Brister to return to 14th Court of Appeals for first argument

Former Texas Supreme Court Justice Scott Brister, now a partner in Andrews Kurth in Austin, will argue his first case in a familiar court. On Sept. 16, Brister will appear before Houston’s 14th Court of Appeals, where he served as the chief justice from 2001-2003.  “I thought it would be more than coincidental to have my first argument in that court,” says Brister, who stepped down from the Supreme Court earlier this month. Brister will face off against Merritt Chastain III, a partner in Gardere Wynne Sewell in Houston, to argue a special appearance issue in Information Services Group Inc., et al. v. Equaterra Inc.,et al., a breach-of-contract dispute involving a noncompete agreement. Andrews Kurth represents plaintiffs Information Services, Technology Partners International Inc. and TPI Eurosourcing. The argument will focus on the 61st District Court’s Feb. 24 order dismissing Tony Rawlinson, a citizen of the United Kingdom, as a defendant in the case.  Rawlinson, an Equaterra employee, formerly worked for TPI Eurosourcing. According to the order signed by 61st District Judge Al Bennett, the district court granted Rawlinson’s special appearance after finding that it did not have personal jurisdiction over him. Brister says he “jumped at the chance” to argue the case because he wrote opinions on the special appearance issue while on the Supreme Court. Chastain did not immediately return a telephone call for comment.
-- Mary Alice Robbins