Experience

Alex is a seasoned litigator with proven courtroom experience defending design professionals, contractors, and other businesses in disputes related to contracts, design and construction defects, delay and disruption, professional negligence, personal injury, and large-loss/catastrophic cases including fatalities and serious injuries. He currently focuses his practice on the Construction industry. He has also recently represented clients in the golf, entertainment, and restaurant industries assisting them with litigation, handling and responding to investigations by various government agencies for civil, criminal, and regulatory issues including the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Railroad Commission, and OSHA.

Known for his expertise on the Texas Rules of Evidence, he served for seven years on the Texas State Bar’s Committee on the Administration of the Rules of Evidence, which is tasked with considering all proposed changes and revisions to the Rules. He also served two terms on the Board of Directors for the Texas Young Lawyers’ Association and has chaired both of it’s advocacy competitions, the National Trial Competition and the State Moot Court tournament.

Before moving back to Dallas, Alex taught upcoming law students advocacy skills as an adjunct faculty member and lecturer. In this role, he coached moot court and mock trial teams for the school’s inter-scholastic teams and guest lectured for various classes.

Representative Cases:

Palomo v. Topgolf et al, Dallas County, Texas
Defended Topgolf from suit brought by patron who fell off second story suffering serious injuries to his spine and had success striking Plaintiff’s experts in several fields prior to trial, leading to
favorable resolution.

Dream Team Media Group, Inc v. Gas Monkey Live, Dallas County, Texas
Obtained full defense verdict and won counter claim in breach of contract suit brought by concert promoter against local venue over a Rev Run (of Run DMC) concert.

Knight v. Hall, Dallas County, Texas
Obtained complete defense verdict in car wreck case where Plaintiff had spine surgery and asked the jury for more than one million dollars.

Estate of Kim v. Texas Mail Service, Inc., Dallas County, Texas
Defended trucking company in hybrid dram shop and transportation accident where intoxicated underage patron had single car accident which disabled his vehicle in the middle of the roadway where it was then struck by a tractor trailer. Successfully struck Plaintiff’s human factors expert, leading to favorable resolution on the eve of trial.

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As a Chief of the Appellate Division at the McLennan County Criminal District Attorney’s Office, Alex also argued more than a dozen cases in Texas Appellate Courts. The research, writing, and oral argument skills from handling more than 200 cases on appeal continue to serve his civil clients well.

Representative Criminal Cases

Easley v. State, NO. PD-1509-12, 2014 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 272 (Tex. Crim. App. March 12, 2014) – Briefed and argued before the Court of Criminal Appeals; resulted in a 9-0 decision for the State from the Court of Criminal Appeals, reversing a 90-year-old precedent related to the harm standard for reviewing voir dire errors.

State v. Barragan, NO. 10-12-00100-CR (Tex. App.–Waco July 25, 2013) – State’s Appeal. Briefed and argued before the Tenth Court of Appeals; resulted in a reversal of a trial court’s order granting a new trial. The Tenth Court of Appeals followed the State’s recommendation and adopted more modern new trial practice principles from civil law.

In re A.M., 385 S.W.3d 74 (Tex. App.–Waco 2012) – Briefed and argued to the Tenth Court of Appeals; reversed standing precedent that factual sufficiency of the evidence claims did not have to be preserved by a Motion for New Trial in parental-rights termination cases.

Coble v. Texas, No. 10-1271 – Brief in Opposition to a Cert. Writ SCOTUS; Resulted in the denial of certiorari in a death penalty case where the State’s expert psychologist had been found not to be qualified as an expert, but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had found his testimony to be harmless error.

About Me

Alex J. Bell is a trial and appellate lawyer based in Dallas, Texas. He represents and defends a diverse collection of business, insurance, and personal clients in state and federal courts from a wide range of industries including:

  • Professional Design (Architect and Engineer)
  • Construction
  • Professional Negligence
  • Real Estate and Development
  • Contracts
  • Transportation
  • Oil & Gas
  • Entertainment

Using bold and aggressive strategies, Alex leverages the most favorable negotiation or trial position for his clients’ matters. The goal is to take the burden of disputes and litigation off of his professional clients so they can focus on their mission to serve their customers and clients rather than worry about the past.

I’m honored to have been selected by my peers as a Texas Superlawyers Rising Star for 6 consecutive years: 2019 through 2024.

Prior to focusing on civil litigation, Alex prosecuted criminals in Waco, Texas at the McLennan County Criminal District Attorney’s office and tried a number of misdemeanor and felony trials to jury verdict. He was then promoted to Chief of the Apellate Division where he wrote nearly two hundred appellate briefs, argued more than a dozen cases before appellate courts all over the state, and handled other complex evidentiary and post-conviction issues for the office. After passing a rigorous written exam, the Texas Board of Legal Cerification awarded a specialization in criminal appellate law in his 5th year of practice—the earliest a lawyer can become board certified in any field in the state of Texas.

Outside of the office, Alex enjoys spending time with his wife and children, watching Formula one races and other professional sports, and volunteering on various non-profit boards and causes. In 2024, the Mayor and City Council of University Park, Texas selected him a Citizen of the Year for his contributions to the City and community.

Blog

Contact Us

You can reach me here:

Work: Abell@zgblaw.com

Twitter: @alexjbell

Instagram: @legalalex

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexjbell/