Hon. Renée Yanta

San Antonio, Texas

Education  + -

  • St. Mary's University School of Law; San Antonio, Texas
    Juris Doctor, Summa Cum Laude   1993
  • Conflict Resolution
    Arbitration Training   2007
  • Scientific Evidence Judge School, The Advanced Science & Technology Adjudication Resource Center, Inc.
    ASTAR Fellow   2010 - 2012

Experience  + -

  • Law Office of Renee Yanta, PLLC
    Owner   2019 - Present
  • PEARLS/Foster Girls Court
    Consultant Judge & Program Director   2019 - Present
  • 150th District Court
    Judge   2015 - 2018
  • Beirne, Maynard & Parson L.L.P
    Partner   2013 - 2014
  • 73rd District Court
    Judge   Appointed 2009; 2010 - 2012
  • Cox, Smith, Matthews Inc.
    Shareholder; Litigation Leader   2002 - 2012
  • Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
    Associate & Senior Associate; Litigation, Appellate Team   1993 - 2002
  • Texas Supreme Court
    Briefed &/or Argued
  • US Federal Circut
    Briefed &/or Argued
  • US 5th Circut Court of Appeals
    Briefed &/or Argued
  • US 10th Circuit Court of Appeals
    Briefed &/or Argued
  • 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 10th, 12th, 13th Courst of Appeals of Texas
    Briefed &/or Argued
  • Federal Courts; Western District of Texas
    Trial & Appellate Expertise, Trial Court Cases
  • Federal Courts; Northern District of Texas
    Trial & Appellate Expertise, Trial Court Cases
  • Texas State District Courts
    Trial & Appellate Expertise, Trial Court Cases
  • National Trial Dockets
    Trial & Appellate Expertise, Trial Court Cases

Memberships & Affiliations  + -

  • State Bar of Texas; Special Committee on Pattern Jury Charges
    Malpractice, Premises & Products   2004
  • State Bar of Texas; Special Committee on Pattern Jury Charges
    Business, Consumer , Employment   2005 - 2018
  • 5th Circuit Bar Association
  • San Antonio Bar Association; Member
    Law Day Chair; Board of Directors   2004; 2002 - 2006
  • San Antonio Bar Association; Appellate Practice & Advocacy Section
    Program Director; Special Events Coordinator; Chair Section   1995 - 96, 2001 - 02; 1996 - 97; 1997 - 99
  • San Antonio Bar Foundation
    Fellow
  • San Antonio Bar Foundation
    Board of Trustees   2001 - 2009
  • San Antonio Bar Foundation
    Peacemaker Award / Gala Chair   2005
  • San Antonio Bar Foundation
    Secretary   2005 - 2006
  • San Antonio Bar Foundation
    Treasurer   2006
  • San Antonio Bar Foundation
    Chair Elect   2006 - 2007
  • San Antonio Bar Foundation
    Chair   2007 - 2008
  • San Antonio Bar Foundation
    Past Chair   2008 - 2009
  • William Sessions American Inns of Court
    Member
  • William Sessions American Inns of Court
    Program Leader   1999 - 2000, 2015 - 2018
  • William Sessions American Inns of Court
    Secretary   2000 - 2001
  • William Sessions American Inns of Court
    Treasurer   2001 - 2002
  • William Sessions American Inns of Court
    Vice President   2002 - 2003
  • William Sessions American Inns of Court
    President - Elect   2003 - 2004
  • Bexar County Women's Bar Association/Foundation
    President   2001
  • Bexar County Women's Bar Association/Foundation
    President - Elect   2000
  • Bexar County Women's Bar Association/Foundation
    Board Member   1996 - 2002, 2011 - Present
  • Bexar County Women's Bar Association/Foundation
    Bench Brunch Chair   2000
  • Bexar County Women's Bar Association/Foundation
    Bench Brunch Committee Chair   1995 - 1999, 2001 - 2007
  • Mexican American Bar Association
  • St. Mary's University School of Law Alumni Association
    Board of Trustees   2001 - 2007
  • St. Mary's University School of Law Alumni Association
    Secretary of Board of Trustees   2002 - 2003
  • St. Mary's University School of Law Alumni Association
    Vice President of Board of Trustees   2003 - 2004
  • St. Mary's University School of Law Alumni Association
    President Elect   2004 - 2005
  • St. Mary's University School of Law Alumni Association
    President   2005 - 2006
  • St. Mary's University
    Board of Trustees, Subcommittee   2018
  • Texas Bar Foundation
    Fellow
  • Texas Women Lawyers
    Judicial Advisor   2010 - 2012
  • Texas Women Lawyers
    Board of Trustees   2007
  • Texas Women Lawyers
    Vice President   2008 - 2009
  • DRI
    Professional Liability Subcommittee   2007 - 2009
  • USLAW Network
    Board of Directors
  • USLAW Network
    Founder & Chair of USLAW Collection
  • USLAW Network
    Secretary   2004, 2005
  • USLAW Network
    Treasurer   2006, 2007
  • USLAW Network
    Vice Chair   2008
  • USLAW Network
    Chair   2009
  • University Health System Foundation
    Board Member   2016 - Present
  • University of the Incarnate Word; Development Board
    President   2006 - 2008
  • University of the Incarnate Word; Development Board
    President Elect   2004 - 2006
  • University of the Incarnate Word; Swing in Auction
    Chair   2004
  • University of the Incarnate Word; Swing In
    Chair   2003
  • University of the Incarnate Word; Swing In
    Co-Chair   2002
  • University of the Incarnate Word; Student Relations Committee
    Chair   2001
  • San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce
    2006 - 2010, 2012 - Present
  • Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center Advisory Board
    2015 - Present
  • Rape Crisis Center
    Board Member   2012 - 2015
  • St. Mary's University Board of Trustees
    2006 - 2007
  • United Way of San Antonio
    Women's Leadership Council   2001, 202, 2004 - 2010, 2018
  • United Way of San Antonio
    Program Review Leader   1998 - 2000
  • United Way of San Antonio
    Program Review Team Member   1996 - 1998
  • Child Guidance Center
    2003 - 2007
  • Child Guidance Center
    Golf Tournament Co-Chair   2005
  • Winston School
    Board of Directors   2006 - 2008
  • Rotary
    2006 - 2011
  • Monte Vista Historical Association; Member
    Board of Trustees; Treasurer; Corresponding Secretary   2006 - 10; 2008; 2009
  • Community Volunteer
    PEARLS Court; SUMMIT; Mayor's Task Force to Address Teen Pregnancy; GALS; Community Justice Program; Workgin Parents' Guild to Summer Survival; Wills Clinic; Elder Law Handbook; SAMM Shelter; Call-A-Lawyer; John Jay HS; Fox Tech HS; Churchill HS; Roosevelt HS
  • San Antonio Council of Girl Scouts
  • Boy Scouts

Honors & Awards  + -

  • Federal Civil Procedure; American Jurisprudence Award
  • Contract; American Jurisprudence Award
  • Constitutional Law 1 & 2; American Jurisprudence Award
  • Employment Law; American Jurisprudence Award
  • Bankruptcy; American Jurisprudence Award
  • Will & Estates; American Jurisprudence Award
  • Super Lawyer (Appellate) (Texas Monthly)
    2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014
  • Top Women Texas Super Lawyers (Texas Monthly)
    2006
  • Rising Star (Appellate) (Texas Monthly)
    2004
  • San Antonio's Best Lawyers (Appellate) (SA Scene)
    2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
  • San Antonio Bar Association President's Award for Service to the Bar
    2004
  • Belva Lockwood Outstanding Woman Lawyer Award
    2005
  • San Antonio Legal Secretary's Boss of the Year
    2009
  • San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce Vision & Voice Award
    2008
  • San Antonio Business Journal 2010 Women's Leadership Award
  • Seton Home Motherhood Award
    2018
  • THRU Project Honorary Chair Award
    2018
  • BECOME Empowerment Award
    2018

Speaking / Authoring / Seminars  + -

Editor in Chief, 24 ST. MARY'S LAW JOURNAL (1992-93)

Writer, 23 ST. MARY'S LAW JOURNAL (1991 -92)

Renee A. Forinash, Comment, Analyzing Scientific Evidence: From Validity to Reliability with a Two-Step Approach, 24 ST. MARY'S LAW JOURNAL (1992)

W. Wendell Hall & Renee A. Forinash, Employment and Labor Law, 48 S.M.U. L. Rev. 1135 (1995)

W. Wendell Hall & Renee A. Forinash, Employment and Labor Law, 49 S.M.U . L. Rev. 939 (1996)

Speaker and Author, South Texas College of Law, Employment Law Institute, Oct. 1995, Employment at Will in Texas

Renee A. Forinash, Summary Judgment Appeals: The Bull in the China Shop, in HANDLING APPEALS IN THE FOURTH COURT OF APPEALS (1995)

San Antonio Young Lawyer's Association Newsletter , Bi-monthly Procedural

Update Article, "Hitchhiker's Guide to Procedure," 1996-97, 1997-98

Renee Forinash McElhaney, Toward Permissive Appeal in Texas, 29 ST. MARY'S LAW JOURNAL (1998)

Speaker and Author , South Texas College of Law, Employment Law Institute, July 1998, Gender and Employment Law Update

Speaker and Author, 12th Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course 1998, State Bar of Texas, September 1998, Attacking and Defending Jurisdiction by Appeal and Mandamus

Speaker and Author, Appellate Law in the New Millennium 1999, The New Discovery Rules

Author, Explaining Permissive Appeal, Appellate Advocate, Appellate Section of the State Bar of Texas, 1999

Speaker and Author, Bexar County Women's Bar CLE Presentation May 2000, Hitchhiker's Guide to Procedure: A Procedure and Discovery Update

Speaker and Author, American Bar Association Annual Meeting (New York), Lights, Camera, Action: Oral Argument by Videoconferencing, July 2000

Speaker, "Legal Lines, " KTSA Radio, 2000

Author, Judicial Profile: Judge Janet Littlejohn , SAN ANTONIO LAWYER, January-February 2001

Speaker, "The Attorney-Client Privilege," American Association of Corporate Counsel (San Antonio Chapter), March 2001

Speaker, "The Attorney-Client Privilege," Alamo Area Association of Legal Professionals, April 2001

Speaker and Author, Preserving Error: A Snapshot Approach, San Antonio Bar Association , Anatomy of a Civil Trial, April 2001

Speaker, "The Attorney-Client Privilege," San Antonio Young Lawyers Luncheon CLE, May 2001

Author, The Attorney-Client Privilege in the Corporate Counsel Context, SAN ANTONIO LAWYER, July-August 2001

Speaker and Author, 15th Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Course 2001, State Bar of Texas, The New Permissive Appeal in Texas, September 2001

Speaker, San Antonio Bar Association Appellate Section Luncheon, Legislative Update: Changes in Interlocutory Appeal, October 2001

Speaker and Author, Procedure and Discovery Update, San Antonio Bar Association Appellate Section, Appellate Practice Spring Training, April 2002

Speaker and Author, The Ethical Aspects of the Attorney-Client Privilege, San Antonio Bar Association Ethics Seminar, April 2002

Speaker and Author, The Devil is in the Details: Taming the Procedure and Discovery Demons, MABA Las Vegas Seminar, July 2002

Author, Hot Topics in Discovery, Anatomy of a Civil Trial, May 2003

Speaker and Author, Discovery Update, MABA Las Vegas Seminar, July 2003

Speaker and Author, Even Hotter Topics in Discovery, Bexar County Women's Bar Luncheon, September 2003

Author, A Practitioner's Supreme Court Update, Newsletter offered to over 300 Practitioners Free of Charge, 2002-2005

Speaker and Author, Can You Keep A Secret: The Trade Secret Privilege in Products Litigation, USLAW Network National Seminar, March 2004

Director, USLAW and the City; Employment Law Seminar; USLAW Network National Seminar, May 2004

Speaker and Author, Supreme Court Update, MABA Las Vegas Seminar, July 2004

Speaker and Author, Hot Topics at the High Court - Texas Supreme Court Update, State Bar of Texas, Legal Assistant Division , San Antonio Luncheon Seminar, November 2004

Speaker and Author, Supreme Court Update, 2005 Legal Outfitter, February 2005

Speaker and Author, Texas Supreme Court: Evidentiary Trends, Bexar County Women's Bar Association Luncheon, February 2005

Author, Creative Use of Motions in Limine, San Antonio Bar Association, Anatomy of a Civil Trial, May 2005

Author, Supreme Court Update 2005, Appellate Section of the San Antonio Bar Association, February 2006

Presenter and Author, The E-Discovery Zone, USLAW Network National Seminar, September 2006

Presenter and Author, The E-Discovery Zone, Williams Sessions Inn of Court, October 2006

Presenter, Developing Your Practice, USLAW Women's Retreat, November 2006

Speaker, E-Discovery, Federal Bar Association-San Antonio, November 2006

Author, Traps Eliminated: 2006 Update of Appellate Law, The Texas Lawyer, December 29, 2006

Presenter, E-Discovery, USLAW Women's Retreat, May 2007

Author, Out of Left Field: How Tony Gullo Motors v. Chapa, SAN ANTONIO LAWYER, May 2007

Author and Speaker, Finding Your E-Discovery Vendor, USLAW Network National Seminar October 2007

Author and Speaker, "Protecting The Attorney-Client Privilege ," November 2007

Conference Chair, USLAW Collection May 2008

Author and Speaker, Supreme Court Update 2008, Hidalgo Women's Bar Association, November 2008

Speaker, Ethical Practice Development, San Antonio Young Lawyers Association, March 2009

Author, Supreme Court Update 2004-09

Author, Supreme Court Update, Appellate Advocate , State Bar of Texas, Appellate Practice & Advocacy Section, January 2010

Speaker, Family Law from the New Kid on the Block, San Antonio Family Law Association, February 2010

Speaker, Ethical Witness Preparation, Bexar County Women 's Bar Foundation, March 2010

Speaker, Ethical Witness Preparation for Legal Secretaries, San Antonio Bar Legal Secretaries Association, March 2010

Author, Supreme Court Update, Appellate Advocate, State Bar of Texas, Appellate Practice & Advocacy Section, April 2010

Speaker, Bench Trials & Motions, Summary Judgment Panel, San Antonio Bar Association, May 2010

Author, Supreme Court Update, Appellate Advocate, State Bar of Texas, Appellate Practice & Advocacy Section, October 2010

Author, Supreme Court Update, Appellate Advocate , State Bar of Texas, Appellate Practice & Advocacy Section , December 2010

Speaker and Author, Movin' To Greener Pastures: Relocating After Entry of Final Orders, San Antonio Bar Association-Family Law Section, Extreme Family Law Makeover IX, March 2011

Author, Supreme Court Update, Appellate Advocate, State Bar of Texas, Appellate Practice & Advocacy Section, April 2011

Panelist, Proximate Cause Redefined: The Controversy Over Substantial Factor, TexasBarCLE Webinar, recorded April 2011

Bench Trials & Motions, Appellate Issues for Trial Lawyers, San Antonio Bar Association, May 2011

Author, Muddling Through Cause in Fact, Appellate Advocate, State Bar of Texas, Appellate Practice & Advocacy Section, October 2011

Author, Supreme Court Update, Appellate Advocate, State Bar of Texas, Appellate Practice & Advocacy Section, Spring 2012

Speaker, Bench Trials & Motions, New Trends in Discovery , San Antonio Bar Association, May 2012

Speaker, Hitchhiker's Guide to Fiduciary Litigation , University of Texas, Paige Keeton Civil Litigation Conference October 2012

Author and Speaker, Deep and Wide: There's a Fiduciary Duty Deep and Wide, TexasBarCLE, 7th Annual Anatomy of Fiduciary Litigation, November 2012

Speaker, Family Law Appeal, San Antonio Family Law Association, January 2013

Meeting Author and Speaker : Family Law Update: Procedure and Evidence Review , Extreme Family Law Makeover, February 2013

Speaker/Teacher: Appellate Law: San Antonio Legal Assistance Association 2013

Author and Speaker: Hitchhiker 's Guide to Family Law, Texas Advanced Paralegal

Seminar October 3, 2013

Speaker, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Texas Judiciary, Government, Northwest Vista College, April 2014

Speaker, The Top Ten Reasons Paralegals Are Super Heroes, San Antonio Legal Assistant Association May 2014

Speaker/Panelist; Jury Charge Practice, State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Trial, July 2014

Speaker, The Top Ten Reasons Paralegals Are Super Heroes, SALSA August 2014

Speaker; The Noble Lawyer, Law Magnet School, October 2014

Speaker; A Few from the Bench, San Antonio Trial Lawyers Ass'n, February 2015

Speaker; Judicial Roundtable, Extreme Family Law Makeover, February 2015

Speaker, The Mechanics of Motions for New Trial, Bench Trials & Motions Seminar of the San Antonio Bar Association, May 2015

Speaker, Introducing PEARLS Court, Girls at the Margin Action Alliance

Speaker, Sticky Floors and Glass Ceilings, State Bar of Texas Convention, June 2015

Speaker/Panelist; Motions for Summary Judgment, State Bar of Texas Advanced Personal Injury Trial Law, July 2015

Keynote Speaker, San Antonio Business Journal Women's Leadership Award, August 2015

Speaker, Sticky Floors and Glass Ceilings: The Transformational Role of Women in the Construction Industry, AEC/O Women's Mini-Forum January 2016

Speaker; The New Local Rules, San Antonio Bar Family Lawyers Ass'n, May 2016

Speaker; Judicial Roundtable, Bench Trials & Motions Seminar of the San Antonio Bar Association, May 2016

Speaker, Developing Your Practice, Bexar County Women's Bar CLE Retreat, June 2016

Speaker/Panelist; Things to Do and Things Not to Do at Trial/Hearing, State Bar of Texas Advanced Personal Injury Trial Law, July 2016

Speaker, Conquering Sticky Floors and Glass Ceilings, National Ass'n of Female Executives, July 2016

Speaker , The Road to the United States Supreme Court, Texas Ass'n of Legal Professionals' Fall Educational Conference , September 2016

Speaker, The Feminine Side of Legal Ethics, ,St. Mary's Univ. School of Law, Women's Law Ass'n, September 2016

Speaker, Things Your Judge Wants You to Know (and your Attorney may NOT have mentioned), State Conference of the Paralegal Division of the State Bar of Texas, September 2016

Panelist, A View from the Bench, Mediator Training, Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center, September 2016

Speaker, The Anatomy of a Noble Lawyer, St. Mary's Law Journal Symposium, 2016

Speaker; Judicial Roundtable, Bench Trials & Motions Seminar of the San Antonio Bar Association, May 2017

Speaker, Learning from Women Lawyer Leaders, Bexar County Women's Bar CLE Retreat, June 2017

Speaker, Keynote Address, San Antonio College Backyard Brigade 2017

Speaker , Becoming a Noble Lawyer, St. Mary's University Women's Law Association September 2017

Speaker, the State of Foster Care in Bexar County, San Antonio Legal Secretaries Association 2017

Speaker, I Am My Father's Daughter, Leadership San Antonio 2017

Speaker, Compadre y Compadre Graduation, 2017

Speaker and Author, Responsible Third Party Practice, Bench Trials & Motions Seminar of the San Antonio Bar Association , May 2018

Speaker, Bexar County Women's Bar CLE Retreat, June 2018

Speaker, The Noble Lawyer, UTSA Summer Law Symposium, June 2018