Education:west_short2

  • J.D., with Honors, University of Texas School of Law, 1993
  • B.A./English, Southern Methodist University, 1989
  • High School, St. Mark’s School of Texas, 1985

 

Professional Background:

1998-Present

Managing Partner at West Short & Howell, PLLC, in Georgetown, Texas, which has continued to be the premier civil law firm in Williamson County, Texas since 1998.

 

1997-1998

Chief Litigation Counsel, Power Computing Corporation, Round Rock, Texas. Managed all litigation and exposure issues for large Macintosh-clone manufacturer. Purchased by Apple Computer in 1998 for $100 million and shut down.

 

1996-1998

Associate, Locke Purnell Rain Harrell, LLP, Austin, Texas. Worked on large litigation matters for Rohn Poulenc Rorer pharmaceuticals and Southern Union Gas Company, among others.  Hired away by client, Power Computing Corporation.

 

1995-1996

Associate, Taylor & Dunham, LLP, Austin, Texas. Worked on various insurance defense and plaintiff’s personal injury cases. Laid off in connection with firm’s financial difficulties.

 

1993-1995

Associate, Johnson & Gibbs, PC, Dallas, Texas. Worked on various federal litigations, including numerous depositions in defense of asbestosis claims and bankruptcy-related litigation.

 

Licenses:

STATE

Licensed before all Texas state courts. Argued cases before the Austin Court of Appeals, the Corpus Christi Court of Appeals, and the Texas Supreme Court.

 

FEDERAL

Licensed to practice before the Northern, Southern, and Western District of Texas Federal Courts, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. Argued appellate cases before the Western District of Texas and the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

 

Appelate Opinions:

  • Maddison Dual Fuels, Inc. v. Southern Union Co., 944 S.W.2d 735 (Tex.App. – Corpus Christi 1997, no writ)
  • Patton v. Teets, 2000 WL 45650, 2000 Tex.App.LEXIS 454 (Tex.App.– Austin 2000, pet. denied)
  • Tempay, Inc. v. TNT Concrete & Construction, Inc., 37 S.W.3d 517 (Tex.App.– Austin 2001, pet. denied)
  • Joseph v. Holiday et al., 263 F.3d 163 (5th 2001), cert. denied, 122 S.Ct. 655 (2001)
  • Hagerman v. Walburg State Bank, 2002 WL 121938, 2002 Tex.App.LEXIS 656 (Tex.App.– Austin 2002, no writ).
  • Schulze v. CAP Collection JV7, 2004 WL 2108730, 2004 Tex.App.LEXIS 8454 (Tex.App.– Austin 2004, writ dism’d w.o.j)
  • Tapps, LLC v. Nunez Co., 368 B.R. 575 (W.D.Tex. 2005), aff’d, 195 Fed.Appx. 200 (5th Cir. 2006), cert. denied.
  • Hunt v. Yepez, 2005 WL 2043897, 2005 Tex.App.LEXIS 6964 (Tex.App.– Austin 2005, no writ)
  • Hagerman v. Wells Fargo, 2006 WL 2448598, 2006 Tex.App.LEXIS 7559 (Tex.App.– Austin 2006, no writ)
  • C. Randall M. Schulze v. CAP Collection JV7 et al.; Civil Action No. SA-05-CA-0971-WWJ (Mem.Op. Filed August 1, 2007), aff’d 280 Fed.Appx. 362 (5th Cir. 2008).
  • Wissen v. Aguado Stone, Inc., Case No. A-07-CA-506-LY (Mem.Op. Filed March 11, 2008).
  • CA Partners v. Marshall Spears and CitiFinancial, Inc., 274 S.W.3d 51 (Tex.App. –Houston [14th] 2008, pet. denied).
  • Fowler v. Epps, 2010 Tex.App. LEXIS 1027 (Tex.App.—Austin 2010), reversed, Epps v. Fowler, 351 S.W.3d 862 (Tex. 2011).
  • TimeGate Studios, Inc. v. SouthPeak Interactive, LLC et al., 713 F.3d 797 (5th Cir. 2013).
  • MT Falkin Investments, LLC v. Chisholm Trail Elks Lodge No. 2659, 400 S.W.3d 658 (Tex.App.—Austin 2013), writ granted, MT Falkin Invs., LLC, v. Chisholm Trail Elks Lodge No. 2659, Case No. 13-0425 (Tex.).
  • Tower Car Wash v. Westport Group, Case No. 03-14-00039-CV (Tex.App.) (case voluntarily dismissed 2015)
  • 21st Century Holdings, Inc. v. American Geothermal Systems, Inc., Case No. 03-13-00081-CV (Tex.App.—Austin 2015) (opinion issued 4/23/2015).
  • Chris Carpenter v. First Texas Bankcorp d/b/a First Texas Bank, Case No. 03-12-00004-CV (Tex.App.—Austin 2014) (Opinion issued 6/5/2014); rev’d in part and aff’d in part, Case No. 15-0172 (Tex. 2016) (Opinion issued 6/10/2016).
  • Whitestone Properties, Ltd., v. Central Mutual Insurance Company, Case No. 14-50374 (5th 2015) (Opinion issued 3/10/2015).
  • In re Marshall Spears, Case No. 14-07-00057-CV (Tex.App.—Houston [1st] 2014) (Opinion issued 8/31/2008).
  • Central Mutual Insurance Co. v. White Stone Properties, Case No. 14-50374 (5th 2015) (Opinion issued 3/10/2015).
  • In re Cunningham Constructors & Associates, Inc., Case No. 03-15-00150-CV (Memorandum Opinion issued 5/1/2015)
  • MC Phase II Owner, LLC and TI Shopping Center, LLC v. TI Shopping Center, Case No. 03-15-00132-CV (Tex.App.—Austin 2015) (case dismissd 2015).
  • Tesch v. Equity Secured Capital, Case No. 03-13-00539 (Tex.App.—Austin 2015) (Opinion issued 12/11/2015), denied, Case No. 16-0060 (Tex. 2016).
  • Koenig v. Blaylock, Case No. 03-15-00705 (Tex.App.—Austin) (Opinion issued 7/1/2015), pet denied, Case No. 16-0597 (Tex. 2016).
  • Steven Webb dba Leander Trux-N-Karz v. Upshaw, Case No. 07-15-00401 (Tex.App.—Amarillo 2016) (Opinion issued 5/20/2016).
  • Marlonia Ivy v. Victor Garcia and Wanda Garcia, Case No. 03-18-00545 (Tex.App.—Austin 2019) (Opinion issued 8/9/2019).

 

Professional Associations:

  • Supreme Court of the United State of America
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • United States District Courts, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas
  • United States Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Texas
  • American Trial Lawyers Association
  • Texas Bar Association
  • Texas Bar Foundation
  • Williamson County and Austin Bar Associations

 

Areas of Practice :

  • Civil Litigation
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Construction Litigation
  • Real Estate Litigation
  • Appellate Practice
  • Corporate Law
  • Mediation and Arbitration

Not certified by Texas Board of Legal Specialization