With hands raised and in black robes, Gov. Greg Abbott swore in 10 judges to the newly created statewide business courts at a ceremony at Texas A&M University School of Law in downtown Fort Worth. 

The new courts, which were made possible by the passage of House Bill 19 during the 2023 legislative session, will handle certain high-value business disputes of at least $5 million in some cases and more than $10 million in others.

“It’s about time,” Abbott said, speaking to a law school lecture hall filled with judges, attorneys and lawmakers. “We are speeding up the process — the decision-making process — in business cases. (We’re) doing that by reducing the caseload in the preexisting courts (that) will also help them decide their cases a whole lot faster.”

On Sept. 1, five court divisions opened in Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston, according to the state court’s website. Abbott this summer appointed two judges to each division for two-year terms. The new courts give the governor the opportunity to appoint judges in the state for the first time. 

The fee to file a case is $2,500. As of Sept. 19, there were eight cases filed in the state’s business courts, according to a Bloomberg Law search.

The 8th business court division in Fort Worth is based inside the Texas A&M School of Law building in downtown, where the courtrooms and judges’ chambers will reside. 

“This provides just one more reason for out-of-state companies to move to the state of Texas, but (the business courts are) also going to provide a way for (A&M Law) students to interact with these courts, and with the fact that you’re connected with the business community,” said Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp.

Advocates for the formation of business courts said the new courts will reduce backlog and allow judges who are familiar with complex legal matters to oversee cases.

Andrew Zeve, a partner at White & Case, a global law firm that specializes in corporate transactions and litigation with offices in Houston, co-wrote an explainer article on the Texas business courts. He says that a lot of state court judges were already very capable of handling legal matters before, but the new business courts could help.

“It certainly doesn’t hurt knowing that you’re going to go to a judge that has a background in the specific type of case you’re working on,” said Zeve, a trial lawyer who specializes in complex commercial disputes and intellectual property litigation. “I do perceive that these judges will help alleviate some congestion on the dockets in the busier cities.”

Zeve also expects that judges in these courts will more often issue written opinions — currently a rare occasion in state district courts.

“That’ll help clarify Texas law on issues and complex litigation, because having more jurisprudence out there can only help,” said Zeve.

Abbott appointed two business attorneys with decades of litigation experience to the Fort Worth division: Jerry Bullard of Colleyville and Brian Stagner of Fort Worth.

Bullard, who has three decades of experience in state and federal litigation in both trial and appellate law, is a shareholder and attorney with Adams, Lynch and Loftin, P.C. in Grapevine. He is a gubernatorial appointee on the Texas Juvenile Justice Department Board and a member of the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee. He received his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. Bullard has donated $750 to Abbott since 2014, according to the political donation tracker OpenSecrets.

Stagner, a former partner at Kelly, Hart and Hallman and an adjunct professor in business law at Texas Christian University, has over two decades of experience in state and federal complex business litigation. He has experience with consumer class action, corporate governance, unfair business practices and other areas. He has represented major business clients in manufacturing and technology, obtaining multi-million dollar verdicts and serving as co-counsel on a trademark case that won around $56 million. He received his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law.

“This partnership of the Texas business court and Texas A&M is just the start across multiple industry sectors from hypersonics and urban agriculture to gaming and the treatment of rare diseases,” said Robert Ahdieh, dean of the Texas A&M University School of Law and chief operating officer of Texas A&M Fort Worth.

He says that bringing the business courts to the city is just one aspect of the collaborations that Texas A&M Fort Worth will bring. Once complete, the expanded downtown campus will have a “tremendous impact” in Fort Worth, North Texas and beyond, Ahdieh said. 

Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.

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