Hon. Murry B. Cohen

Houston, Texas

Justice Murry B. Cohen served for more than nineteen years on the Court of Appeals for the 1st District of Texas in Houston, deciding civil and criminal appeals from fourteen Texas counties.

Having been certified in Civil Appellate Law and in Criminal Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Justice Cohen focuses on appeals in Texas and federal courts and on trial procedure, including dispositive legal motions, jury charges, and post-trial motions.

Education  + -

  • University of Texas School of Law
    J.D.   1972
  • George Washington University
    B.A.   1967

Experience  + -

  • 1st District of Texas in Houston, Texas
    Judge   1982 - 2000
  • Sky View at Las Palmas, LLC v. Mendez, 555 S.W.3d 101
    Judge   2018
  • Texas Mutual Ins. Co. v. Ruttiger, 381 S.W.3d 430
    Judge   2012
  • Chu v. Hong, 249 S.W.3d 441
    Judge   2008
  • The Chair King, Inc. v. GTE Mobilnet of Houston, Inc., 184 S.W.3d 707
    Judge   2006
  • Centennial Psychiatric Associates, LLC v. Cantrell, 2017 WL 6544283; Houston 14th District
    Judge   2017
  • International Business Machines Corp. v. Lufkin Industries, Inc., 2017 WL 2962836
    Judge   2017
  • Vast Construction, LLC v. CTC Contractors, LLC, 526 S.W.3d 709; Houston 14th District
    Judge   2017
  • MKM Engineers, Inc. v. Guzder, 476 S.W.3d 770; Houston 14th District
    Judge   2015
  • Anderson Energy Corp. et al. v. Dominion Oklahoma Texas Exploration & Production Inc. et al., 04-14-00170-CV
    Judge   2015
  • Gloria Hicks, v. Group & Pension Administrators, Inc., 13–14 –00607–CV
    Judge   2015
  • Midstate Env. Servs., LP v. Peterson, 10-13-00138-CV
    Judge   2014
  • BJ Services, S.R.L., et al v. Great American Insurance Company, 2013 WL 4779701; 5th Circuit
    Judge   2013
  • Texas Mutual Ins. Co. v. Ray Ferguson Interests, Inc., 2006 WL 648834; Houston 1st District
    Judge   2006
  • Texas Mutual Insurance Co. v. Sembera Security Systems, Inc. , 2009 WL 214573; Houston 1st District
    Judge   2009
  • Castle & Cooke Mortgage Co. v. Diamond T. Ranch Development, Inc., 2010 WL 4229113
    Judge   2010

Memberships & Affiliations  + -

  • Texas Bar Foundation
    Life Fellow
  • Houston Bar Foundation
    Life Fellow

Honors & Awards  + -

  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America as “Lawyer of the Year” in appellate practice in the Houston region
    2019
  • Named to The Best Lawyers in America in appellate law, “bet-thecompany” litigation, and commercial litigation
    2006 - 2018
  • Recognized by Chambers USA as a top Texas appellate lawyer
    2006 - 2017
  • Named one of the top 100 lawyers in Texas, Texas Super Lawyers, Thompson Reuters
    2010, 2011, & 2014
  • Named by the Super Lawyers Magazine as one of the top 100 lawyers in the Houston region, Thompson Reuters
    2003 - 2017
  • Akin Gump Obtains Texas Court Ruling on Behalf of Yates Energy Corporation in Case of First Impression
    2018
  • Best Lawyers in America 2019 Recognizes 62 Akin Gump Lawyers
    2018
  • Super Lawyers 2017 Recognizes 120 Akin Gump Lawyers
    2018
  • Sixty-four U.S. Akin Gump Lawyers Selected as Best Lawyers
    2017
  • Chambers USA 2017 Recognizes Akin Gump 79 Lawyers and 34 Practices
    2017
  • NLJ Picks Akin Gump for Ninth Consecutive Appearance on Appellate Hot List
    2016
  • Best Lawyers in America Recognizes 67 Akin Gump Lawyers
    2016
  • Chambers USA 2016 Recognizes Akin Gump Lawyers and Practices
    2016

Speaking / Authoring / Seminars  + -

Speeches

  • “Magna Carta- Lessons from 1215- 2014”, panel discussionbefore the St. Thomas More Society of Houston, with Justice TerryJennings, Judge Charles Spain, and David Furlow, First Court of Appeals Courtroom, June 12, 2014
  • “ADR on Appeal,” South Texas College of Law, with former JusticeDavid Keltner and former Chief Justice Alice Oliver-Parrott, May 2,2014 before the Houston Bar Association Section on Alternate Dispute Resolution
  • “Briefing on Appeal,” with Justice Terry Jennings, first-yearstudents, University of Houston Law Center, March 31, 2014
  • Judged final round of moot court competition with Justice Evelyn Keyes and former Justice Wanda Fowler. Thurgood Marshall School of Law, Texas Southern University, March 24, 2014
  • “Appellate Advocacy,” with Justice Terry Jennings, University ofHouston Law Center, 2011-14
  • “Texas Appeals – A Few Tips and a Few Tales,” to the Akin GumpTexas Litigation Partners’ Meeting, March 10, 2011
  • “Oral Argument,” University of Houston Law Center, March 11, 2011
  • “Texas Supreme Court Update,” Harris County Judicial EducationConference, August 9, 2010
  • “Chu v. Hong: Formulating a Winning Appeal” (co-presenter), StateBar of Texas Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course, Practice Before the Texas Supreme Court (April 17, 2009)
  • “Preservation of Error in Probate Litigation” (presented toAttorneys in Tax and Probate, November 4, 2008)
  • “Oral Advocacy in the Trial Court and on Appeal” (with Justice Eva Guzman, 5th Circuit Judge Jennifer Elrod and Professor Gerald Treece), South Texas College of Law Advanced Civil Trial Seminar (February 22, 2007)
  • “Punitive Damages,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course (September 9, 2005)
  • “Post-Verdict Preservation of Error,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Trial Course (November 10, 2004)
  • “Preserving Error for Appellate Review and Avoiding Malpractice,”Houston Bar Association (November 5, 2004)
  • “Daubert in 2004: 10 Topical Approaches to Attacking Expert Testimony,” Houston Bar Association Appellate Section (October20, 2004)
  • “Presenting Oral Argument” (with Texas Court of Appeals Justices Dori Garza, Ann McClure, Brian Quinn, and Bea Ann Smith), State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Appellate Course (September 9,2004)

Publications

  • Is Grand Jury Reform Needed in Texas? by Murry B. Cohen.
  • A Texas Court’s Authority to Grant Immunity: When Defendants’ Rights Collide with Prosecutorial Power co-authored by Murry B. Cohen.
  • Did We Kill an Innocent Man? by Murry B. Cohen, Barry Scheck.
  • When a Creditors’ Committee Dies, Does its Pending Appeal Die Too? by Murry B. Cohen, J. Stephen Barrick.