NANCY  F.  ATLAS

Employment:

• Atlas ADR, PLLC, founder and sole member, Sept. 2022 – present, providing mediation, arbitration, litigation AND settlement consulting, moot court, and mock trial services
• United States District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, Aug. 1995-July 2022 (while on inactive status Mar. 2021- July 2022, mediated pro bono complex cases for the U.S. District Court, S.D. Texas)
• Sheinfeld, Maley & Kay, P.C., Houston, TX, 1984-1995 (partner); 1985-1995 (Executive Committee member, various years); 1982-84 (associate); 1982-1995, engaged in complex litigation involving banking, real estate, securities, insurance coverage, and bankruptcy issues; 1990-1995, continued litigation; also pioneered and engaged in mediation practice of commercial and employment cases
• Assistant United States Attorney, Civil Division, Southern District of New York, 1979-1982, defended and prosecuted a wide variety of commercial, fraud, RICO, civil rights, statutory violations, and other federal law disputes.
• Webster & Sheffield, N.Y., N.Y, 1976-1978 (associate): securities, tax, and business projects; federal court litigation
• Elbow Law Clerk to Hon. Dudley B. Bonsal, United States District Judge, S.D.N.Y. (Manhattan), 1974-1976

Education:

• Tufts University, B.S. (1971), Phi Beta Kappa; magna cum laude in Mathematics and cum laude in Political Science
• NYU School of Law, JD (1974); Managing Editor, 1973/74 Annual Survey of American Law; received the Law School’s Vanderbilt Prize for Outstanding Service

Non-Case Related Service to the Judiciary (partial list):

• Appointment by the Chief Justice of the United States, Judicial Conference Committee on Judicial Security, member (2005-2015), Chair (2011-2015)
• Service on various Advisory Committees and Task Forces of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to analyze ways to improve the federal judicial system
• Chair, Panel that administered the Southern District of Texas ADR Program (1995-2021)
• Chair and Chair-Designate of the District’s Court and Building Security Committees; Court Liaison to the U.S. Marshals Service; Member, S.D. Texas Court Automation Committee; Court Representative on Organizing Committee for the District’s first two Bench-Bar Conferences, 2017 and 2019
• Led development in 2007 of S.D. Texas Local Patent Rules and Forms, and revisions to those Rules and Forms in 2022 (to improve efficiency and conform to the America Invents Act)
• Co-founded (with leading members of the Houston intellectual property bar) (2012) the Houston Intellectual Property American Inn of Court (later renamed, at members’ insistence, Hon. Nancy F. Atlas Intellectual Property Inn of Court); judicial advisor

Non-Judicial Public Service (partial list):

• Chair, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 1990-1994 (gubernatorial appointment)
• Council member, State Bar of Texas Dispute Resolution Section; Co-chair and member of Working Group on ADR and Law Practice, 1997-2001; Working Group on Ethics of Advocates in ADR, 1998-2001; Co-Chair, Quality of Practice Committee and Task Force on Quality and Credentialing for ADR Providers, 1993-1995
• Co-Founder, Director, and Vice President of Houston Chapter of the Association of Attorney-Mediators, Inc., 1990-1995
• Judicial Liaison for District Court to Federal Bar Association, South Texas Chapter, 2008-2012
• Frequent speaker at programs sponsored by the Federal Courts, American Bar Association, State Bar of Texas, Houston Bar Association, and Federal Bar Association’s South Texas Chapter, as well as many other CLE programs. Topics include federal civil procedure; jurisdictional issues; patent and other intellectual property issues; insurance coverage; interplay of bankruptcy law and commercial litigation; oral advocacy skills for presenting to juries and to judges; expert witness preparation; trial preparation best practices; effective motion practice; presentation of pretrial and discovery issues; best practices for litigation counsel in mediation; and ADR skills training for neutrals
• Development of pro bono appointment program for civil attorneys in capital habeas cases,” ~1992-2014: created, updated, and managed programs to facilitate appointment of counsel in capital habeas cases in federal and state courts
• Jury Innovation Project, Houston, 2010-2013: Formed and worked closely with a committee of lawyers, judges, and law school professors to test the efficacy of four innovations for improving jury comprehension and court management of jury trials, using ideas proposed by the American Bar Association’s “Jury Project”
• “Media Alerts Project,” 2009-2012: Assisted in the development by the ABA Standing Committee on Federal Judicial Improvements of a program in which a faculty member and law students posted summaries on an ABA website of high profile federal courts of appeals decisions

Awards and Other Recognition (partial list):

• Member, Federal Arbitration, Inc. Panel of Distinguished Neutrals, 2022-present
• Recipient, “Linn Inn Alliance Distinguished Service Medal,” 2015 (affiliated with the American Inns of Court Foundation)
• Recipient, “Sarah T. Hughes Award,” State Bar of Texas, Women & the Law Section, 2013
• Recipient, “William M. Tendy Award for Public Service,” given by the Robert B. Fiske, Jr. Association (former S.D.N.Y. Asst. U.S. Attorneys who served under former U.S. Attorney Robert Fiske), 2007
• “Trial Judge of the Year” Award, Texas Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists Ass’n, 2002
• Co-recipient, “Brutsché Award” (for personifying the principles of service and commitment to the ADR profession), Association of Attorney-Mediators, 1999
• Recipient, “Justice Frank G. Evans Award for Outstanding Service to ADR,” State Bar of Texas, 1997
• Recipient, “Women on the Move Award,” The Houston Post, KPRC-TV, and Texas Executive Women, 1994 (given to 10 Houston women each year for their exceptional contributions to business and community service)
• Recipient, “10 Outstanding Members of 1993 Award,” Assn. of Attorney-Mediators
• Member, Distinguished Panel of Texas Neutrals, International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR Institute), ~ 1994-1995
• Approved Arbitrator and Mediator, American Arbitration Assn., ~1994-1995
• Advisory Board Member, A.A. White Dispute Resolution Institute, 1990-1995

Bar Associations and Federal Judicial Center Activities & Presentations (partial list):

Judge Atlas has been active in the American Bar Association, its Litigation Section, the State Bar of Texas, the Federal Judicial Center, and other organizations by service of multiple terms on governing councils, committee leadership roles, and nominating committees to recommend individuals for leadership positions. Examples are:

American Bar Association & Litigation Section Activities (partial list):

• Co-Chair, ABA Litigation Section, Task Force on Changing Legal Profession, 2021-2022; Co-Chair, Access to Justice Committee, Aug. 2020-Aug. 2021
• Chair, ABA Standing Committee on Federal Judicial Improvements, 2009-2010; Member, 2007-2009
• Co-Chair, Litigation Section, Federal Practice Task Force, 2003-2004, ~2014-2020; Member, ~2005-2007, 2011-2014; ex officio Member, 2007-2010, provided analysis of and detailed reports on recommendations for new or amendments to existing federal court rules and legislation, judicial ethics rules, and bankruptcy rules issues, for consideration by Section leadership and the ABA House of Delegates
• Member, Attorney-Client Privilege Task Force, 2011-2012; Member, Task Force on Independence of the Judiciary, 2006-2008; Member, Task Force on Ethical Guidelines for Settlement Negotiations, 2000-2002
• Member, Litigation Section Task Force on Multi-Jurisdictional Practice, 2001-2002 (drafted a model pro hac vice rule adopted by ABA House of Delegates)
• Co-Chair, Litigation Section Task Force on Ethical Guidelines for Mediation, 2004-2005 (worked on Guidelines for Settlement Negotiations, adopted by ABA House of Delegates)
• Co-Chair, Litigation Section, ADR Committee, 1994-1995
• Vice Chair, Litigation Section, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Committee, 1993-1994

Speeches, Articles, and Presentations (partial list):

• State Bar of Texas Advance Insurance Law Seminar, San Antonio, TX, Jun. 2023
• Federal Bar Ass’n, South Texas Chapter, “Bringing Judicial Perspectives to Private Practice, Jan. 2023
• “The Premier Litigation Finance Program,” Houston, TX, Judicial Panel, Mar. 2023
• ABA Litigation Section, “Nuts & Bolts of Litigation Finance: Who, When, Why, — and How?”, Webinar, Sept. 2022
• “Removal, Remand & More; New Developments in Forum Battles for Coverage Disputes” (Virtual Meeting), 2021
• “ADR in Bankruptcy,” National Workshop for Bankruptcy Judges, Federal Judicial Center, 2018
• “Battling for the Forum: Strategies Employed by Insurers and Policyholders to Secure and Protect the Most Advantageous Forum for Their Coverage Disputes,” ABA Litigation Section Insurance Coverage Litigation Seminar, Tucson, AZ, 2016
• Residential Mortgage Conference, American Conference Institute, San Francisco, CA, 2016
• “Going to School on the Rules,” Houston Bar Ass’n Bankruptcy Section, Houston, TX, 2015
• “A View from the Bench on Effective Advocacy,” ABA Women of Litigation Section, Chicago, 2015
• “Intellectual Property in the Digital Age: Cross-Border Seminar,” U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Mexico City, MX, 2015
• “Bankruptcy Fraud Prosecutions and Related Issues,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Business Bankruptcy Course, Houston, TX, 2015
• “Dealing with Difficult Judges: What They Don’t Teach You in Law School,” ABA Litigation Section Women in Litigation, Chicago, 2014, and ABA Litigation Section Annual Conference, 2014
• “A View from the Bench – How Lawyers and Courts Can Make Jury Trials Better,” ABA Litigation Section Annual Conference, 2014
• “Judicial Security,” Orientation for New District Judges, Federal Judicial Center, 2013
• Advanced Patent Law Institute, Judicial Panel, Univ. of Texas School of Law, Oct. 2013
• “Experts: Will They Actually Help? The Use of Non-Technical Expert Witnesses in Civil Proceedings,” Southern Texas Chapter of the Federal Bar Ass’n, Sep. 2013
• “Judicial Security,” Orientation for New District Judges, Federal Judicial Center, Jun. 2013
• “Ethical Hurdles, Snares, and Pitfalls in Prepping and Using Experts,” ABA Litigation Section Annual Conf., Apr. 2013
• “Objectors in Class-Action Settlements: Protectors of the Absent Class or Gadflies?” ABA National Institute on Class Actions, Oct. 2011
• “Motions to Dismiss in the Post-Iqbal Era,” Univ. of Texas School of Law, Nov. 2010
• “Appeals from Bankruptcy Courts,” Houston Bankruptcy Inn of Court, Apr. 2010
• “The Future of the Patent System,” Univ. of Houston Law Center, Nov. 2009
• “The Present and Future of Electronic Disclosure in International Arbitration, Univ. of Texas Institute on International Arbitration, The Hague, May 2009
• “International Dispute Resolution,” Qatar Law Forum, Doha, Qatar, May 2009
• “The Litigation Hold,” ABA Litigation Section Annual Conf., Apr. 2008
• “S.D. Texas Update and Hot Topics in Employment Law,” Houston Bar Ass’n, Employment Law Section, Feb. 2008
• “E-Discovery,” Garland Walker American Inn of Court, Houston, TX, Feb. 2008
• “S.D. Texas Update: Patent Rules, Electronic Discovery and More,” Houston Bar Assn., Fed. Practice Section, Dec. 2007
• “How Mediation Is Affecting Federal Courts,” Houston Bar Assn., ADR Section, 2007
• “Eye of the Storm – Deciding Controversial Cases,” ABA Mid-Year Meeting, ABA Litigation Section & ABA Judicial Division, Feb. 2007
• “Unpopular Judges – The Need for a Truly Independent Judiciary,” ABA Annual Meeting, Sep. 2006
• “Habeas Corpus-Hocus Pocus – Screening the Habeas Corpus Petition in the Fifth Circuit,” Fifth Circuit Judicial Conference, May 2004
• The Advocate’s Handbook on ADR, published by ABA Litigation Section, 1998 (book co-editor & author of one chapter)
• “Confidentiality on ADR Procedures: What Does It Mean, and Is It Enforceable?”, ADR Seminar, 1997
• “Judicial Settlement Conferences and Judicial Meditations,” Workshops for Bankruptcy Judges, Federal Judicial Center, 1994, 1995
• “ADR – The Practical Solution for Many Clients’ Problems – and Many Lawyers’ Problems With Clients,” Virginia Bar Assn., 1995.
• “Attorney’s Ethical Obligations as to ADR,” ABA ADR/Arbitration Committees’ Newsletter, 1994
• “Counsel’s Guide to the Use of ADR in Federal Courts,” ABA Litigation Section Fall Meeting, 1994
• “Practical Tips for Using Mediation in Bankruptcy Cases,” Federal Judicial Center, ADR Seminar for Bankruptcy Judges, 1994
• “Counsel’s Guide to the Use of ADR in Texas and Current ADR Issues,” State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Trial Course, 1994