State Bar of Texas Podcast

The skies above us have a legal framework all their own, but many attorneys have limited knowledge of this expansive area of the law. Can your neighbor fly his drone into your yard? What’s the difference in legal responsibilities between private aviators and commercial airlines? How is AI impacting flight and flight training? Rocky Dhir welcomes Kent Krause to discuss the basics of aviation law and dig into its evolving issues and changes. Later, 2025 began with a succession of tragic and unsettling airline incidents. Should we be concerned about this disproportionately large number of accidents in air travel? Rocky and Kent discuss the details of these events and examine the laws, safety frameworks, and failures that came into play. Kent Krause is a partner at Craddock Davis & Krause, LLP, in Dallas, TX.

We can probably all think of a moment (or many) when we struggled with natural, constructive communication with those around us. But, how do we learn from those difficult and/or awkward moments and successfully convey our views? Rocky Dhir talks with Jefferson Fisher about his tips for becoming a more effective verbal communicator. Jefferson shares advice for legal professionals to help them foster authentic relationships with both peers and clients. Later, they discuss communication techniques for handling yourself well in the midst of arguments or other stressful situations.   Jefferson Fisher is a Texas board certified trial lawyer, author, keynote speaker, and argument expert. You may pre-order Jefferson’s new book: The Next Conversation here [https://www.jeffersonfisher.com/book].

Familiarize yourself with the most common errors that can jeopardize an appeal. In this special rebroadcast, Rocky Dhir sits down with Elana Einhorn and Melissa Lorber, authors of the article Help Us Help You: Top 10 Appellate Mistakes in the Trial Courts [https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.texasbar.com%2FAM%2FTemplate.cfm%3FSection%3Darticles%26ContentID%3D60711%26Template%3D%2FCM%2FHTMLDisplay.cfm&data=05%7C02%7Cpodcast%40texasbar.com%7C21e28b0f65ea4d0c8c6d08dd423f5b24%7Cece4a672274e48cfa4575e83671cbe8d%7C0%7C0%7C638739562075652415%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=7Xhss9PskMzyjF1pEGeZLmrH81iJAJrlB%2F9ohMjeVN4%3D&reserved=0]. Elana and Melissa offer a breakdown of the article and provide insight on their top tips for success in trial court.   Elana Einhorn practices appellate law at Butler Snow. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Texas School of Law and a former Supreme Court of Texas staff attorney.   Melissa Lorber practices appellate law at Butler Snow. She is board certified in civil appellate law and represents businesses in both trial and appellate litigation across state and federal courts.

Texas can be proud to say that it was the first state to have an all-woman high court in the United States, but how exactly did this moment in history come about? Rocky Dhir welcomes Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod and Sharon Sandle to learn about this period in Texas history and the surprising series of events that led to the appointment of female judges. They go into detail about the challenges faced by these legal trailblazers—Nellie Robertson of Granbury, Edith Wilmans of Dallas, and Hortense Sparks Ward of Houston—and also discuss notable women’s issues of the era and highlight several other female legal pioneers.   Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod is Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit with Chambers in Houston, Texas.   Sharon Sandle is Executive Director of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society and Director of the Law Practice Resources Division at the State Bar of Texas.

Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht is the longest serving member in the history of the Supreme Court of Texas and the longest tenured Texas judge in active service. As he nears his well-deserved retirement, Rocky Dhir welcomes Chief Justice Hecht to the podcast to learn about his many years in service to the Texas legal system. They discuss his career path, the behind-the-scenes work judges do within courts, his efforts to improve access to justice, his advice for lawyers, and much more.  Nathan L. Hecht is the 27th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. He has been elected to the Court seven times, first in 1988 as a Justice and then in 2014 and 2020 as Chief Justice.