I'm an appellate lawyer in Houston, Texas, at the law firm of Wright, Close & Barger LLP. On twitter, I'm jokingly called the "dean" of #AppellateTwitter. I love to practice appeals. But one dissatisfaction I have about life as a lawyer is how bound we are to our own countries and states. I may have international clients, but that work never takes place overseas, or in a cross-border setting. I'm hired because I know a lot about American appellate procedure. This podcast is my attempt to satisfy my curiosity about how people practice appellate law overseas. My goal is to speak to appellate lawyers and judges in all the great democracies of the world and learn, in granular detail, about appellate life there. I'm doing this to learn: but if y'all listen too, that would be even better.
In my very first episode of The Appellate Wanderer, I speak to Eduardo Romero Tagle, a Mexican lawyer currently practicing in the United States. Eduardo worked for many years as a law clerk and then later as an acting Chief of Staff to a Justice on the Mexican Supreme Court. We go into great detail on how the Mexican Supreme Court actually works: how petitions are brought to the Court, how cases are decided, and even how you go about seeking an ex parte appointment with one of the Ministro (Justices) to talk about your case! We also touch on Mexican legal education, and what kinds of things Eduardo thinks the Mexican legal system does especially well.
Our conversation was eye-opening about the complex and unique legal system of the United States' largest neighbor. I hope you join us for this wonderful and at times funny discussion. And if you have any suggestions for who I can speak to next, I would love for you to reach out to me on twitter @RMFifthCircuit. Let's explore the world of appeals together!