Qualifications

Judicial Experience

During his tenure as a Justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals, Bob has authored opinions in over 300 cases and has participated in the decision of over 800 cases.
 

Legal Scholar

Bob is a Visiting Professor of Law at the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, teaching in the area of regulatory law and policy. Earlier in his career, he was an adjunct faculty member of the University of Kansas School of Law, teaching a course on trial advocacy.
 

Experienced Lawyer

Bob has over 30 years of legal experience in public service and private practice. At the time of his appointment to the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals, Bob was a partner in the Dallas office of the international law firm of Hunton & Williams LLP. He had practiced at the firm, and its predecessor, since 1985, focusing on energy regulatory litigation. For a number of years, he was firm-wide Head of the Regulated Utilities practice and Co-Head of the Regulated Industries and Government Relations Group. Earlier in his career, Bob served as Assistant Attorney General and Special Assistant Attorney General of Kansas, litigating cases on behalf of the state and its officers and agencies in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies.
 

Service to the Bar and Community

Bob has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, Texas Bar Foundation, and Dallas Bar Foundation. He is a former Chair of the Public Utility Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Bob is a former Chair of the Special Committee on Restructuring of the Electric Industry, American Bar Association Section on Environment, Energy and Resources. He has previously served on the Executive Committee of the Institute for Energy Law of the Center for American and International Law. Bob currently serves as Chair of the Appellate Judges Legislative Committee, State Bar of Texas Judicial Section. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus.
 

Professional Recognition

While in private practice, Bob was recognized in a special edition of Texas Lawyer entitled “Go-To Guide, Texas’ Top-Notch Lawyers” as one of the five GO-TO lawyers in the state of Texas in the area of Administrative Law (October 2002). He was selected as a “Texas Super Lawyer” for recognition in the November 2003, October 2004, October 2005, and October 2007 issues of Texas Monthly magazine. He was listed, Texas’ Best Lawyers, in the area of Energy Law (Dallas Morning News, May 2008), Best Lawyers in America 2009 in the area of Energy Law (25th Edition), Marquis Who’s Who in America 2012 (66th Edition), and Marquis Who’s Who in American Law 2011-2012 (17th Edition).