Stan Biderman recently published his latest book, The Secularist’s Bible and Other Astonishing Absurdities, and on Sept. 26, 2026, which will be celebrated at a BookPeople event featuring Biderman. He is the author of two award-winning books, former CEO of BookPeople, and served as the “counterculture business lawyer of Austin.”
Josiah Daniel has published “Determining the Historiographical Problem of Municipal Bankruptcy: Hatton Sumners and the Enactment and Amendment of Chapter IX, 1933-1979” in 100 American Bankruptcy Law Journal 327-428. Daniel is a retired partner at Vinson & Elkins and visiting scholar in the University of Texas at Austin’s Department of History.
Max Sherman’s third book and first novel, “A Testament to Wind and Stone,” has been published. Sherman is professor emeritus and former dean of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin, served as president of West Texas State University, and was a Texas state senator.
Nicole Edgeworth, pen name Natalia Loya, recently published her debut novel, “The Laboratory Assistant,” with Apprentice House Press. In addition to being an author, she is an assistant attorney general in the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Kalyani Adusumilli has written her debut novel, “The Invisible Canvas,” which explores themes of resilience, identity, and mental health. Adusumilli worked as an epidemiologist and an attorney before turning to writing fiction and is also author of The Happy Wildflower series, collections of reflective essays and poetry.
Chris Scruggs recently published “Leviathan & the Lambs,” the final book in the Arthur Stone series—which also includes “Marshland” and “Peace at Battle Mountain”—written under the pen name Alystair West. This newest release covers the events of the Great Recession. Scruggs practiced law for more than 14 years before entering full-time ministry, from which he retired in 2019.
Samuel A. Simon, an author, actor and former public interest lawyer who worked with Ralph Nader, and his wife Susan are featured in a Washington Post story about his performance of “The Dementia Man.” The one-act play is based on Simon’s new book about living a meaningful life with Alzheimer’s disease.
A new documentary, “Calming the Waters,” follows Jim Blackburn through decades of legal and conservation fights that brought Texas’ environmental stakes into public view. Blackburn is a professor of environmental law and co-director of the Severe Storm Prevention, Education and Evacuation from Disaster Center at Rice University.
The fifth edition of “Egan on Entities: Corporations, Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies in Texas,” written by Byron Egan, is being published in January 2026. Egan, a double Longhorn, is partner at Jackson Walker in Dallas.
Robert P. Parker has written the book “Derecognition,” which recounts how his testimony to Congress in 1979 helped shape the Taiwan Relations Act and the federal legislation at the heart of U.S. relations with Taiwan and China today. Throughout his career, he served as an international lawyer, pilot, and venture capitalist, the former president of Taiwan’s American Chamber of Commerce.
Randy Schaffer has written “Tales As Old As Crime” about corruption in the criminal justice system. Schaffer is a defense attorney with Schaffer Law Offices in Houston.
Henry Radoff has written a book titled “Solo 50,” which tells the story of his own life and 50 years of solo practice. In addition to his legal career in Houston, Radoff, a double Longhorn, has published five other books ranging from novels to true stories.
The Hon. Steven Dankof, a judge with the Montgomery County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court, has published “Extreme Cruelty: The Complicity of Judges in the Shame of Wrongful Convictions.” The book posits the notion that trial judges are the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions, sounding a clarion call for judges to take a penetrating look at their work and breathe life into their Constitutional oaths.
Bruce McCandless III, son of astronaut Bruce McCandless II—who flew missions in the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs—released his latest book, “Star Bound,” on Jan. 1, 2025. The book centers on the history of human spaceflight and the American space program and is the latest of McCandless’s novels and nonfiction work.
James C. Lawler published his third novel from The Guild series, “The Traitor’s Tale” in March 2026. The other two books in the series include “Living Lies” and “In the Twinkling of an Eye.” Before becoming a writer, he served for 25 years as a CIA operations officer in various international assignments before retiring in 2005. While at the CIA, he received the Trailblazer Award, the Director’s Award, the HUMINT Collector Award, and the Donovan Award.
Amanda Tyler has written a book titled “How to End Christian Nationalism,” which provides critical insights into the ideological and legal battles against Christian nationalism in the United States.
William Gordon Childs has written a book titled “Recreation and Risk,” which delves into the law through recreational businesses. In addition to being an author, Childs works as an in-house litigation counsel for a Fortune 500 company in Minnesota and is an adjunct professor of law at Western New England University School of Law and Mitchell Hamline School of Law.
Peter Petkas has an essay featured in a new book of essays, “Choosing the Public Interest, Essays from the First Public Interest Research Group” (Watchdog Press, 2023). The book was edited and compiled by Texas Law fellow alumnus Sam Simon. Each essay is a personal story of finding Ralph Nader in 1970 and urges current students to choose public interest careers.
Sam Simon is the editor and compiler of a new book of essays, “Choosing the Public Interest, Essays from the First Public Interest Research Group” (Watchdog Press, 2023). Two other Texas Law alumni from 1970 also have essays featured in the book: the late James Welch and Peter Petkas. Each essay is a personal story of finding Ralph Nader in 1970 and urges current students to choose public interest careers.
Warigia M. Bowman’s first book, “Digital Development in East Africa: The Distribution, Diffusion, and Governance of Information Technology,” has been published by Palgrave McMillan. Bowman, an associate professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law, also has received significant press attention for her work on aquifer depletion including mention in the New York Times, CNN International, PBS, and Democracy Now.
Author James Andrew Hearn’s short story “Home Is the Hunter” will be included in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023, which will be published in October by Mariner Books.
Josiah M. Daniel III has published “Cooptation of the Carmack Amendment by the Railroads, 1906-1917: A Study in Associational Lawyering” in the Kentucky Law Review and “AI Chatbots Are Useless for Bankruptcy Lawyering” in The Texas Lawbook. Daniel is a retired partner in residence of Vinson & Elkins and a visiting scholar of the History Department of the University of Texas at Austin.
Susana Alemán was featured on the Austin Bar Association’s “Council of Firsts” podcast. Alemán, who was Texas Law’s longtime Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, was the first female and first Hispanic dean here. She has founded numerous scholarships to support new generations of law students.
Jeffrey B. Simon has written a book titled Last Rights: The Fight to Save the 7th Amendment that will be published in September 2023. A founding partner of Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC, Simon has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer in Texas Monthly Magazine each year for over fifteen years for his work in trial law and consumer protection.
Under the pen name Alystair West, George Christopher Scruggs published the novel “Marshland,” which involves a murder in Houston in the 1980s and the response of a young lawyer to the events in which he becomes involved. In addition to being an author, he is a retired lawyer and pastor.
Stacey Jernigan’s legal thriller “Hedging Death” is featured in an article about a hedge-fund manager who is citing evidence from the novel to bolster his recusal request. Jernigan presides over the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas and has served as a federal bankruptcy judge since 2006.
Darcell Walker has published an eBook titled “Divine Directions for Deliverance from Debt.” Walker has more than 30 years of experience in intellectual property law and worked as an in-house patent attorney for two Fortune 500 companies prior to starting his own law practice.
Jill Applegate wrote an essay for the New York Times about marijuana convictions and deportation. Applegate is an immigration attorney and fellow at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, where she represents clients with deportation orders.
Kevin R.C. Gutzman has published a new book, “The Jeffersonians,” about the presidential administrations of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. The book has received notable recognition by The New Yorker and was included on USA Today‘s list of Five Books to Remember in 2022.
Josiah Daniel III is the author of three recent publications: “The MoUS[e] that Roared: The Manual of Usage & Style After a Half Century,” “What Can the Past Teach Today’s Bankruptcy Law Students, Lawyers, Judges, and Restructuring Professionals?: An Annotated Bibliography of Histories of Debt and Bankruptcy, and “Congressman Hatton Sumners’s 1928 Amendment to the Electoral Count Act” published in the LSN Legal History eJournal.
Garrett Brawley was featured in a Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) Director Spotlight. Brawley currently serves on the TYLA Board of Directors and specializes in commercial litigation at Beck Redden.
Author James Andrew Hearn is a guest contributor for Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine’s blog, Trace Evidence. His short story, “When the Dams Break,” will be published in AHMM’s Sept./Oct. issue. James is a Mystery Writers of America 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award nominee for Best Short Story.
Iffy Ibekwe is the author of an article titled “First Impressions Matter” about the importance of client experiences at law firms. Ibekwe is the principal attorney and founder of Ibekwe Law, PLLC.
James Hearn has been nominated for the 2022 Edgar Award for Best Short Story by the Mystery Writers of America. Hearn, who has published multiple works, co-wrote Blindsided with Michael Bracken; the story appeared in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine.
Ed Cotham has recently published two history books. Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration (State House Press, 2021), and A Busy Week in Texas: U. S. Grant’s 1880 Visit to the Lone Star State (Texas State Historical Association Press, 2021).
Josiah Daniel has published “What I Said Was ‘Here Is Where I Cash In'”: the Instrumental Role of Congressman Hatton Sumners in the Resolution of the 1937 Court-Packing Crisis, 54 John Marshall Law Review 379 (June 11, 2021). Daniel continues archival work for his biography of Congressman Sumners, who chaired the House Judiciary Committee 1931-1947, overlapping the tenure of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Nancy Jane Moore’s second novel, “For the Good of the Realm,” will be published June 1 by Seattle’s Aqueduct Press. Unlike her first book, the science fiction first contact novel, “The Weave” (also published by Aqueduct), there are no lawyers in this book, but there are swordswomen and witches.
Byron Egan published the third edition of his treatise, “EGAN ON ENTITIES: Corporations, Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies in Texas.” The third edition of “EGAN ON ENTITIES” is available as a hardbound book or as an eBook through LexisNexis.
Jason Villalba has started a 501(c)(3) foundation, Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation (TXHPF.org) along with a new podcast, “Our Story,” which is dedicated to the voices of Texas Hispanics. Its mission is to explore the personal and intimate stories of Texas Latinos to dispel misconceptions about Texas Hispanics. Villalba is an attorney with the firm Foley and Lardner LLP in his native Dallas, Texas, and a Republican former member of the Texas House of Representatives for District 114 in Dallas County.
Winstead PC attorney Steffen Sowell wrote an essay in honor of Black History Month that was recently published in Texas Lawyer. In the essay, Sowell discusses the societal contributions of African American poet Amanda Gorman, as well as how lawyers can move the needle on racial equity.
John Langmore recently published two books of photography. “Open Range” (Twin Palms Publishers) captures the life of modern working cowboys on some of the nation’s largest ranches. “Fault Lines” (Trinity University Press) documents the rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods of old East Austin. John also co-directed and just released “Cowboys”, a feature-length documentary film also depicting the lives of contemporary working cowboys. “Cowboys” won the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival.
Josiah Daniel, Retired Partner in Residence of Vinson & Elkins LLP (Dallas office) and Visiting Scholar of the History Dept. of The University of Texas, has published “‘Even If a Party Has a Change of Heart’: A Framework for Enforcement of Courthouse-Steps Settlements in Cases and Proceedings in the Texas Bankruptcy Courts,” 52 TEX. TECH L. REV. 199 (2020). He is writing the biography of Congressman Hatton Sumners (1875-1962) who chaired the House Judiciary Committee from 1932-1947.
James Holmes has published Superseding Money Judgments in Texas: Four Proposed Reforms to Help the Business Litigant and to Further Improve the Texas Civil Justice System, 51 St. Mary’s L.J. 69 (2020).
Ed Pfiester wrote and directed Blanche, a feel good movie about old friends and second chances. Blanche also stars The University of Texas School of Law alumnus Clifford Hardwick ’73, as one of its main cast members. It is now available on Amazon Prime, iTunes and Vimeo Video.
Marc Grossberg, who has practiced law in Houston for more than fifty years, will release his book, “The Best People: A Tale of Trials and Errors,” in October. His debut novel offers a glimpse into the world of Houston lawyering.
Raymond A. Villareal’s first novel entitled “A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising” will be published on June 5, 2018 by Little, Brown and Company. Film rights were sold to 20th Century Fox in a pre-empt deal in 2017. There is plenty of case law in the novel so Raymond made good use of his law degree!
My new book, “This is the Year I Put My Financial Life in Order,” is being published by Penguin Random House on April 3. Part personal finance guide and part memoir, the book has some fun memories of my days in Austin at UT and UT Law.
Jack Emmott is about to publish his second book, “Bending Angels,” which tells his own story of his journey from a child stricken with polio to an over-achieving adult, and the “bending angels” in his life who guided and inspired him. Learn more about the book at the official “Bending Angels” website.
Shane Read has published his fourth litigation textbook, “Turning Points at Trial: Great Lawyers Share Secrets, Strategies and Skills,” in which thirteen of the country’s greatest lawyers share powerful insights from their most interesting cases, from depositions to trials to appeals. Read profiles such famous lawyers as Robert S. Bennett, Bryan Stevenson, Alan Dershowitz, Mark Lanier, and U.T. School of Law alumni Lisa Blatt who has the record for a woman with the most oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Catherine Musemeche, a law school alumna and a pediatric surgeon in Austin, has published here second book, “Hurt.” From Dr. Musemeche’s official website: ” ‘Hurt’: the inspiring, untold story of trauma explores the topic of injury from the viewpoint of doctors, rescuers, patients and their families. HURT walks us through the development of today’s advanced trauma centers and demonstrates in graphic detail why they are essential in surviving complex injuries.” Her first book was “SMALL: Life and Death on the Front Lines of Pediatric Surgery,” and she is a guest contributor to the New York Times Motherlode column.