Governor Greg Abbott announced appointments to the new First Business Court Division in Dallas, established last year to provide an efficient mechanism for resolving complex commercial disputes in Texas. The Governor appointed Andrea Bouressa and William “Bill” Whitehill as judges of the First Business Court Division, effective September 1, 2024, with terms expiring on September 1, 2026. This division includes the counties of Collin, Dallas, Ellis, Fannin, Grayson, Kaufman, and Rockwall.
Andrea Bouressa of Murphy currently serves as Judge of the 471st Judicial District Court and recently completed a two-year term as Local Administrative District Judge for Collin County. She is affiliated with several legal organizations including the State Bar of Texas and the Collin County Bar Association. Bouressa was honored with the 2022 Rising Aggie Lawyer Award from the Texas Aggie Bar Association and named Outstanding Jurist by the Collin County Women Lawyers Association in 2023. She holds 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 Southern Methodist University (SMU) Dedman School of Law.
William “Bill” Whitehill of Coppell is head of the appellate and special issues practice group at Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton Nerenberg PLLC and a former Justice of the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas. He has extensive experience in trial and appellate law through his previous role at Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP (now Foley & Lardner LLP). Whitehill chairs the Dallas Bar Association Appellate Section and has held leadership positions within various legal associations. He also serves as an adjunct trial advocacy instructor at SMU Dedman School of Law and is involved in numerous community service activities. Whitehill earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor from SMU Dedman School of Law.
The establishment of this court follows Governor Abbott's signing House Bill 19 into law last year to create statewide specialty business trial courts aimed at streamlining business dispute resolutions.