I hear there are solo practitioners. But for me, the practice of law has always been a collaborative enterprise. Andrea Keilen is the supremely talented executive director of the Texas Defender Service. I thank her and the actual TDS lawyers with whom I work every day, including on all the cases described in this book: Kate Black, Frances Bourliot, Matt Byrne, Kathryn Kase, Alma Lagarda, John Niland, Katherine Scardino, Jared Tyler, and Greg Wiercioch. (Gloria Flores, Nick Mensch, Melissa Waters, Rindy Fox, Ariell Hardy, Neil Hartley, Kelly Josh, Susanna Trevino, and Jessica Lindley, while nonlawyers, help keep the place running.) Steve Hall and Laura Burstein are also routinely helpful, and George Kendall’s advice is routinely indispensable. The TDS interns are passionate and tireless.
Then there are the past (or almost) TDS lawyers who also worked on the cases described here, including: Melissa Azadeh, Sandra Babcock, Bryce Benjet, Dick Burr, Nicole Casarez, Mike Charlton, Phyllis Crocker, Karen Dennison, Mia de Saint Victor, Mike Gross, Andrew Hammel, Keith Hampton, Eden Harrington, Scott Howe, Cassandra Jeu, Lynn Lamberty, Maurie Levin, Jim Marcus, Joe Margulies, Robert McGlasson, Morris Moon, Brent Newton, Rob Owen, Jeff Pokorak, Danalynn Recer, Meredith Rountree, Raoul Schoneman, Naomi Terr, Jean Terranova, Mandy Welch, and Phil Wischkaemper. I’ve also been privileged to work with Tony Amsterdam, John Blume, Steve Bright, John Holdridge, Lee Kovarski, Greg Kuykendall, Paul Mansur, Nina Morrison, Barry Scheck, Jordan Steiker, Clive Stafford-Smith, Brian Stull, and Christina Swarns. I’m sure I’ve forgotten several people. I hope they’ll forgive me.
I am grateful to Eric Holz, the surgeon who saved my eye. I owe an enormous debt as well to my friends Bowes Hamill and Charles Katz, gifted physicians who never asked me to stop calling or e-mailing, even though I called or e-mailed so often that I almost caused myself embarrassment.
Dean Ray Nimmer, Associate Dean Richard Alderman, and former dean Nancy Rapoport have supported my work at every step of the way, no matter how strong the headwinds—and they can indeed be strong. My students, both at the University of Houston Law Center and Rice University, have been indispensable and inspirational.
For reading the manuscript or discussing sensitive issues about it with me, I am grateful to many people, including: my brother Mark Dow, the best reader and writer I know; Marcilynn Burke, Seth Chandler, Meredith Duncan, Michael Olivas, and Ron Turner, extraordinary colleagues and even better friends; my friend David Jones, whose convoluted analyses are usually worth untangling; Simon Lipskar, my dedicated agent, whose advice and judgment are invariably spot-on; also at Writers House, Maja Nikolic, Angharad Kowal, and Jennifer Kelaher, who tirelessly promoted this book, and Josh Getzler, who exhibited immense patience in dealing with me; Jonathan Karp, the remarkable editor and publisher who intuitively understood exactly what I wanted to do with this book and who turned a manuscript I liked into a book I like much more, and his terrific assistant, Colin Shepherd, who was calming and resourceful; and finally, my dear friend Jon Liebman, whose faithfulness, wisdom, and friendship I’ve been benefiting from for longer than I care to say.
Katya and Lincoln held veto power over the book. That I’ve written it reflects that they said I could. They’ve allowed me to steal, shape, and share our stories. They’ve also allowed me to steal my way into their lives. I’m a lucky guy.