DALLAS, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Appellate Justice Joseph B. Morris, who served on the Dallas 5th District Court of Appeals from 1992 until his retirement in December 2012, has joined Dallas' Hankinson LLP as Of Counsel.

In his new position, Justice Morris is working with Hankinson LLP's appellate lawyers to provide increased value for firm clients at all stages of the litigation and appeals process. He also works in the firm's arbitration practice, with an emphasis on disputes involving complex legal issues.

Justice Morris' career on the bench also includes presiding over more than 600 trials as judge of Dallas' 101^st District Court from 1987 to 1992. He provides a quarter century of judicial wisdom and insights for Hankinson LLP's clients.

"Joe is an invaluable addition to our firm," says firm founder Deborah Hankinson, who is both a former colleague of Justice Morris on the Dallas appeals court, as well as a former justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. "His considerable experience and abilities further establish us as appellate lawyers who not only understand the law, but who also can offer important insights as to how judges and juries may react to a case."

During his 20 years on the Dallas appeals court, Justice Morris authored more than 2,000 judicial opinions covering issues related to property rights, corporate governance, contracts, employee-employer relations, torts, and statutory claims. Upon leaving the bench, Justice Morris was honored by the American Board of Trial Advocates with an award acknowledging his "25 years of exemplary service to the jury system."

In 2002, the Supreme Court of Texas appointed Justice Morris to the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct, the body that has statewide jurisdiction to review and investigate complaints about Texas judges. He twice served as the Commission's chairman. Justice Morris is an alumnus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he earned both his undergraduate and law degrees.

Hankinson LLP, the preeminent civil appellate firm in the Southwest, provides clients with innovative legal insights and judicial perspective in all phases of litigation. The firm's attorneys work with trial teams to develop strategies designed to put a case in the best position before, during and after trial. Dallas-based Hankinson LLP represents national clients, regional companies, governmental bodies, and individuals with trial and appellate matters, and offers mediation and arbitration services as well. Learn more about the firm at http://hankinsonlaw.com.

For more information on Justice Joe Morris joining Hankinson LLP, please contact Mark Annick at 800-559-4534 or mark@androvett.com.

SOURCE Hankinson LLP