Justice Gardner was born and raised in Corpus Christi. She graduated from the University of Texas in 1964, and the U.T. School of Law in 1966, where she was an Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review. She served as Law Clerk with Honorable Leo Brewster, U.S. District Judge, Northern District of Texas from 1967-1971, was a partner with the firm of Simon, Peebles, Haskell, Gardner & Betty for 13 years and a partner with McLean & Sanders for 4 years. From 1988 until her appointment to the Court by Governor George W. Bush on January 1, 2000, she was a senior partner with Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, where she was Chair of that firm's Appellate Section.
Justice Gardner is board certified in Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and served on that Board's Advisory Commission on Appellate Civil Law for 12 years (chairman 1993). She was appointed to and served on the Texas Supreme Court's Advisory Committee from 1993 until 1998. Justice Gardner is a former President of the Tarrant County Bar Association (Vice President 1984-85; Director 1977-79, 1982-84) and is a member of the American Bar Association. She served three terms as a director of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel (1988-91, 91-94, 97-99). She is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, a Charter Fellow of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation, a member of the State Bar College, an Emeritus Master of the Bench and founding member of the Eldon Mahon Inn of Court, a member of the American Law Institute, a member of the State Bar of Texas Pattern Jury Charge Committee on Intentional Torts and Negligence, and selected Appellate Justice of the Year for 2005 by the Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Publications authored by Justice Gardner include Practicing Under the New Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, 49 Baylor L. Rev. 867 (1998) (co-authored with Chief Justice John Cayce); Persuasive Brief Writing, Tarrant County Bar Ass'n Appellate Section Seminar (1997); Mandamus Proceedings, Texas Association of Defense Counsel Fall Meeting (1995); Ambiguity-And Other Contract Issues in Insurance Coverage Disputes, Ultimate Insurance Seminar (State Bar of Texas 1993); Insurer Insolvency-"Due Diligence" of the Surplus Lines Broker, C.P.C.U. Symposium (1993); Standards of Review, Denton County Appellate Seminar (1993); Summary Judgments, The Advocate (State Bar of Texas Litigation Section 1991); Liability Insurance, Ch. 71, Texas Torts and Remedies (Matthew-Bender 1987).
Staff:
- Staff Attorney
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Scott E. Lindsey
Libby Lange - Secretary
- Linda Ritchey
Updated: 11-Oct-2010
