The Present and Ready Blog

The Present and Ready Blog, published by Kelly Hart Hallman LLP, covers a range of legal topics with a focus on Texas law and practice. It addresses issues such as arbitration jurisdiction and procedural rules, constitutional and statutory interpretation emphasizing history and tradition, standards for court deadlines and good cause exceptions, and foundational principles like standing in litigation. The blog discusses recent court decisions and legal doctrines relevant to litigation, appellate practice, oil and gas law, environmental law, corporate and securities law, real estate, labor and employment, estate planning, and bankruptcy. It serves as a resource for legal professionals seeking updates and analysis on substantive and procedural developments in these areas.

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Latest from The Present and Ready Blog

As every lawyer knows, solid arguments are built on a combination of precedent and history—either urging the court to follow what it or other courts have done in the past, or to avoid prior decisions through distinction in the present…

“As Justice Scalia memorably said, Article III requires a plaintiff to first answer a basic question: ‘What’s it to you?’”  Food & Drug Admin. v. All. For Hippocratic Med., 602 U.S. 367, 379 (2024) (quoting A. Scalia, The Doctrine of…

“Lawyers are an indispensable part of the pursuit of justice.”

The rarely cited Standards of Conduct for the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure—found in the TRAP following Section Five—begins with this statement. The Standards explain that:

The appellate lawyer’s role…

After even a few years of practice, most attorneys have experienced that case that really should only reach a trial after a preliminary legal issue is decided. It just seems that the expense and time for trial is wasteful if…

Recently, the Supreme Court of Texas released the final version for amendments to the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, namely Rule 53.2-.3, which provides the required contents of a petition for review and response to a petition for review. The…