David F. Farris

 

Mr. Farris serves as Of Counsel with Lively & Associates. After graduating from Arlington Heights High School in 1958, he earned both his B. A. and Juris Doctor degrees from Baylor University. David enjoyed an active private practice in Tarrant County for over twenty years prior to his election to the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth. While in private practice he tried civil and criminal cases before juries in Tarrant and several other Texas Counties and argued cases before many of the Texas Courts of Appeals, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court. During his service on the Second Court of Appeals, he led the Court in the number of opinions written every year. After leaving the Second Court in 1994, he served as a visiting judge on several Trial Courts throughout North and Northeast Texas and on seven of the fourteen Texas Courts of Appeals. Since retiring from the judiciary, David has concentrated on his active Appellate practice. He served as a mediator with Burdin Mediations from 1995-2003. As a retired justice, he brings years of experience and knowledge that make him uniquely qualified to assist clients in Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Education

  • Baylor University, Waco, Texas, J.D., 1965

  • Baylor University, Waco, Texas, B.A., 1963

  • Arlington Heights High School, Fort Worth, Texas, 1958

Board Certification

  • Civil Appellate Law Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization 1989-2024

Practice Areas

  • Civil Appellate Law

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution

  • Civil Litigation

  • Probate

Professional Associations

  • State Bar of Texas

    • Appellate Section – former Council member and
      Historical Committee, co-chairman

  • Tarrant County Bar Association

    • Bylaws Committee - former Chairman

    • Appellate Section - former Chairman

    • Judicial Evaluation Committee – former Chairman

  • Texas Bar Foundation - Fellow (1992)

  • Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court – Emeritus, Member since 1992

Admitted to Practice

  • Texas Supreme Court, 1965

  • United States Supreme Court, 1975

  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas

  • The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, 2012

Publications and Lectures

"Preservation of Error, Pretrial", Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Court, State Bar of Texas, San Antonio (1991)

"Interlocutory Appeals", Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, State Bar of Texas, Houston (1990)

"Preparations of Briefs, Effectiveness in Legal Writing", Appellate Practice for Lawyers and Legal Assistants, San Antonio (1989)

"Jury Charges in Commercial Cases, Insights from the Appellate Bench", Spectrum of Civil Litigation: Strategies and Insights, State Bar of Texas, Austin (1987), Fort Worth (1988)

"Reviewing a Record, What to Look For and How to Accurately Summarize the Facts" ’Briefing Attorney’s Institute, Texas Center for the Judiciary, Austin (1990)

"Evidence of Extraneous Offences in Criminal Cases", State Judicial Conference, San Antonio (1990)

"Effective Appellate Writing, How to Get a Judge to Read Your Brief" Practicing Law in Tarrant County, a "Nuts and Bolts" Seminar, Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association, Fort Worth (1993)

"Briefs Shall Be Brief, A Judicial View", Appellate Practice Before the Second Court of Appeals, Denton County Bar Association, Denton (1993)

"Effective Appellate Advocacy, How to Get Judges to Read Your Brief and Hear Your Argument", A Practical Approach to Practicing Law in Tarrant County, Tarrant County Trial Lawyers, Fort Worth (1994)

Judicial Experience

Second Court of Appeals June 1986 – December 1994

Visiting Justice:

  • First Court of Appeals - Houston

  • Second Court of Appeals - Fort Worth

  • Fifth Court of Appeals - Dallas

  • Sixth Court of Appeals - Texarkana

  • Eighth Court of Appeals - El Paso

  • Ninth Court of Appeals - Beaumont

  • Eleventh court of Appeals - Eastland

Sat as Trial Court Judge in the following counties: Cooke, Dallas, Denton, Fayette, Grayson, Hood, Hopkins, Johnson, Lamar, Montague, Morris, Parker, Red River, Tarrant, Titus, Upshur, Wise and Young