Special thanks to TCDLA's Course Directors
Gerry Morris
President of TCDLA during the 1997–98 term, Gerry also served as president of the Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He served as chair of the Criminal Law and Procedure Section of the Travis County Bar in 1987. Board certified as a criminal law specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Gerry is also a past chair of the Criminal Defense Lawyers Project and is currently a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Since receiving his law degree in 1977 from the University of Texas, he has represented individuals accused of state and federal crimes, both in trial and on appeal. He is licensed in all federal district courts in Texas, in addition to being admitted to the bar of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
The legal community, as a whole, has through peer rating recognized Gerry as one of the top lawyers in the state. He has been awarded the coveted AV rating from the Martindale Hubbell legal directory. He has been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer in the area of criminal defense by Texas Monthly magazine from 2003–2007, and as one of Austin’s Super Lawyers in 2003 by Austin Monthly magazine. Gerry is also listed in the publication The Best Lawyers in America. Perhaps the best-known trial in which Gerry was involved was the Branch Davidian Trial. In that case, he won an acquittal for his client on all charges.
Bill Wischkaemper
A 1972 graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law, Bill immediately began to concentrate on criminal practice as a solo practitioner. A longtime member of TCDLA, he is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a charter member of the Lubbock Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, serving as its president in 1984. In addition, Bill served as president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (1995–96).
Board certified as a criminal law specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Bill was recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly magazine in 2003 and 2004, in addition to being named Lubbock County Outstanding Criminal Defense Lawyer of the Year in 1991. He has also been listed in the prestigious book National Directory of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Bill was admitted to the bars of the federal district courts in the Northern and Western Districts of Texas, as well as to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Bill has also been awarded the coveted AV rating from the Martindale Hubbell legal directory.