy it effectively, the results are just going to be incredible,” he tells hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders. Tune in for Joe’s reflections about his recent experience using AI on a pro bono civil rights case and some takeaways about the new Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act. Connect and Learn More☑️ Joe Stephens | LinkedIn☑️ Steno on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube ☑️ Texas Tech University School of Law ☑️ Todd Smith | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Jody Sanders | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Law Podcast on LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Counsel

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• Beyond Printing: How Counsel Press Set the Bar for Appellate Support | Vincent Wiscovitch & Janet Bennett

  The marketplace may know Counsel Press as printers, but “we’re a lot more than that,” says Vincent Wiscovitch, senior appellate counsel. “We like to refer to ourselves as ‘appellate support providers,’ because anybody can be a printer. You could go to Staples and get a brief printed.” Counsel Press goes far beyond Staples, as Vincent and colleague Janet Bennett, appellate counsel, explain. From brief preparation and electronic filing to record compilation and hyperlinked e-briefs, they help lawyers navigate the complex maze of court rules across all 50 states and federal courts, providing everything from bluebooking and citation verification to ghostwriting and brief critiques. Tune in to this conversation with hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders for insights about how Counsel Press gives lawyers what Todd describes as “peace of mind.”Connect and Learn More☑️ Vincent Wiscovitch | LinkedIn☑️ Janet Bennett | LinkedIn☑️ Counsel Press on LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube☑️ Todd Smith | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Jody Sanders | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Law Podcast on LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC ☑️

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• Teaching the Next Generation of Legal Writers | Christina Crozier

  "If everyone can take out the fancy words from their language, we would all do better—law students and seasoned professionals alike." That observation comes from Christina Crozier, clinical assistant professor at the University of Houston Law Center and of counsel at Haynes Boone. In this conversation with hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders, Christina reveals four simple hacks that can improve legal writing, from the “lunch test” for word choice to guidance on sentence and paragraph length. Tune in for her insights about AI's impact on research and writing, the importance of verification in an era of hallucination, and her work rebooting the Appellate Advocate publication.Connect and Learn More☑️ Christina Crozier | LinkedIn☑️ University of Houston Law Center☑️ Haynes Boone☑️ Todd Smith | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Jody Sanders | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Law Podcast on LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC ☑️ Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon...

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• Preserving the Republic: Law Day Reflections on History and the Legal Profession | Bill Chriss

  “We live in crazy times" is a phrase we hear a lot these days, Dr. Bill Chriss observes in this milestone 150th episode with hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders. But not the craziest America has ever seen. Drawing from his Law Day presentation, Bill examines how the nation’s founding fathers—particularly Madison and Washington—foresaw the dangers of political factions and built safeguards to protect democracy. Modern trends like partisan gerrymandering and social media, he warns, are weakening those safeguards. As chair of the State Bar of Texas Appellate Section, Bill challenges lawyers to uphold their ethical duty to protect the judiciary, combat hyper-partisanship, and promote analytical thinking to preserve the republic.Connect and Learn More☑️ Dr. Bill Chriss | LinkedIn☑️ Todd Smith | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Jody Sanders | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Law Podcast on LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC ☑️ Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon MusicProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by Court Surety Bond Agency and

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• Straddling the Line Between Trial Work and Appellate Practice | Dylan Russell

  “There's never any point at which I would have to say, ‘Well, I'm only going to do trial work now’ or ‘I'm only going to do appellate work,’” Dylan Russell says. He can straddle that line because, as he explains to hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders, “I just like the law so much that I think about it all the time.” In this conversation, Dylan discusses why he maintains both trial and appellate skills rather than specializing and suggests how trial lawyers can become strong appellate lawyers. Tune in for his insights and a few war stories, like the time he had to file a Supreme Court petition for writ of certiorari during Winter Storm Uri with no power or printer.Connect and Learn More☑️ Dylan Russell | LinkedIn | Instagram | X | BlueSky☑️ Sorrels Law on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook ☑️ Todd Smith | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Jody Sanders | LinkedIn | X | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Law Podcast on LinkedIn | X | Instagram | Bluesky☑️ Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC ☑️ Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe

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