Biography
Jill is a recognized appellate lawyer who has been Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization since 2020. She has served as counsel of record in the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Supreme Court of Texas, and intermediate courts of appeals throughout Texas. Jill has won local and state-wide awards for her advocacy, including the 2021-2022 Outstanding Young Lawyer of Houston by the Houston Young Lawyers Association and the 2021-2022 Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas by the Texas Young Lawyers Association. Before joining Daniels & Tredennick, Jill spent more than half a decade in public service as a judicial law clerk on two different appellate courts. She is involved in numerous community and bar activities. Jill currently serves as Chair of the Houston Bar Association’s Appellate Section. In addition to serving on the Appellate Council, Jill is the former Editor-in-Chief of the Appellate Lawyer. Jill regularly speaks and writes about a variety of different appellate topics, including preservation of error and comparisons between State and Federal appeals.
Representative Matters
Richardson v. Roberts, No. 13-20-00553-CV, 2022 WL 17983062 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi Dec. 29, 2022) (mem. op.), represented Appellant and successfully obtained reversal of summary judgment in breach of contract case.Enter., Inc. v. Jindal Saw, LLC, No. 01-19-00797-CV, 2020 WL 4457971, (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Aug. 2, 2020) (mem. op.), represented Appellant in interlocutory appeal, successfully obtaining reversal of denial of motion to transfer venue.Perdido Prop. LLC v. Devon Energy Production Co., No. 11-21-00060-CV, 2023 WL 3511234 (Tex. App. —Eastland, May 18, 2023), successfully obtained reversal of summary judgment on behalf of royalty owners.MDK Sociedad De Responsibilidad Limitada v. Proplant Inc., 25 F. 4th 360 (5th Cir. 2022), successfully represented Texas corporation in breach of contract dispute, obtaining affirmance of summary judgment.
Education
J.D., Duke University School of Law, cum laude, 2012
B.S., Washington University in St. Louis, summa cum laude, 2009
Judicial Clerkships
Fourteenth Court of Appeals in Texas, Chief Justice Kem Thompson Frost, 2013-2018
Nebraska Court of Appeals, Judge Francie Riedmann, 2012-2013
Recent Articles and Presentations
Cliff Notes for Preservation of Error in the Trial Court, Woodlands Bar Association, May 2023 (CLE Course No. 174198715)
RBG’s Last Argument as a Supreme Court Advocate: A Reenactment of Duren v. Missouri, 439 U.S. 357 (1979), and Reflections on Its Role in RBG’s Legacy of Building Gender Equality in the Law, HBA Law Week Committee & Houston Holocaust Museum, July 2022 (CLE Course No. 174159365).
Texas and Federal Appeals: Compare, Contrast, and Cautionary Tales, Houston Bar Association Appellate Practice Section, February 2022 (CLE Course No. 174148401)
The Appellate Ascent: Advice and Answers for Aspiring Lawyers, Houston Bar Association Appellate Practice Section, July 2020.
Preservation of Error: Strategies to Shape and Salvage Your Appeal, Presented at State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, Sept. 2019 (coauthor).
An Interview with Justice Julie Countiss, APPELLATE LAWYER, Mar. 2019
An Interview with Justice Richard Hightower, APPELLATE LAWYER, 2019
Defending Against Evolved E-mail Phishing Attacks, APPELLATE LAWYER, Nov. 2018, (coauthor).
Cybersecurity Risk Assessments: The First Step in Securing Your Practice APPELLATE LAWYER, Jul. 2018, (coauthor).
Review of The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook: A Resource for Attorneys, Law Firms, and Business Professionals, Second Edition, THE HOUSTON LAWYER, May/June 2018 (coauthor).
Case Update, APPELLATE LAWYER, Jan. 2018
Case Update, APPELLATE LAWYER, Oct. 2017
Should Lawyers be Cybersecurity Experts Too? APPELLATE LAWYER, Mar. 2018, (coauthor).
Honors & Awards
Stephen G. Condos Award for Outstanding New Member, Texas Bar College (2023)
Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas, Texas Lawyers Association (2022)
Woodrow B. Seals Outstanding Young Lawyer of Houston, Houston Young Lawyers Association (2022)
Super Lawyers Rising Star Award, Thomson Reuters (2022)
Houston’s Top Lawyers, Appeals, Houstonia Magazine (2021-2022)
Courageous Defender of Life Award, Texas Right to Life (2020)
Helen Stenner Memorial Prize in Philosophy, Washington University in St. Louis (2009)
Court Admissions
Supreme Court of the United States
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
Texas
Colorado (voluntarily inactive)
Nebraska (voluntarily inactive)
Professional & Community Involvement
Houston Bar Association, Appellate Section, Chair, 2023-2024
Houston Bar Association, Appellate Section, Chair-Elect, 2022-2023
Houston Bar Association Appellate Section, Secretary, 2021-2022
Houston Bar Association Appellate Section, Treasurer, 2020-2021
Houston Bar Association Appellate Section Council, 2017-2020
Editor-in-Chief, Appellate Lawyer, 2018-2020
Scribes – The American Society of Legal Writers, Member
State Bar of Texas, Appellate Section, Member
Texas Bar College, Member