NEWS
Congratulations to KD&P Partner, Kirk Pittard, who was part of a trial team including Reid Martin, Jack Walker and Marisa Schouten of Martin Walker, P.C., that obtained a $43 million verdict against East Texas Medical Center in a medical malpractice case in Smith County. You can see the jury verdict here.
2018 begins the same way 2017 ended for KD&P partner, Kirk Pittard–by arguing before the Texas Supreme Court, this time in an important family law case, In the Interest of H.S., in which the Court must decide the statutory standing requirements necessary for a non-parent to petition the court to alter parents’ decision-making authority over their children. Links to the parties’ briefing can be found here, and a link to today’s oral argument can be found here.
Congratulations to KD&P associate, Michael Kawalek, who was named a “Best Lawyer under 40” by D Magazine in the January 2018 issue! Notably, of those named “Best Lawyers,” Michael was one of only three attorneys named in the “Appellate” category.
Congratulations to KD&P associate, Morgan McPheeters, who was nominated and selected to serve as a member of the Advocates Committee Board of Directors for the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA). TTLA is a professional association that works to protect the 7th Amendment right to trial by jury and empower trial attorneys to best represent their clients—thereby making Texas a better, safer, and healthier place to live and work.
The Advocates Committee is composed of TTLA members who have been in the organization for 10 years or less and provides a means for TTLA’s younger members to participate in and shape TTLA’s objectives. As a Board Member, Morgan will serve a three-year term and will work to further TTLA’s objectives through legislative support, TTLA PAC support and fundraising, membership recruitment, and women’s events.
Last week, KD&P was proud to present argument in two different cases before the Texas Supreme Court. Peter Kelly led off, presenting argument on behalf of the Petitioner in Steven Painter, et al. v. Amerimex Drilling I Ltd., and Kirk Pittard followed, presenting argument on behalf of the Respondent in SCI Texas Funeral Services Inc. v. Cody Nelson. Peter’s argument can be viewed here, and Kirk’s argument can be viewed here.
Congratulations to KDP partner Kirk Pittard for a recent win in the Tyler Court of Appeals. The defendant in this medical malpractice case attempted to postpone a second special setting with a last minute petition for mandamus. After briefing and oral argument, the Tyler Court of Appeals denied the mandamus allowing the case to proceed against East Texas Medical Center. The style of the case is In re East Texas Medical Center, No. 12-17-00183-CV, 2017 WL 4675511 (Tex. App.—Tyler Oct. 18, 2017) (orig. proceeding) and the opinion can be found HERE.
KDP Partner, Leighton Durham, was part of a trial team in an automobile products liability case in which the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff for $41,935,624.17.
It is our pleasure to announce that KD&P’s partners, Peter Kelly, Kirk Pittard, Leighton Durham, and Thad Spalding, have all been named “Super Lawyers” in the Appellate category by Super Lawyers Magazine, a Thomson Reuters publication, for 2017.
Congratulations to KD&P partner, Kirk Pittard, who was sworn in to the Colorado Bar Association on September 8, 2017.
KD&P is pleased to welcome Jessica Foster as its newest associate.  Jessica is a 2016 graduate of Texas A&M School of Law in Fort Worth, where she received a full Presidential Scholarship and served as an Articles Editor for the Texas A&M Law Review and as a teacher’s assistant for Legal Research and Writing courses.  Jessica also brings significant water law expertise to the firm, having co-authored a publication for Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation explaining Texas and Oklahoma’s laws for acquiring water for oil and gas operations and, more recently, conducting extensive research on transboundary groundwater governance along the Mexico-Texas border, research which is to be published as part of an inaugural report in a new Texas A&M University series integrating science and the law.