R. Michael Northrup is Senior Counsel in the Appellate Practice Group of Cowles & Thompson. He practices in both the trial and appellate courts in cases involving personal injury, insurance issues, employment law and commercial disputes, and he provides litigation support to attorneys in other sections of the firm. Mr. Northrup served as a briefing attorney for former Chief Justice Thomas R. Phillips, Texas Supreme Court, 1988-89.He has taught as an adjunct professor at Hastings College of Law and SMU School of Law.He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
R. Michael Northrup is Senior Counsel in the Appellate Practice Group of Cowles & Thompson. He practices in both the trial and appellate courts in cases involving personal injury, insurance issues, employment law and commercial disputes, and he provides litigation support to attorneys in other sections of the firm. Mr. Northrup served as a briefing attorney for former Chief Justice Thomas R. Phillips, Texas Supreme Court, 1988-89. He has taught as an adjunct professor at Hastings College of Law and SMU School of Law. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
Mr. Northrup is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association, College of the State Bar of Texas, and the Defense Research Institute. He serves as the Chair for the Appellate Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association.
Mr. Northrup is a contributing author to the Texas Torts & Remedies as well as the Texas Litigation Guide for which he has authored chapters on the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, Punitive Damages, Limitation of Actions, the Appellate Record, and Liquor Liability. He also authored Restrictions on Class-Action Attorney-Fee Awards, 46 South Texas Law Review (2005), Per Curiam Disposition The Houston Lawyer, March/April 1990, and Per Curiam Review in the Supreme Court, The Appellate Advocate, Winter 1990.
A sample of published opinions in which Mr. Northrup wrote the brief and/or argued: Northrup v. Southwestern Bell Tel. Co., 72 S.W.3d 1 (Tex. App. -- Corpus Christi 2001, pet. denied); Texas Commerce Bank v. Grizzle, 96 S.W.3d 240 (Tex. 2002); Espalin v. Children's Medical Center, 27 S.W.3d 675 (Tex. App. -- Dallas 2000, no pet. h.); St. Paul Surplus Lines Ins. Co. v. Dal-Worth Tank Co., 974 S.W.2d 51 (Tex. 1998); Greene's Pressure Testing & Rentals, Inc. v. Flournoy Drilling Co., 113 F.3d 47 (5th Cir. 1997); Pansegrau v. National Union Fire Ins. Co., 23 F.3d 960 (5th Cir. 1994); Little v. Smith, 943 S.W.2d 414 (Tex. 1997); Cleaver v. George Staton Co. 908 S.W.2d 468 (Tex. App.--Tyler 1995, writ denied); Besing v. Vanden Eykel 878 S.W.2d 182 (Tex. App.--Dallas 1994, writ denied); Beavers v. Northrop Worldwide Aircraft Servs. 821 S.W.2d 669 (Tex. App.--Amarillo 1991, writ denied); First Title Co of Waco v. Garrett 802 S.W.2d 254 (Tex. App.--Waco 1990), aff'd in part, rev'd in part, 860 S.W.2d 74 (Tex. 1993); Fogel v. Shoemake 795 S.W.2d 903, rev'd 826 S.W.2d 933 (Tex. 1992).
Mr. Northrup received his B.S. degree in 1985 from Texas A & M University and his J.D. degree in 1988 from Texas Tech University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Phi. Additionally, he was a recipient of the Houston Bar Foundation's award for Outstanding Legal Article and was named to the Who's Who Among Attorneys in America from 1989-90. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1988 and is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, as well as the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Education:
J.D., Texas Tech University School of Law, 1988
B.S. Texas A&M University, 1985
Admissions:
State Bar of Texas, 1988
United States Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
Memberships & Affiliations:
Member, State Bar of Texas
Member, Dallas Bar Association (Chair, Appellate Law Section, 2008)
Provides litigation support in pretrial matters, including review of pleadings, drafting of complex motions and responses, preservation of error during trial, and preparation of jury charges
Handles post-trial and appellate matters, including drafting of proposed judgments, post-trial motions, requests for findings of fact and conclusions of law, supersedeas challenges, and appellate briefs
Successfully obtained reversal of judgment against chiropractors and doctors for alleged fraudulent treatment and billing practices and conspiracy charges
Successfully invalidated contractual indemnity clause in appeal of insurance coverage dispute under the Texas Oilfield Anti-indemnity Act
Successfully defended in-house insurance counsel against allegations of the unauthorized practice of law
Successfully defended a summary judgment in a Will contest involving a Will purportedly signed on the decedent’s deathbed
Established the right of putative class members objecting to class action settlement agreement to appeal judgment approving the settlement agreement
Successfully defended a Trust against a beneficiary’s divorcing spouse’s claim that the trust was community property
Reversed a summary judgment barring a lender from foreclosing on real property due to the expiration of the statute of limitations
Successfully defended an appeal asserting that an employer discriminated against its employee on the basis of gender, and retaliated against her
Successfully overturned a $5 million medical negligence verdict
Successfully overturned an insurance bad-faith jury verdict including punitive damage award
