Sara Berkeley Churchin

Professional Background

Experience

• Handles all aspects of appellate strategy support from the outset of civil litigation to final appellate review, including dispositive-motion practice, drafting of special appearances, Daubert motions, motions in limine, jury charges, pre- and post-trial briefing, and appellate motions and briefs.
• Assists clients in a variety of statewide policy matters by drafting legislative memoranda for circulation during legislative session amongst members of the Texas Senate and House of Representatives.
• Maintains an active pro bono docket; has provided pro bono assistance to The Texas Appleseed Project, the National Alliance of Mental Illness, and represents parents of school-aged children through SALSA’s & David’s Legacy Foundation’s “Don’t Bully Me Project.”
• Notable appellate results:
  – Obtained mandamus relief for a medical provider from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in a medical liability case on an issue of first impression concerning proper venue.
  – Secured the reversal of a divorce and custody order in an appeal before the Third Court of Appeals on grounds of insufficient evidence.
  – Achieved reversal of an excessive ad litem fee award based on insufficient evidence for a major international product manufacturer facing constant excessive ad litem awards.
  – Obtained summary judgment on three out of five causes of action in a multimillion-dollar commercial dispute relating to the transfer of a large automotive dealership.

Awards & Recognition

• Texas Super Lawyers, Appellate Law, 2023-present
• Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch, 2021-present
• Texas Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2018–2021
• St. Mary’s School of Law, GOLD Council Honoree, 2019

Admitted to Practice

• Texas
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit

Education

• St. Mary’s University School of Law, San Antonio, Texas
  – J.D., 2010, magna cum laude
  – St. Mary’s Law Journal, Staff and Executive Editor
  – Caroline L. Reynolds Endowed Scholarship Recipient
• Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas
  – B.A., English, 2005, summa cum laude
  – Mitte Honors Program

Publications & Presentations

• The New Texas Business Court CLE Presentation (Justice Jeff Boyd & Amy Prueger, Co-Presenters), San Antonio Bar Association, Sept. 2023; El Paso Bar Association, Jan. 2024; Advanced Civil Trial Course, upcoming, Dallas, July 2024; Houston, Oct. 2024
• The New Texas Business Court CLE Presentation (Marcy Greer, Co-Presenter), William S. Sessions American Inn of Court, San Antonio, Jan. 2024
• Appellate Triage: Interlocutory Appeals & Mandamuses, Handling Your First (or Next) Civil Appeal CLE Presentation (Elizabeth G. “Heidi” Bloch, Co-Presenter), TexasBarCLE, Austin, Apr. 25, 2024
• Major Issues, Questionable Doctrine: West Virginia v. EPA, Paul Sarahan, Co-Author, (forthcoming 2024–25)
• Tips for Drafting Rule 11 Settlement Agreements, Austin Lawyer, 2019
• TCPA Procedures: Statutory Requirements & Open Questions (Amanda G. Taylor, Co-Author), The Advocate , Texas 2018
• “What Happened?”: Confronting Confrontation in the Wake of Bullcoming, Bryant, and Crawford, (Hon. Dib Waldrib Co-Author), 43 St. Mary’s L.J. 1, 2011
• The BAPCPA’s Restriction on Attorney-Client Speech in the Fifth & Eighth Circuits: Worth Saving or Destroying?, Comment, 41 ST. MARY’S L.J. 351, 2010

Professional & Community Activities

• State Bar of Texas
  – Appellate Section
  – Litigation Section
• Austin Bar Association
  – Civil Appellate Section
• San Antonio Bar Association
  – Appellate Practice Section
  – LGBT Law Section
  – Litigation Section
• Bar Association of the Fifth Federal Circuit
• Travis County Women Lawyers Association
  – Board of Directors
  – Grants Coordinator Co-Chair
• William S. Sessions American Inn of Court—San Antonio, Texas
• San Antonio Legal Services Association & David’s Legacy Foundation, Volunteer
  – Intake & Pro Bono Attorney, Don’t Bully Me Project