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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)

Joint Venture Formation ×
2025 Tex. Bus. 41 Jurisdiction & Remand October 29, 2025

Fiduciary Shield Doctrine Protects Out-of-State Officer from Personal Jurisdiction in Real Estate Joint Venture Dispute

The Business Court granted a California resident's special appearance and dismissed third-party claims without prejudice, holding that respondents failed to plead or prove sufficient Texas contacts to support personal jurisdiction over the officer who allegedly acted solely in his corporate capacity. The court applied the fiduciary shield doctrine despite allegations of fraud and misrepresentation in connection with a failed joint venture to acquire Princeton, Texas real property.

Mem. Op. Personal Jurisdiction Special Appearance Real Estate Minimum Contacts Fiduciary Shield Doctrine Opinion PDF ↓