Jim Sharp

Who is Jim Sharp?

James Patrick Sharp, Jr. is a justice of the First Texas Court of Appeals, serving since January 2009. Sharp, a Dallas native, is the court's only Democrat, and recently lost a bid to the Texas Supreme Court.

Justice Jim Sharp was elected to the First Court of Appeals in November 2008. He previously practiced as a general solo practitioner for nineteen years, representing clients in a wide range of matters, encompassing probate, civil, criminal, juvenile, and family law. He litigated cases in trial courts across the state and prosecuted and defended appeals before the courts of appeals in Houston, Corpus Christi, and San Antonio, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Supreme Court of Texas.

Justice Sharp graduated from South Texas College of Law in Houston. While attending night classes at South Texas, he worked full-time as a law clerk for Reynolds, Allen & Cook; Butler & Binion; Fulbright & Jaworski; Hardy, Milutin, & Johns; and The Chaffin Law Firm.