William Christian is certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and a member of GDHM’s appellate group.  GDHM’s appellate practice handles a broad range of appeals in Texas and federal courts.

GDHM has more lawyers listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in Administrative Law than any other law firm in the state.  GDHM has provided speakers and served on the planning committee for this seminar every year since it was first produced in 2006, and predecessor seminars since 1990. GDHM administrative law seminar papers are often published in the Texas Tech Administrative Law Journal.  GDHM lawyer Pete Schenkkan taught federal and Texas administrative law at the University of Texas School of Law for three years before joining GDHM. 

Tim Towell, who heads Taylor Morrison’s Austin division, is quoted as saying “… it is the largest transaction of any homebuilder in Central Texas in several years that we are aware of and the largest single purchase Taylor Morrison has made in the U.S. for the past several years.”

The GDHM team included Steve Butler, Rick Triplett, Bill Locke, and Cliff Ernst.

Helen has experience with environmental issues such as permitting and remediation, professional liability in environmental assessment, response cost liability, and statutory requirements (CERCLA, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, RCRA). She provides counseling on a wide range of land and water issues, including environmental considerations in real estate transfers, storm water management, and environmental liability (common law and statutory).

Austin, Texas

Visit our practice page for more information on Graves Dougherty’s Appellate law practice.

Local businessman Michael Kleinman commissioned the artwork, which was created by San Marcos artists Scott Wade and Furly Travis.  The artwork was displayed on private property in San Marcos until the Fifth Circuit ruled that only “great works of art” are protected by the First Amendment, and that it was therefore permissible to ban its display anywhere the art car could be seen from any sidewalk, road, or right of way in the city. 

The two amicus briefs agree with Kleinman, Wade and Furly, that all art” enjoys First Amendment protection, not just whatever a court may decide is a “great” work of art. 

One set of amici, led by the Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts, explains that what is now considered great art – such as Cezanne or Matisse’s paintings – was not necessarily recognized as great in its day.  First Amendment protection cannot be based on a court’s evaluation of the quality of a work of art, because such judgments are always subjective, uncertain, and can change over time, the brief argues. 

The second set of amici, led by the Texas Civil Rights Project, argues that US Supreme Court precedent has long protected non-verbal expression such as art, and that the Court has never permitted a judge’s opinion of the “value” of speech or expression to determine the scope of First Amendment protection.  The brief argues that the Fifth Circuit’s “car art” opinion is far afield from precedent from the Supreme Court and other federal courts. 

Other amicus joining the briefs include National Coalition Against Censorship, First Amendment Project, Arthouse at the Jones Center, College Art Association, and numerous individual artists and art historians, including Harrod Blank, Butch Hancock, and Dr. Douglas Nickel of Brown University. 

Thanks go to the lawyers who volunteered their time to write the amicus briefs - David George, Earnest Wotring and Jeffrey Cunard on the TALA brief, and Amy Eikel and Jessie Amos on the TCRP brief.