Governor Greg Abbott on June 12th, announced his appointments to the new First Business Court Division in Dallas, which was created last year to provide an efficient mechanism for businesses to resolve complex commercial disputes in Texas. The Governor has appointed Andrea Bouressa and William “Bill” Whitehill to be judges of the First Business Court Division, effective September 1, 2024, for terms set to expire on September 1, 2026. The First Business Court Division is composed of the counties of Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Kaufman, and Rockwall.

Andrea Bouressa of Murphy is Judge of the 471st Judicial District Court and recently served a two-year term as Local Administrative District Judge for Collin County. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Collin County Bar Association, Curt B. Henderson American Inn of Court, and The Federalist Society. She received the 2022 Rising Aggie Lawyer Award from the Texas Aggie Bar Association and was recognized as the 2023 Outstanding Jurist by the Collin County Women Lawyers Association. Bouressa received 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 the Southern Methodist University (SMU) Dedman School of Law.

William “Bill” Whitehill of Coppell is a member of Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton Nerenberg PLLC, where he is head of its appellate and special issues practice group, and is a former Justice of the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas. Before joining the Court of Appeals, he was a long-time trial and appellate partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP (n/k/a Foley & Lardner, LLP). He is the Chair of the Dallas Bar Association Appellate Section and former Chair of the State Bar of Texas Antitrust and Business Litigation Section and the Dallas Bar Association Antitrust & Trade Regulation Section. He is an adjunct trial advocacy instructor at the Robert H. Dedman, SMU Dedman School of Law; a National Institute for Trial Advocacy Deposition Skills Instructor; and a frequent continuing legal education speaker at State Bar of Texas, Dallas Bar Association, and other events. He is a Master of the Mac Taylor Inn of Court, sustaining life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation. Additionally, he is a former member of the Center for International Legal Studies, International Bar Association, Fifth Circuit Bar Association, Rockwall Bar Association, Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, and the Texas Association of Bank Counsel. He served as a judge for the Coppell Teen Court, is a homeless kitchen volunteer for Cornerstone Baptist Church, and is a former co-teacher and mentor at Cornerstone Crossroads Academy. Whitehill received a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor from the SMU Dedman School of Law.

Last year, Governor Abbott signed House Bill 19 into law creating a new statewide specialty business trial courts to streamline resolutions of business disputes.