Special to the Bulletin
Gov. Greg Abbott has reappointed all 10 judges serving on the Texas Business Court to new two-year terms beginning Sept. 1, saying the specialized court has helped resolve complex commercial disputes since it began operating in 2024.
The reappointments include judges serving in the court's First, Third, Fourth, Eighth and Eleventh divisions.
The Fourth Division, which includes Bandera County, is served by Marialyn Barnard and Stacy Sharp of San Antonio.
In announcing the appointments, Abbott said the court has handled hundreds of cases since its creation and has helped move commercial disputes forward more efficiently.
'Businesses choose Texas in record numbers because Texas delivers results,' Abbott said. 'The Texas Business Court has resolved complex commercial disputes with unmatched speed and expertise.'
According to the governor's office, the court was created to provide specialized judges for complex commercial matters, allowing cases to move more efficiently and giving businesses greater certainty as they invest, expand and create jobs.
The release said the judges have helped strengthen Texas' position as a business-friendly state and have drawn national attention as a model for resolving commercial disputes.
The judges reappointed are:
First Business Court Division
Andrea Bouressa of Murphy has served on the First Business Court Division since September 2024. She previously served as judge of the 471st Judicial District Court and completed a two-year term as local administrative district judge for Collin County.
William 'Bill' Whitehill of Coppell has served on the First Business Court Division since September 2024. He previously headed the appellate and special issues practice group at Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton Nerenberg PLLC and formerly served as a justice on the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas.
Third Business Court Division
Melissa Andrews of Austin has served on the Third Business Court Division since September 2024.
She previously was an equity partner at Holland & Knight, served as an attorney for Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Boyd and First Court of Appeals Justice Harvey Brown, and clerked for Judge Don R. Willett while he served on the Texas Supreme Court.
Patrick K. Sweeten of Austin has served on the Third Business Court Division since September 2024. He previously served as principal deputy general counsel in the Office of the Governor and deputy attorney general for special litigation in the Office of the Texas Attorney General.
Fourth Business Court Division
Marialyn Barnard of San Antonio has served on the Fourth Business Court Division since September 2024.
She previously served as judge of the 73rd Judicial District Court in Bexar County, Bexar County commissioner for Precinct 3, and spent 10 years as a justice on the Fourth Court of Appeals.
Stacy Sharp of San Antonio has served on the Fourth Business Court Division since September 2024 and currently serves as administrative presiding judge pro tempore.
She previously owned Sharp Appellate PLLC and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
Eighth Business Court Division
Jerry Bullard of Colleyville has served on the Eighth Business Court Division since September 2024. He previously was a shareholder and attorney with Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C., and has more than 30 years of state and federal trial and appellate litigation experience.
Brian Stagner of Fort Worth has served on the Eighth Business Court Division since September 2024. He previously served as counsel and partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP and as an adjunct professor teaching business law at Texas Christian University.
Eleventh Business Court Division
Sofia Adrogué of Houston has served on the Eleventh Business Court Division since September 2024.
She previously was a partner at Diamond Mc-Carthy LLP, founded and edits the Texas Business Litigation Treatise, now in its sixth edition and dedicated to the Texas Business Court, and began her legal career clerking for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Grant Dorfman of Bellaire has served on the Eleventh Business Court Division since September 2024 and currently serves as administrative presiding judge.
He previously served as a visiting judge, deputy first assistant attorney general in the Office of the Texas Attorney General, judge of the 334th and 129th judicial district courts in Harris County, counsel for Sheehy, Ware, Pappas & Grubbs, P.C., and senior in-house counsel for Nabors Industries.
The Texas Legislature established the Texas Business Court through House Bill 19, which Abbott signed into law in 2023.
The specialized trial court was created to hear certain complex commercial disputes and, according to the governor's office, help maintain Texas' position as a leading state for business.
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