Hon. Renée Yanta
San Antonio, Texas
Education + -
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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 + -
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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 + -
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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