First Court of Appeals
Chief Justice Terry Adams
Chief Justice Terry Adams was elected to the First Court of Appeals in 2022. Before that, he was appointed by Governor Abbott in 2020 to be a Justice on the court and served the rest of that term. Prior to joining the First Court of Appeals, Chief Justice Adams was an accomplished appellate attorney. He opened his own appellate boutique... Read more
Justice Peter Kelly
Place 9
Peter was elected to the First Court of Appeals in 2018. Prior to assuming the bench, he was a founding partner of Kelly, Durham & Pittard, L.L.P., an appellate litigation boutique with offices in Houston, Dallas, and Santa Fe. With twenty-eight years of legal experience, Peter was widely regarded as one of the premier advocates in the Texas Supreme Court... Read more
Justice Gordon Goodman
Place 2
Justice Gordon Goodman was elected to the First Court of Appeals in 2018. Justice Goodman is a member of the Texas State Bar, Pennsylvania Bar, and Energy Bar Associations. Before serving on the bench, he started his career with the Whittenburg Law Firm in Amarillo, TX, where he focused on civil trials, appellate work, oil & gas law, banking law, and... Read more
Justice Sarah Beth Landau
Place 6
Sarah Beth Landau was elected to the First Court of Appeals in 2018. Before taking the bench, Justice Landau worked in the appeals division of the Harris County Public Defender’s Office and for 10 years as an Assistant Federal Public Defender, doing trial and appellate work. Justice Landau has over 20 years of legal experience and has handled over 600... Read more
Justice Richard Hightower
Place 8
Richard Hightower was honored to be elected to the First Court of Appeals in 2018. He is a fifth-generation lawyer and a fourth-generation Texan whose family has served Texas since 1876 as Justice, Judge, Legislator, District Attorney, Sheriff, Texas Ranger, County Clerk, School Board Member, and Educator. Justice Hightower was born in Livingston, Texas and is a 1974 graduate of Livingston... Read more
Justice Julie Countiss
Place 7
Justice Julie Countiss was elected to the First Court of Appeals in 2018. Her father, Justice Richard Countiss, (retired) swore her into office on January 2, 2019. She has practiced law–primarily civil litigation–for seventeen years and served as an assistant county attorney in Harris County prior to assuming the bench. Justice Countiss received her Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from University of... Read more
Justice Veronica Rivas-Molloy
Place 3
Justice Veronica Rivas-Molloy was elected to the First Court of Appeals in 2020.
Justice Amparo Guerra
Place 5
Justice Amparo Monique Guerra was elected to the Texas First Court of Appeals in 2020, bringing her record of academic and professional excellence, as well as her diverse background, to the bench. She previously served as an Associate Municipal Judge for the City of Houston while practicing law full time. She was the youngest sitting judge on that court when she... Read more
Justice April L. Farris
Place 4
April Farris was appointed to the First Court of Appeals by Governor Abbott for a term beginning in January 2021. Before joining the Court, April was a partner at Yetter Coleman LLP where she handled complex appellate litigation for energy, technology, and government clients. While in private practice, she was recognized in appellate law by Law360, Best Lawyers in America,... Read more