Michael J. Ritter

Michael J. Ritter focuses his practice on appeals, employment and labor law, and complex litigation in Texas, as well as federal courts throughout the U.S.

Michael’s appellate practice includes matters involving real estate, business litigation, estates, personal injury, insurance, governmental liability, and labor and employment. He is Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law and Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a distinction held by only a select group of Texas attorneys.

Before joining Fennemore, Michael was a partner at a San Antonio-based firm focused on labor and employment, construction, and business litigation. Michael also served for seven years as a staff attorney for the San Antonio Court of Appeals. His earlier experience as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas included representing governmental agencies in employment discrimination, tort, and Section 1983 cases at both trial and appellate levels. He also served as law clerk at the 4th Court of Appeals and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He is also previously board-certified in Criminal Appellate Law.

Michael’s award-winning law review articles and other legal publications have been cited by judges and lawyers in Texas appellate courts, including the Texas Supreme Court in Brookshire Bros. v. Aldridge (Tex. 2014), and a state court of appeals, sitting en banc, in Nelson v. State (Dallas 2025). In 2021, he was elected to the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ attorney elected to a statewide office in the Texas judicial branch. In that capacity, he developed award-winning projects, including a public education website on Texas courts and a social media campaign promoting attorney mental health and wellness.

• Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
• Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization
• J.D., The University of Texas School of Law, with honors
• B.A., Trinity University, cum laude

OTHER EXPERIENCE

• Appellate Law

• Obtained reversal of a $2.8 million judgment against a reinsurance client in a published federal decision from the 5^th Circuit on two issues of first impression.
• Obtained reversal of a $1.2 million judgment against a tax professional in a state-court Deceptive Trade Practices Act action.
• Secured client-favorable precedent on labor law preemption, expanding bases for federal court removal and dismissal of state claims in the 8^th Circuit.
• Obtained reversal of a child support order in a published decision that clarified the proper methods of enforcement in Texas courts.
• In the 5^th Circuit and state appellate court, successfully defended dismissals of bad-faith claims against a British insurance client on forum-selection grounds.
• Obtained reversal of a temporary state-court injunction against a client in the entertainment industry.
• Secured published decisions that the dismissal procedure in Chapter 14 of the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code applies in all Texas appellate courts.
• In various state and federal courts, successfully defended dismissals and favorable summary judgment rulings on employment claims.

• The Best Lawyers in America®, 2023 and 2026
• Top Appellate Law Attorney, San Antonio Magazine, 2025
• Thomson Reuters Texas “Super Lawyer,” 2023 – 2025
• President’s Award, Texas Young Lawyers Association, 2023
• Outstanding Law Review Article Award, Texas Bar Foundation, 2022
• Michael K. Moore Award, State Bar of Texas Legal Services to the Poor in Criminal Matters Committee, 2022
• National LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 Award, 2023
• San Antonio’s Best Appellate Law Lawyers, Scene in S.A., 2019 and 2024
• San Antonio’s Best Labor and Employment Lawyers, Scene in S.A., 2024
• Top Lawyer-Appellate Law, San Antonio Magazine, 2019 and 2022 – 2023
• Top 40 Lawyers “On the Rise,” American Bar Association, 2019
• Franklin Jones Award Outstanding CLE Award, Texas Bar College, 2020
• Best Constitutional Law Note Award, Texas Law Review, 2010
• Ridley Ray Outstanding Note Award, Review of Litigation, 2009

• Presenter, “Authenticity at Work and Beyond,” State Bar of Texas 31st Annual Texas Minority Counsel Program Conference, October 26, 2023
• Presenter, “Post-Judgment Motions,” 37th Annual Advanced Civil Appellate Practice Conference – Civil Appellate Practice 101, September 6, 2023
• Presenter, “Motions for Rehearing & En Banc Reconsideration” Hidalgo County Bar Association’s Appellate Section, March 8, 2023
• Presenter, Writs of Mandamus & Other Extraordinary Appellate Writs,” Family Law Bar Association of San Antonio – Annual Seminar, February 17, 2023
• Presenter, “Stuck On You – How to Add Value and Acquire Clients Using Your Connections,” Texas Young Lawyers Association, November 15, 2022
• Presenter, “The Therapeutic Benefits of Servant Leadership – Maintaining of Your Well-Being as a Practicing Lawyer,” Texas Young Lawyers’ Assistance Program Well-Being Wednesday Webinar, October 26, 2022
• Presenter, “Strategies for Rehearing and En Banc Review,” Texas Bar CLE – Advanced Civil Appellate Practice 36th Annual Course, September 7, 2022
• Co-Presenter, “Employment Law for Remote Workers,” Texas Young Lawyers Association Western States Regional Summit, May 21, 2022
• Co-Author, “COVID-19’s Impact on the Practice of Employment Law,” Texas Bar Journal, May 2022
• Co-Presenter, “Tactical HR Decisions Post-Pandemic,” Firm Webinar, March 2, 2022
• Presenter, “How to Become Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization,” San Antonio Young Lawyers Association, February 15, 2022
• Author, “Resolving the Anders Dilemmas: How & Why Texas Should Abandon the Anders Procedure,” St. Mary’s Journal on Legal Malpractice & Ethics, Volume 12 Number 1, January 5, 2022
• Author, Tips for Pursuing Mandamus Relief, News for the Bar, State Bar of Texas Litigation Section (2021)
• Author, Recommendations for Motions for En Banc Review, American Board of Trial Advocates (San Antonio Chapter) Newsletter (Oct.-Nov. 2020)
• Author, En Banc Review in Texas Courts of Appeals, 39 Litig. 377 (2020)
• Author, Texas’s Transitioning Judiciary: A Few Appellate & Ethical Considerations, 31:1 Advocate (2020); The Advocate 1, 51 (2019); Hous. L. Rev.: Off the Record (2019)
• Author, Let It Go: Has Texas Actually Disposed of the Final Judgment Rule as the “General” Rule?, 30:2–30:3 Advocate 227 (2018)
• Co-Author (with Judge Michael Mery), Rule 91a Dismissals & Rule 166a Summary Judgments: Lessons & Reminders from Recent Cases, SABA Civil Bench Motions & Trials (2018)
• Co-Author, Beware the “Substantive Ruling” Requirement: Preparing a Trial Court’s Order to Avoid Dismissal of Your Permissive Appeal, 80 Bar. J. 504 (2017)
• Author, Permissive Appeals in Texas State Courts: Reconciling Judicial Procedure with Legislative Intent, 36 Litig. 55 (2017)
• Co-Author (with Justice Rebecca Simmons), Texas’s Spoliation “Presumption,” 43 Mary’s L.J. 691 (2012)
• Co-Author (with Judge Michael Keasler), Criminal Procedure: Confessions, Searches & Seizures, 65 SMU L. 423 (2012)
• Author, Disputing Arbitration Clauses in International Insurance Agreements: Problems with the Self-Execution Framework, 3:6 Pace Int’l L. Rev. (2012)
• Author, Perry v. Schwarzenegger: Trying Same-Sex Marriage, 13 Scholar 363 (2011)
• Author, Quality Care for Queer Nursing Home Residents: The Prospect of Reforming the Nursing Home Reform Act, 89 L. Rev. 999 (2011)
• Author, Adoption by Same-Sex Couples: Public Policy Issues in Texas Law & Practice, 15 J. C.L. & C.R 235 (2010)
• Author, Child Pornography, the First Amendment & Mistakes of Age, 88 L. Rev. 1101 (2010)
• Author, Just (Juvenile Justice) Jargon: An Argument for Terminological Uniformity Between the Juvenile and Criminal Justice Systems, 37 J. Crim. L. 221 (2010)
• Author, Teaching Tolerance: A Harvey Milk Day Would Do a Student Body Good, 19 J. W. & L. 59 (2009)
• Author, Standing in the Way of Animal Welfare: A Reconsideration of the Zone-of-Interest “Gloss” on the Administrative Procedures Act, 29 Litig. 951 (2009)
• Author, Chapter 554: Protecting California’s First Responders, 40 McGeorge L. Rev. 436 (2009)

• Director, San Antonio Bar Association Board of Directors, 2025 – 2027
• Past President, Texas Young Lawyers Association
• Past Board Member, State Bar of Texas
• Past Appointed Member, State Bar of Texas Nominations & Elections Committee
• Past Member, Texas Bar Journal Board of Editors
• Chair, LGBT Law Section, San Antonio Bar Association
• Sustaining Life Fellow, Texas Bar Foundation
• Fellow, San Antonio Bar Foundation
• Past President, Texas Association of Appellate Court Attorneys
• Past Board Member, San Antonio AIDS Foundation
• Past Board Member, Driving Single Parents Inc.

• Texas
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 3^rd Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 4^th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 5^th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 8^th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 9^th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 11^th Circuit