April Farris

Justice April Farris was elected to a six-year term on Texas’s First Court of Appeals in 2022. She previously served a two-year appointed term beginning in 2020.  Texas’s First Court of Appeals hears criminal and civil appeals for a ten-county region encompassing more than 4 million people.

Before joining the Court, Farris was a partner at Yetter Coleman LLP where she handled complex appellate litigation for energy, technology, and government clients. While in private practice, she was recognized in appellate law by Law360, Best Lawyers in America, and Thompson Reuters Super Lawyers. In 2020, she was one of five lawyers in the nation to be named a Law360 Rising Star in appellate litigation, an honor reserved for attorneys under 40. She also earned the Gutenberg Award, Abilene Christian University's career achievement award for journalism and communications majors.

Justice Farris previously served as an Assistant Solicitor General for the State of Texas, representing the State of Texas and its agencies in state and federal court. Following her graduation from Harvard Law School, she clerked for Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Justice Farris has dedicated her career to promoting legal education, giving dozens of presentations on appellate litigation topics. Farris recently completed a three-year term on the Council of the Texas State Bar Appellate Section, and she co-chairs its CLE Committee. She recently guest taught a clinic on trial advocacy at Harvard Law School. She is a Texas Bar Foundation life fellow, and she judges moot court competitions for area law schools.

April graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude in 2009. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University summa cum laude in 2006.