Governor Abbott announces appointments to new Dallas business court division

Governor Greg Abbott today announced the appointments of Andrea Bouressa and William “Bill” Whitehill to the newly established First Business Court Division in Dallas. The court, created last year to expedite the resolution of complex commercial disputes in Texas, will commence operations on September 1, 2024. Bouressa and Whitehill’s terms are set to expire on September 1, 2026. The division encompasses Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties.

Andrea Bouressa currently serves as Judge of the 471st Judicial District Court and recently completed a term as Local Administrative District Judge for Collin County. She is affiliated with several legal organizations including the State Bar of Texas and the Collin County Bar Association. Bouressa has been recognized with awards such as the 2022 Rising Aggie Lawyer Award from the Texas Aggie Bar Association and the 2023 Outstanding Jurist by the Collin County Women Lawyers Association. Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Texas A&M University, a Master of Science in Sociology from the University of North Texas, and a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University (SMU) Dedman School of Law.

William “Bill” Whitehill is head of the appellate and special issues practice group at Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton Nerenberg PLLC and a former Justice of the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas. His previous roles include being a trial and appellate partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP (now Foley & Lardner LLP). Whitehill holds positions such as Chair of the Dallas Bar Association Appellate Section and has taught trial advocacy at SMU Dedman School of Law. He has been involved with numerous legal organizations including serving as a sustaining life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation. His community service includes volunteering at Cornerstone Baptist Church’s homeless kitchen and mentoring at Cornerstone Crossroads Academy. Whitehill earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctor from SMU Dedman School of Law.

The establishment of this new court follows Governor Abbott's signing into law House Bill 19 last year, which introduced statewide specialty business trial courts aimed at streamlining business dispute resolutions.