Appellate Lawyer J. Carl Cecere Joins Hankinson LLP in Dallas

DALLAS, Dec. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Dallas appellate law firm Hankinson LLP proudly announces the hiring of J. Carl Cecere, whose high-stakes appellate work has included cases involving issues in bankruptcy, constitutional law, insurance, whistleblower protections, family law, complex business law, and habeas corpus.

"Carl is an accomplished appellate lawyer with great experience at all levels of the appellate process," says firm founder Deborah Hankinson.

Formerly an associate at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP in its Supreme Court and Appellate Practice, Carl has worked on a number of high-profile cases before the United States Supreme Court and in multiple federal appellate courts across the country, as well as all levels of Texas appellate courts.  Among these cases is District of Columbia v. Heller, the landmark Supreme Court case that established the scope of the protections provided by the Second Amendment.  Mr. Cecere served on a team of distinguished lawyers representing the District in that case.

Outside the courtroom, Mr. Cecere has engaged in one-on-one debates with some of the nation's leading policy experts on a wide range of legal issues, including debates with Dr. John Lott, author of "More Guns Less Crime," Adam Winkler of the UCLA School of Law, Clark Neily of the Institute for Justice, and the Liberty Institute's Hiram Sasser. 

Mr. Cecere also frequently speaks and writes on issues of constitutional law and appellate advocacy.  He is a frequent contributor to SCOTUSblog, where he has written on a variety of issues before the Supreme Court such as restitution for victims of crime, "good time" sentence reductions for federal prisoners, and the validity, under the federal discrimination laws, of the use of performance exams in firefighter hiring.

Mr. Cecere earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and his law degree, cum laude, from Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, where he was on the Executive Board of the SMU Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.  Carl then clerked with the Hon. Mary Lou Robinson of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas before joining Akin Gump.

Hankinson LLP, the preeminent civil appellate firm in the Southwest, provides clients with legal insight and a judicial perspective in all phases of litigation. The firm's attorneys work with trial teams to develop strategies designed to put a case in the best position before, during and after trial. Hankinson LLP represents national clients, regional companies, governmental bodies and individuals with trial and appellate matters, and offers mediation and arbitration services as well.

For more information on Mr. Cecere, please contact Mark Annick at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].

SOURCE Hankinson LLP