Colleyville Judge Jerry Bullard will serve a second two-year term on the Texas Business Court after Governor Greg Abbott reappointed all ten of the court's judges on Monday, Aug. 10.

Bullard has presided over the Eighth Business Court Division in Fort Worth since September 2024, handling commercial disputes that exceed $5 million in controversy for Tarrant County and surrounding areas. His new term runs from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2028, according to the Fort Worth Report.

Before joining the bench, Bullard spent more than 30 years as a commercial litigator at Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C. He is board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.

He served on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors from June 2022 to June 2025 and was named Secretary of the American College of Business Court Judges during the court's inaugural year.

His caseload backs up the appointment.

In the court's first full year, Bullard handled 14 cases and disposed of eight, a 57% disposition rate that led all ten Business Court judges statewide, according to the court's FY2025 annual report. Eighty-five percent of all Business Court cases disposed that year were resolved within 180 days.

The Eighth Division received 20 total cases in FY2025, with the majority statewide involving energy, real estate, technology or financial industries. Filings in the first two months of FY2026 ran 38% above the prior year's monthly average.

What the Business Court handles

The Texas Business Court, created in 2023 under House Bill 19, is a specialized trial court for commercial disputes exceeding $5 million. It covers corporate governance fights, derivative proceedings, securities claims and breaches of duty by company officers. It does not handle personal injury, family law or consumer claims.

House Bill 40, effective Sept. 1, 2025, expanded the court's reach by lowering the dollar threshold from $10 million to $5 million and adding jurisdiction over intellectual property disputes and arbitration matters.

"The Texas Business Court has resolved complex commercial disputes with unmatched speed and expertise," Abbott said in announcing the reappointments. "I have reappointed these skilled judges to protect that success and to ensure that Texas' business jurisprudence is on steady ground for years to come."

State leaders have pointed to a 12% increase in out-of-state LLCs registering to do business in Texas in 2025 as a sign the court is attracting companies, though no causal study has confirmed the link.

Local bench

Fort Worth attorney Brian Stagner serves alongside Bullard as the Eighth Division's second judge. Stagner, a former partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP and adjunct professor at Texas Christian University, was also reappointed Monday.

All Business Court appeals go exclusively to the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, creating uniform commercial-law precedent across Texas. The next reappointment cycle comes in 2028.