Alternative, or non-hourly billing, is used by 89 percent or 82 of the 92 firms that responded to Texas Lawyer’s 2013 Salary and Billing Survey. While the firms are balancing the risk and reward of alternative billing, 80 percent are also offering discount fees or rates to their clients.

An administrative judge on July 22 refused to recuse 204th District Judge Lena Levario from a case in which she held Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins in contempt, but did not assess a punishment against the DA. Now the case heads back to Levario, presumably so she can assess a fine against Watkins.

Even as blogging has taken off within the legal profession, it remains rare to find judges who blog and even rarer to find federal judges who blog. Attorney and blogger Robert J. Ambrogi recently conducted his own search for blogs written by judges and found the pickings are slim.

Because the market for insurance covering cyberattack risks and the law interpreting these policies both continue to develop, this is an area in which attorneys can help clients by maximizing their opportunity to secure the broadest possible coverage, says Vincent E. Morgan.

The Stowers doctrine, established by the Texas Supreme Court in G. A. Stowers Furniture Co. v. American Indemnity Co., is a mainstay of state law in need of an update to conform to modern business practices, say attorneys William Angelley and Jules Angelley.