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Texas Appellate Law Podcast

Texas Appellate Law Podcast

By: Todd Smith & Jody Sanders
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Welcome to the Texas Appellate Law Podcast—your backstage pass to the Texas and federal appellate systems. Join your hosts, Texas appellate lawyers Todd Smith and Jody Sanders, as they explore the nuances of appellate advocacy with judges, court staff, leading trial and appellate practitioners, academics, and legal innovators. Whether you're immersed in an appeal or building your trial strategy, each episode delivers practical insights to help you enhance your advocacy skills, strengthen your arguments, and stay current with evolving legal trends. Connect with us at texapplawpod.com or on LinkedIn and X (@texapplawpod). Brought to you by Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC, a solo practice dedicated to appellate advocacy, trial support, and consulting for trial lawyers. For more information visit texappcounsel.com. Sponsored by Court Surety Bond Agency and Proceed (formerly Counsel Press.) Produced and powered by LawPods, podcast marketing that converts prospects and drives revenue. The views expressed by the participants on this podcast are their own and not those of their law firms, courts, or employers. Nothing you hear on this show establishes an attorney-client relationship or is legal advice.Copyright 2026 Todd Smith & Jody Sanders Economics Leadership Management Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • And, But, So: Practical Legal-Writing Tips from the Brief-Writing Ninja | Chris Schandevel

    And, But, So: Practical Legal-Writing Tips from the Brief-Writing Ninja | Chris Schandevel
    May 28 2026
    Opposing counsel once called Chris Schandevel a "brief-writing ninja." He took it as a compliment. Years later, as he considered ways to add value to attorneys coming up behind him, Chris channeled that nickname into a side job: Brief-Writing Ninja, his training platform to help lawyers improve their writing skills. Why? Because good writing is good writing—whether you’re writing for a court or a high school essay. In this conversation with hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders, Chris shares practical tips such as replacing “moreover” with “and”; “nevertheless” with “even still”; and “accordingly” or “however” with “but.” The panel deliberates over questions that should concern any writer. Can you start a sentence with a conjunction? Should lawyers master “styles” in Word? Is Century Schoolbook a worthy font? Tune in for the answers.Download Chris's Brief-Writing Ninja Legal Style Guide here.Connect and Learn More☑️ Chris Schandevel | LinkedIn☑️ Brief-Writing Ninja on LinkedIn☑️ Alliance Defending Freedom on Facebook | Instagram | X | LinkedIn | YouTube☑️ Todd Smith | LinkedIn | X☑️ Jody Sanders | LinkedIn | X☑️ Texas Appellate Law Podcast on LinkedIn | X | Instagram☑️ Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC☑️ Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by Court Surety Bond Agency and Proceed.
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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Inside the Texas State Law Library | Amy Small

    Inside the Texas State Law Library | Amy Small
    May 14 2026
    “We have just anything you could think of,” Amy Small says of the Texas State Law Library, where she is executive director. Open to all—no attorney license required—the library serves everyday Texans and the Supreme Court alike. In this episode, hosts Jody Sanders and Todd Smith invite Amy to unpack the library’s often-overlooked resources: remote access to HeinOnline, historical statutes back to 1879, eBooks with persistent annotations, Westlaw and Lexis access on the library’s public computers, and several dictionary collections. If your online research skills need a refresher, watch on YouTube as Amy shares her screen and navigates a database in real time. Stay tuned in as Amy recalls fielding a seventh-grade classroom’s question about the weirdest law in Texas. Hint: It has something to do with astronauts and voting.The Texas State Law Library accepts questions by phone from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on its website. Visual references are included in this episode. Watch on YouTube to follow along with Amy’s screen shares.Connect and Learn More☑️ Amy Small | LinkedIn☑️ Texas State Law Library on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | X | YouTube☑️ Todd Smith | LinkedIn | X☑️ Jody Sanders | LinkedIn | X☑️ Texas Appellate Law Podcast on LinkedIn | X | Instagram☑️ Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC☑️ Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by Court Surety Bond Agency and Proceed.
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    53 mins
  • Election Litigation in Texas: A Niche Practice with Sharp Edges | Elizabeth Alvarez

    Election Litigation in Texas: A Niche Practice with Sharp Edges | Elizabeth Alvarez
    Apr 30 2026
    Election law in Texas is “very demanding” and “stressful because of the accelerated nature of the calendar,” says Elizabeth D. Alvarez. Elizabeth is head of civil litigation/election litigation at Guest & Gray and a 12-year election litigation practitioner who has represented state parties, national parties, and candidates on both sides of the aisle. She tells hosts Todd Smith and Jody Sanders that roughly 90% of Texas election litigation flows from the statutory writ of mandamus and injunction under Chapter 273 of the Election Code, and that fewer than 30 lawyers in the state have litigated a writ more than three times. She also tackles election integrity, calling voting machines "safer than paper." Tune in for her war story about winning an election contest that was so strange she felt like she was living in a John Grisham novel.Connect and Learn More☑️ Elizabeth D. Alvarez☑️ Guest & Gray | Facebook | LinkedIn | Justicia | Instagram☑️ Todd Smith | LinkedIn | X☑️ Jody Sanders | LinkedIn | X☑️ Texas Appellate Law Podcast on LinkedIn | X | Instagram☑️ Texas Appellate Counsel PLLC☑️ Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP | LinkedIn☑️ Subscribe Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | YouTubeProduced and Powered by LawPodsSponsored by Court Surety Bond Agency and Proceed.
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    59 mins
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