Michael R. AbramsPartner

Before he joined Stone Hilton, Michael served for eight years in the Office of the Attorney General of Texas representing the State of Texas in dozens of high-profile, complex cases both at trial and on appeal. As Special Litigation Counsel in the General Litigation Division, he tried six cases and defended the State in over a dozen hearings on motions for injunctive relief in state and federal court. He gained top-flight experience in election law, successfully defending the Texas Secretary of State in fast-moving litigation over the State’s election procedures in the lead-up to the 2020 election. He also obtained invaluable experience representing state universities in contentious employment disputes and defending state agencies against institutional reform class action lawsuits.

As an Assistant Solicitor General, Michael assisted in the briefing and sat at counsel table for three arguments in the United States Supreme Court (once as second chair). He also presented ten oral arguments, including six before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and two before the Supreme Court of Texas. His practice at the appellate level involved questions of civil procedure, criminal law, family law, and the First Amendment. He also frequently represented the State in suits under the Clean Air Act to halt federal governmental overreach.

Before he began government service, Michael was an associate at a major international law firm in Houston, where he focused on labor and employment law. After he graduated from the University of Texas School of Law, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Gregg Costa of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.