Brewer Firm Featured in Law360 Reporting: Competing With Big Law

On July 12, 2021, Law360 highlighted Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors as among a group of leading boutique law firms who compete with Big Law. The article, “How Boutique Firms Kept In Front of The BigLaw Salary War,” explores how boutiques compete for top talent through compensation and professional opportunity.

The article mentions that Brewer raised salaries in June for first-year starting associates to $205,000 – and also increased pay for other lawyers, consultants and professionals at the firm.

"We aim to keep our salaries commensurate with the demands on the professionals, which is at the highest level," Brewer Partner William Brewer told Law360. He added that that the firm employs many in-house business professionals, including consulting experts, investigators and communications specialists.

"We don't wait till the end of the day to figure out what the experts are going to say about cases," Brewer said. "We have those professionals in-house to start thinking through those issues that are typically only handled by outside consultants or experts."

Brewer added that this means young lawyers can “be the captain on a case” early on in their career.

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The Hill Reports on NRA Countersuit Against New York Attorney General Letitia James

On February 24, 2021, The Hill reported that firm client, the National Rifle Association of America (NRA), filed a counter lawsuit against New York Attorney General Letitia James accusing her of "weaponizing" her power against the group.

Filed in the New York Supreme Court, the legal filing states, “James’s threatened, and actual, regulatory and civil reprisals are a blatant and malicious retaliation campaign against the NRA and its constituents based on her disagreement with the content of their speech. This wrongful conduct threatens to destroy the NRA and chill the speech of the NRA, its members, and other constituents, including like-minded groups and their members.”

William Brewer, counsel to the NRA, told The Hill in a statement that the group believes "the NYAG’s actions are retaliatory and reflect ‘selective use’ of regulatory oversight against the Association in violation of constitutional rights."

"The NRA will continue to confront the NYAG’s weaponization of power – to the benefit of the Association, its millions of members, and all who believe in constitutional freedom," Brewer said.

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Texas Supreme Court Exonerates Partner William Brewer in Pretrial Survey Case

The Texas Supreme Court on April 24 ruled that Brewer, Attorneys & Counselors Partner William Brewer did not act in bad faith when he conducted a pretrial survey in advance of a products liability trial. The ruling reverses a prior sanctions award levied against Brewer by a trial court.  

“We appreciate the attention paid by the court on this important issue. The opinion validates what we have believed all along – that Bill and our law firm acted ethically at all times,” says Michael J. Collins, partner at Brewer. “This outcome underscores our commitment to the highest of ethical standards.”

 Brewer was sanctioned by a trial court in 2014 in connection with a telephone survey that opposing counsel contended was a "push poll" meant to influence the jury. 

However, the Texas Supreme Court's opinion, issued on April 24, 2020, states: "Though the survey Brewer commissioned is not without its faults, the evidence shows he undertook reasonable efforts to secure a third-party industry professional to create a relatively balanced public opinion survey for random administration."

“This is an important victory for every lawyer in Texas,” says Linda Eads, professor emerita, SMU Dedman School of Law, and counsel to the Brewer firm. “It provides protection from unreasonable sanctions imposed by a trial judge not based on facts and evidence.”

Professor Eads continued, “The opinion confirms the Brewer firm acted appropriately at all times, and the survey in question was balanced for random administration. In this instance, the court ruled decisively in favor of Bill and the firm, finding the ‘record bears no direct, or even circumstantial, evidence of bad faith.’”

Dallas Morning News: Supreme Court Refuses Farmers Branch Immigration Ordinance

March 3, 2014 – The Dallas Morning News reports that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a lower-court ruling finding a rental ordinance in Farmers Branch, Texas, unconstitutional.  

The ordinance sought to ban landlords from to renting to people who are in the U.S. unlawfully . The court’s decision brough ta seven-year legal battle to an end. The ordinance was never enforced.  

Attorney William “Bill” Brewer said of the conclusion of the case that, “This is over...Our hope is that the city will close this unfortunate chapter in its history and begin to embrace the changing demographics of the community – as part of a more inclusive and dynamic future.”  

Read more here. 

Wall Street Journal: Judges Block Immigrant Laws in Texas, South Carolina

July 23, 2013 – The Wall Street Journal reports that the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an ordinance by the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch that sought to bar landlords from renting to immigrants living in the U.S. without legal documentation. 

The judges concluded that the ordinance illegally interfered with the federal government’s enforcement of immigration laws. The article noted that the suburbs received national attention after first attempting to enact the law in 2006, citing an influx of undocumented immigrants.  

Attorney William “Bill” Brewer, who represented plaintiffs challenging the ordinance, said the law was motivated by community members who were apprehensive about the growing Latino population.  

“It’s not within the power of a municipality to slow down or change the ethnic composition of their communities through an effort to regulate immigration,” he said. 

Read more here. 

Dallas Morning News: OSU, Pickens Lose Key Round

March 12, 2012 – The Dallas Morning News reports on a high-profile dispute between firm client Larry Anders and the fundraising arm of Oklahoma State University over the school’s “Gift of a Lifetime” program that involved oilman T. Boone Pickens, among others. The article, titled “U.S. Judge Rules Oklahoma State Officials, Pickens weren’t Tricked into Life Insurance Deal,” reports that U.S. District Judge Jorge Solis rejected all claims by OSU officials and Pickens – siding with firm client Anders.

According to the article, OSU alumni “agreed to allow the university to purchase $10 million life insurance policies on them, policies that reportedly would have raised as much as $350 million in benefits.” The program reportedly ran into trouble, as “OSU had paid $33 million in premiums for two years and was facing a $16 million payment.”

“Cowboy Athletics ran into three problems,” said attorney Bill Brewer, who represented Mr. Anders, the general agent and broker who has been sued by Cowboy Athletics and Pickens. “The bad financial markets caused one of the school’s primary funding sources to dry up. Second, they had not arranged for premium financing because they depended on the funding sources. And, none of the 27 people died.”

Solis also rejected Pickens’ claim that he had been defrauded or misled by the “Gift of a Lifetime” effort, reported The News.

To read more, click here.

AP: Texas Attorney Fights Illegal Immigration Rules

February 8, 2009 – The Associated Press reports on attorney William “Bill” Brewer’s successful work representing landlords in Farmers Branch, Texas, fighting the city’s efforts to prevent illegal immigrants from renting apartments and houses.  

In November 2006, the Farmers Branch City Council passed a city ordinance requiring landlords to check the immigration status of renters.  

“What they’re doing in Farmers Branch is highly illegal, inappropriate and unconstitutional,” said Brewer. 

The article described Brewer’s dedication to civil rights work and advocacy on behalf of the Latino population. 

“Generating an antagonism between Anglos and Hispanics is not the way to go,” Brewer said. “This is a state, if it’s not already, will soon be, a state where the majority of the people in our community ... are of Hispanic origin.”   

Brewer also described the advocacy of Bickel & Brewer Storefront (now Brewer Storefront), offering pro-bono services.  

“The goal here was to do something a little different and it was – and is – to bring the resources that are available to our corporate clients to community impact cases.” 

Speaking further on the growth of the Hispanic population in Texas, Brewer said that “The most important time in the history of Texas is right now in how we handle this shifting demographic. And it is an opportunity, it’s not bad, it’s all good.”  

Read more here. 

AP: Judge Rules Texas Town’s Illegal Immigrant Apartment Rental Ban Unconstitutional

May 28, 2008 – The Associated Press reports that U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay found that a rental ordinance passed by city leaders in Farmers Branch, Texas, was unconstitutional and only the federal government can regulate immigration.  

The ordinance would have barred apartment rental to illegal immigrants and required landlords to verify legal status. 

Attorney William “Bill” Brewer, who represented apartment complex operators who opposed the rule, celebrated the victory. Lindsay found that the city did not defer to the federal government on the matter and violated the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.  

“It’s a good day, not just for my clients,” Brewer said. “It’s a good day for people who are thinking clearly about what is the proper role of municipal governments in the immigration debate.”  

Read more here.