Overview
Scott is co-lead of the firm’s Issues and Appeals practice group, and his practice includes all aspects of litigation. He returned to the firm in 2009 after 20 years of judicial service at all levels of the Texas court system: six years on the Texas Supreme Court, three years as Justice and Chief Justice of the First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals respectively, and eleven years as Judge of the 234th District Court. During those years he presided over 670 trials to verdict, and authored more than 600 appellate opinions, including 122 opinions of the Texas Supreme Court.
Judge Brister recently completed a further year of public service as chair of the Texas Commission on Public School Finance, a blue-ribbon panel of lawmakers and educators that presented landmark recommendations to the Texas Legislature for improving education for the state’s five million students.
Scott is board-certified in civil appellate, civil trial and personal injury trial law. He previously served on the Supreme Court Advisory Committee and on the Supreme Court Jury Task Force. He is a co-author of Texas Pretrial Practice and has written law review articles in the Baylor, Oak Brook, South Texas, and St. Mary's law reviews.
Accolades
Honors & Recognitions
- Recognized as a Acritas Star for outstanding performance (2018)
- Recognized as a Leader in Litigation: Appellate, Texas, Chambers USA, 2010-2023
- Recognized in the Top 50 Central/West Texas Lawyers, Super Lawyers by Thomson Reuters (published in Texas Monthly) (2015-2017).
- Recognized as a Litigation Star, Texas, Benchmark Litigation, 2012-2024
- Recognized as a “Local Litigation Star” in the 5th Circuit (Texas) by Benchmark Appellate (2013)
- The Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Practice (2012-2020, 2023-2024)
- Selected as a Super Lawyer for Appellate Law, Texas Monthly magazine, 2013-2023
Affiliations
Professional
- Member, Texas Commission on Public School Finance (2018)
- Chief Justice, Fourteenth Court of Appeals (2001-2003)
- Justice, First Court of Appeals (2001)
- Judge, 234th District Court of Harris County (1989-2000)
- Board Certified – Civil Appellate, Civil Trial & Personal Injury Law Texas
- Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation, Houston Bar Foundation (1992-present)
- Pattern Jury Charge Committee – Business, Consumer, Insurance & Employment (2015-present)
Insights
Legal Updates
Events & Speaking Engagements
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“What Every In-House Lawyer Needs To Know About Trade Secrets” (September 22, 2014)
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TexasBarCLE 27th Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course (September 12-13, 2013)
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2013 Legislative and Supreme Court Update, Houston Bar Association Civil/Appellate 2013 Bench Bar Conference, Houston, Texas (May 2, 2013)
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TexasBarCLE Judges Panel: How to Lose Your Case Through Poor Legal Writing (April 26, 2013)
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“Jury Charge: The Swinging Pendulum of Broad Form Submission,” The History of Texas Supreme Court Jurisprudence, Austin, Texas (April 11, 2013)
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TexasBarCLE: 26th Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course (September 7, 2012)
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DRI's 10th Appellate Advocacy Seminar (June 21, 2012)
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Speaker, "Texas School Funding: How Much is Enough?" Texas Public Policy Foundation, 10th Annual Policy Orientation for the Texas Legislature (January 12, 2012)
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"Respondent's Strategies in the Supreme Court," presented at The Texas Bar CLE: Practice Before the Texas Supreme Court, Austin, Texas (April 15, 2011)
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Panelist, The University of Texas School of Law’s 15th Annual Insurance Law Institute (October 14-15, 2010)
Publications
News
Education
JD, Harvard Law School, cum laude, 1980
BA, Duke University, summa cum laude, 1977
Admissions
Texas
Courts
US District Court, Southern District of Texas
US District Court, Northern District of Texas
US District Court, Eastern District of Texas
US District Court, Western District of Texas
US Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
US Supreme Court
US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
Clerkships
- Supreme Court of Texas
