Texas A&M University School of Law’s Journal of Real Property Law presented a symposium, “A Review: Peter Gerhart’s Property Law and Social Morality,” Oct. 24 dedicated to Gerhart’s development of a single theory to explain the relationship between common and private property and how that relationship is defined by social customs.
After two morning panels, Regent Anthony G. Buzbee, managing partner of The Buzbee Law Firm in Houston, delivered the keynote address. He said that decisions in a court room come down to how the jurors are judging the reasonableness of the plaintiff.
In his talk, he shared experiences in several cases he defended; one of note was in 2009 when a federal jury in Galveston awarded $100 million to 10 of Buzbee’s clients who alleged toxic exposure related to chemical discharge at the BP Texas City Plant -- the largest verdict recorded against BP. In essence, he said that thinking like a lawyer doesn’t begin with rule; it begins with people.
Buzbee gave a $1 million endowment to Texas A&M University School of Law in April. His gift established the Anthony G. Buzbee Dean’s Endowed Chair and is the first-ever endowment gift of its kind dedicated to law school faculty, specifically the dean.
Gerhart gave input on Buzbee’s address and said, “Thinking like a good lawyer is a lot different than thinking like a lawyer. Perhaps the reason we have a jury is so that we allow some flexibility.”
- Article by Daniella Wiedel, Communications Specialist at Texas A&M University School of Law.