Professional Biography

Joseph W. Spence practices appellate and insurance law as well as handles litigation and alternative dispute resolution cases.   Mr. Spence is a seasoned lawyer who has argued more than 50 appeals in state and federal courts and tried numerous jury trials to verdict as lead counsel.  He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Spence is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court of the Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.  He acted as briefing attorney to the Honorable James K. Allen, Justice, for the 5th District Court of Appeals.  Mr. Spence is licensed in Texas, having graduated from Baylor University School of Law. 

Admissions & Certifications

Board Certified, Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
State Bar of Texas (1983)
U. S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit
U. S. District Court, Northern, Southern and Western Districts of Texas
U.S. Supreme Court (2001)

Education

Baylor University School of Law (J.D., 1983)
Briefing Attorney to the Honorable James. K. Allen, Justice, Fifth District Court of Appeals (Dallas, 1983)
The University of Texas at Dallas (B.S., 1979)

Professional Affiliations & Memberships

State Bar of Texas
Texas Wesleyan School of Law, Adjunct Professor, Legal Writing
Moot Court Coach – Texas Wesleyan School of Law (2003-2008)
Moot Court Head Coach:
    1st Place Team – John J. Gibbons National Criminal Procedure Moot Court Competition at Seton Hall Law School (2008)
    1st Place Team – 9th Annual Pepperdine University School of Law National Entertainment Law Moot Court Competition (2006)
    2nd Place Team – 10th Annual Pepperdine University School of Law National Entertainment Law Moot Court Competition (2007)

Honors & Recognitions

Martindale-Hubbell® AV® PreeminentTM (5.0)
Top Attorney, Fort Worth, Texas magazine (2009)
Texas Super Lawyer, Texas Monthly magazine, (2003 - 2007 & 2009)
American Jurisprudence Award, Constitutional Law

Publications & Presentations

• “Texas Court of Appeals Update” The Appellate Advocate (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
•  “Effective Appellate Advocacy, ” Speaker, North East Tarrant County Bar Association, Fort Worth, TX, January 15, 2008
•  “Extraordinary Writs:  When Ordinary Relief Just Won’t Do, Marriage Dissolution Course,”  Co-Author, El Paso, TX, May 10-11, 2007
•  “What Gets Out and What Gets In?  Evidentiary and Discovery Issues in Coverage Cases,”  Co-Author, Insurance Law Institute, Houston, TX, November 11-12, 2004
•  “Too Fast, Too Furious – The Court’s Charge and the Charge Conference,” Legal Assistant University, Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas, Fort Worth, TX, September 22, 2004
• “Puttin On the Writs: Mandamus, Prohibition and Habeas Corpus,” Co-Author,  Advanced Family Law Course, Dallas, TX, August 5-8, 2002