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Dallas, Texas  ·  Complex Commercial Litigation

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Portrait of Hon. Bill Whitehill

Hon. Bill Whitehill

Judge · Seat 1B

Texas Business Court · First Business Court Division (Dallas)

Biography

Bill Whitehill is an inaugural Judge of the Texas Business Court First Division, Dallas. He came to the Court from Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton Nerenberg PLLC, where he was a member and led the firm’s Appellate Section. Before joining the Business Court, Bill served as a Justice on the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals, where he authored over 600 substantive opinions. Bill was an associate and partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP, now known as Foley & Lardner, LLP for thirty-three years. At Gardere, he handled commercial, antitrust, securities, intellectual property, and fiduciary trials and appeals. He is a sustaining life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation. He is a homeless kitchen volunteer for Cornerstone Baptist Church and is a former co-teacher and mentor at Cornerstone Crossroads Academy. Bill received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor with honors from the SMU Dedman School of Law and an Order of the Coif member.

Source: txcourts.gov

Opinions by Judge Whitehill (1)

Declaratory Judgment Attorney Fees ×
2026 Tex. Bus. 24 May 11, 2026

Business Court Exercises Discretion to Deny Attorneys' Fees Under Section 37.009 Despite Clear Victory on Merits

In Dallas Sports Group v. DSE Hockey Club, the Business Court's 1st Division ordered each side to bear its own attorneys' fees under Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 37.009 despite plaintiffs prevailing on all substantive issues in a declaratory judgment action concerning redemption of partnership interests in the American Airlines Center. The court exercised its equitable discretion under the statute, which permits but does not require fee awards based on what is equitable and just rather than prevailing party status alone.

Mem. Op. Declaratory Judgment Attorney's Fees Section 37.009 Equitable Discretion Partnership Disputes Opinion PDF ↓