Houston partner Heidi Gumienny has been certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS) in Civil Appellate Law.
Gumienny has briefed and argued appeals before the Texas Courts of Appeals, the Texas Supreme Court, and the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Sixth Circuit, among other courts. She has participated in oral argument before the Houston Courts of Appeals and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Gumienny has experience prosecuting and defending interlocutory appeals and mandamus proceedings, as well as traditional appeals of final judgments, and seeks out opportunities to serve as the "appellate monitor" in high-stakes trials. In addition to appeals, her practice focuses on employment and labor law, municipal liability, and complex commercial litigation.
At present, the Texas State Bar website reports there are more than 95,000 licensed lawyers in Texas. Gumienny becomes one of only 438 lawyers to be certified in civil appellate law in the state.
Gordon & Rees’ Appellate Practice consists of more than 40 lawyers who focus a substantial portion of their practice on appeals. Gumienny is the second Gordon & Rees lawyer to become board certified in civil appellate law. She joins partner Matthew Kleiner who is certified as an Appellate Specialist by the California Board of Legal Specialization. Collectively the group’s appellate lawyers provide national coverage using their extensive experience in state and federal courts of appeal throughout the country, including the United States Supreme Court.
The TBLS certifies attorneys in 25 areas of law. The certification process is rigorous and thorough with stringent, ongoing requirements after initial certification. In brief, an applicant must have extensive experience in the specialty area, submit numerous qualified references, and pass a comprehensive, daylong, specialty area examination.