Shirley Sutherland Atty is your attorney in Rockwall, Texas. We have the warmth and experience to guide you through the cold and confusing maze of the legal system. We have been serving Rockwall, Dallas, Kaufman, Collin, and Hunt Counties for 28 years. We have the experience, creativity and the heart to cut your big problem down to size. You can put your mind at ease and your trust in us. Getting you back on your feet with unwavering advocacy and creative solutions is our goal. Our commitment to securing a fair outcome for your case is our priority. ...read more

A new revision to the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code provides protection to employers who hire employees with a criminal record. The new legislation protects an employer from liability where the sole basis for the suit is a claim that the employer was negligent in hiring or failing to supervise an employee because the employee has a criminal record. The legislation defines employer to include contractors and subcontractors. Under the statute, employers can still be liable if they knew or should have known the employee had been convicted of a violent offense, a sexual offense or an offense performed while performing similar duties to those for which the employee is being hired to perform. Furthermore, the statute does not protect the employer for liability for a breach of fiduciary duty by the employee if the employee had a previous conviction of a crime involving fraud or dishonesty. The limitations and exceptions under the new statute make sense, but the statute still affords valuable protection for an employer while encouraging the employment of individuals deserving of a second chance. ...read more

In February the Texas Supreme Court issued an opinion in the case ofEdwards Aquifer Authority and the State of Texas v. Burrell Day and Joel McDaniel. This case addresses the question of whether you as a property owner have the right to use underground water located on your property. Edwards Aquifer Authority utilized a "use it or lose it" approach to a landowner's ownership rights to groundwater. The effect was to deprive a landowner rights to the groundwater located below their property simply because they had not used it. The Supreme Court of Texas affirmed the landowner's right to the groundwater stating, "A landowner cannot be deprived of all beneficial use of the groundwater below his property merely because he did not use it during an historical period". When we see our lakes and streams drying up in yet another Texas drought, it is reassuring to note our private interests in the water located on our property have been recognized by the Texas Supreme Court. As water becomes an increasingly precious commodity, we may see leases related to water rights which are similar to the more familiar oil and gas lease. This decision clarifies groundwater ownership rights, a decision that may prove lucrative for many property owners in the future. ...read more