Overview
Event Details
Please join us on Tuesday, September 22, for a joint Texas Business Court and New York Commercial Division event, simultaneously taking place in Steptoe’s Houston office and at the New York City Bar Association.
Timely with the Texas Business Court's two-year anniversary on September 1, this two-part program will explore the jurisprudence and trajectory of the Texas Business Court, the evolving role of state business and commercial courts, and the issues shaping complex litigation today. The event will bring together judges, practitioners, and business leaders for a timely conversation on how commercial disputes are managed and adjudicated in today's legal environment.
We are pleased to announce the following confirmed speakers:
- Chief Justice Scott Brister – Texas Fifteenth Court of Appeals
- Justice Joel M. Cohen – New York Commercial Division
- Judge Grant Dorfman – Texas Business Court, Eleventh Division
- Judge Stacy Rogers Sharp – Texas Business Court, Fourth Division
- Allison Standish Miller – Partner in Steptoe's Insurance, Reinsurance and Professional Liability group
- Jarod Stewart – Partner and chair of Steptoe's Commercial Trials & Litigation group
- Joseph Sanderson – Of counsel in Steptoe's Commercial Trials & Litigation group
Discussion topics will include:
- The first two years of the Texas Business Court, and predictions about the next two years
- The role and effectiveness of specialized business and commercial courts
- Strategies for maintaining efficiency in complex litigation, including case management, discovery practices, and judicial resources
- What types of disputes belong in commercial courts and where jurisdictional boundaries should be drawn
- Balancing fairness, predictability, and commercial certainty in business disputes
- Competition and coordination between state and federal courts as forums for complex litigation
- Enhancing the credibility and attractiveness of state courts for litigants with a choice of forum
Please contact events@steptoe.com to register.
Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Time: 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. CT
The program will include two one-hour panels followed by a networking reception with cocktails. Registration begins at 4:00 p.m.
Location: Steptoe's Houston office (717 Texas Avenue, Suite 2800, Houston, TX 77002)
CLE Credit: Steptoe is an accredited CLE provider in California, Illinois, New York, and Texas and is pleased to offer the following credit for participation in the live event. If you are seeking credit in other jurisdictions, please make a note in your registration form and we’ll apply on your behalf.
- California: This program is approved for 2.0 hours of CLE credit. No credit may be claimed for required MCLE in legal ethics, recognition and elimination of bias in the legal profession, implicit bias, and competence issues.
- Illinois: This program is approved for 2.0 hours of general CLE credit.
- New York: This program is approved for 2.0 hours of CLE credit including 2.0 hours in areas of professional practice. The content and format are suitable for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.
- Texas: This program is approved for 2.0 hours of General MCLE credit.
