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Full-Text Articles in Law

Preserving Error On Appeal In Texas Civil Cases: A Practical Guide For Civil Appeals In Texas., John Hill Cayce Jr. Jan 1991

Preserving Error On Appeal In Texas Civil Cases: A Practical Guide For Civil Appeals In Texas., John Hill Cayce Jr.

St. Mary's Law Journal

Fatal procedural errors can prevent appellees from preserving judgements and appellants from seeking review of court decisions on appeal. This article is a practical guide identifying critical concepts necessary to preserve the various rights of appeal. By examining the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, the author identifies procedural pitfalls attorneys may face when attempting to preserve appeals to the Texas Supreme Court or the appellate courts of Texas. Although the Texas Supreme Court has endeavored to eliminate procedural traps from civil appeals, a significant number of requests for appeal fail because lawyers do not follow the requirements necessary to preserve …


Alamo Lumber And Texas Usury Law: Playing With Fire In The Usury Forest., Terry W. Wright, W. Alan Wright, Scott G. Night Jan 1991

Alamo Lumber And Texas Usury Law: Playing With Fire In The Usury Forest., Terry W. Wright, W. Alan Wright, Scott G. Night

St. Mary's Law Journal

The effect of Alamo Lumber Co. v. Gold, and later cases interpreting third party assumption of debt as interest can be perilous to lenders. Lenders are in the business of offering loans to make money. Lenders achieve profit maximization by charging as much interest as possible in the market. Although economic and market factors are always considerations in a lender’s business, in Texas, lenders must also consider harsh usury laws that restrain the maximum amount of chargeable loan interest. Texas defines interest broadly. Statutes define interest as the receipt of compensation for the detention, forbearance or use of money. The …


Reformers' Regress: The 1991 Texas Workers' Compensation Act., Jill Williford Jan 1991

Reformers' Regress: The 1991 Texas Workers' Compensation Act., Jill Williford

St. Mary's Law Journal

The revision of the Texas Workers’ Compensation Act will affect most Texas taxpayers and workers. The Act, entering into force January 1, 1991, significantly restructures the preexisting seventy-six-year-old system. Before the advent of workers’ compensation systems employees relied on the court and common-law causes of action as the sole means of recovery. In 1913, Texas enacted one of the first versions of workers’ compensation in the United States. The original act created a system to compensate workers for injuries sustained during employment without regard to fault. Initially the act was elective for employers and mandatory for employees but was later …


The Court Of Criminal Appeals Versus The Constitution: The Conclusivity Question., Susan Bleil, Charles Bleil Jan 1991

The Court Of Criminal Appeals Versus The Constitution: The Conclusivity Question., Susan Bleil, Charles Bleil

St. Mary's Law Journal

This Article examines the Texas Constitution’s grant of authority to appellate courts to review questions of fact and the Texas Supreme Court’s treatment of that authority. It then contrasts that treatment with the contrary position taken by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals since 1981. It also examines the sentiments of the courts of appeals themselves. The analysis of the decisions demonstrates the highest courts of Texas do not uniformly view the constitutional provision in question. It also shows resulting confusion and dissatisfaction. The Court of Criminal Appeals needs a better, more logical approach in interpreting the Texas constitution. Also …


Raborn V. Davis - Paycheck In Employee's Possession: A Limitation Of The Current Wage Exemption In Texas., Richard E. Flint Jan 1990

Raborn V. Davis - Paycheck In Employee's Possession: A Limitation Of The Current Wage Exemption In Texas., Richard E. Flint

St. Mary's Law Journal

Extensions of credit generally help both the debtor and creditor. However, a result of our credit-based economy is that individuals are free to make poor economic decisions, and that they should suffer the consequences of these poor decisions. Although legal rules have had a role in ensuring that debtors are protected from overzealous creditors, commercial transactions can only exist if obligations of debtors are legally enforceable. The role of government, therefore, is to set parameters for procedures to enforce these obligations, while also setting a floor of protected or exempt assets so that debtors will not become wards of the …


A New Tort For Texas: Breach Of The Duty Of Good Faith And Fair Dealing., Evelyn T. Ailts Jan 1987

A New Tort For Texas: Breach Of The Duty Of Good Faith And Fair Dealing., Evelyn T. Ailts

St. Mary's Law Journal

The concept of good faith and fair dealing as a general derivative contractual obligation remains unrecognized in Texas. However, in English v. Fischer the Texas Supreme Court recognized a duty of good faith and fair dealing exists in some contracts. Subsequent courts, including the Texas Supreme Court, have refused to apply a purely contractual obligation of good faith and fair dealing in every case. Instead, courts have recognized a good faith duty as arising out of “special” relationships of the contracting parties rather than being inherent in the contract itself. The courts focus on “special relationships” as a determinative of …


The Vestiges Of The Texas Employment At-Will Doctrine In The Wake Of Progressive Law: The Employment Handbook Exception Comment., Brian Kennington Lowry Jan 1986

The Vestiges Of The Texas Employment At-Will Doctrine In The Wake Of Progressive Law: The Employment Handbook Exception Comment., Brian Kennington Lowry

St. Mary's Law Journal

Under a traditional approach of the at-will rule, if an employer hires an employee for an indefinite term then the employer may terminate the employee at will. Modification of the at-will rule has gained widespread support throughout the country. A majority of states now follow the progressive view, which allows the employment manual to become part of the labor contract, thereby obligating employers to abide by manual provisions. The progressive view maintains that an employee’s continued service after an employer issues a manual, constitutes ample consideration to make the document binding. Once a court recognizes the existence of independent consideration, …