Andrew Weber

BIOGRAPHY

Andrew Weber, who previously served as Texas First Assistant Attorney General under now-Governor Greg Abbott, is currently a partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP. At the firm, he heads the Austin office and Co-Chairs the Public Law practice group, which provides legal guidance to clients on matters at the intersection of law, policy, and politics before state agencies and the Legislature.

Governor Abbott, when he was the Texas Attorney General, appointed Mr. Weber as his First Assistant in 2008, citing his legal expertise, management skills, and extensive experience in both public and private sectors. Prior to joining Kelly Hart in 2010 to create and lead the Public Law practice group, Mr. Weber spent over a year as the Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel and served for seven years at the Texas Supreme Court, where he was the chief administrator for four years.

Mr. Weber obtained his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from SMU in Dallas and graduated magna cum laude from Baylor Law School, where he was the Symposium Editor of the Baylor Law Review and a member of the Order of the Barristers. He has also worked as a Briefing Attorney for then-Justice Greg Abbott, a Staff Attorney for then-Justice Priscilla Owen, and as the Clerk of the Texas Supreme Court.

EXPERIENCE AND HIGHLIGHTS

Government Law: As a Texas Supreme Court law clerk and staff attorney, Mr. Weber assisted in drafting opinions and divining legislative intent.  As Clerk of the Court, he and his staff provided the Court’s public face, fielding calls and processing myriad motions on the Court’s behalf, and speaking at CLEs throughout Texas. 

As Deputy Attorney General for Legal Counsel, Mr. Weber served as general counsel to then Attorney General Abbott and managed six divisions including opinions, open records and public finance.  As First Assistant Attorney General, he continued to provide legal counsel to Attorney General Abbott and managed day-to-day operations of the 4,000 employees (700-attorney) in the Office of the Attorney General.  Mr. Weber also worked with other elected officials and state agencies executives and general counsels, to resolve or litigate complex legal disputes including those (1) between private parties and the State, (2) between state agencies, (3) between the State and other states, and (4) between the State and the federal government.

Representative matters:

• Our most successful public law matters are resolved without fanfare
• All Attorney General opinions from Fall 2007 through July 2010
• Civil appeal matters in state and federal courts, particularly the Texas Supreme Court

AFFILIATIONS

• Austin Bar Association
• Texas Bar Foundation, Fellow
• Long Center for the Performing Arts, Board of Trustees
• Friends of Blue Hole Foundation, Board President
• Scottish Rite Dormitory, Executive Committee
• Texas Advocacy Project, Emeritus Board Chair
• Pro Bono College of the State Bar of Texas, 2023
• Texas First Assistant Attorney General, Former
• Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, 2006-2015
• Capitol of Texas Rotary Club, Former Treasurer

HONORS

• Best Lawyers in America®, U.S. News & World Report, 2016-2024
  • Administrative / Regulatory Law
  • Appellate Practice
  • Government Relations Practice
• Texas Super Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2019-2024
  • Government Relations
• 2021 Generosity of Spirit Recipient, Texas Advocacy Project
• State Bar of Texas Pro Bono College, 2018-2023

EDUCATION

• Baylor University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 1996
  • Top 10%
  • Baylor Law Review
  • Order of Barristers
  • President’s Award for Outstanding Second-Year Student
  • Multiple American Jurisprudence Awards
• The University of Texas at Dallas, Teaching Certificate in Social Studies, 1979
• Southern Methodist University, B.A.S., 1976

ADMISSIONS

• State Bar of Texas, 1996
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas

SPEECHES & PUBLICATIONS

• “Legislative Update–What the Legislature has Wrought: Vouchers, Guns, and Bathrooms–Where Can We Find Sanctuary?” UT Law CLE 27th Annual Conference on State and Federal Appeals, 2017
• Speaker, Corporate Counsel Institute hosted by The University of Texas School of Law, 2017
• UT Public School Law CLE – Open Records, Open Meetings, 2012
• Supreme Court Update Papers and numerous MCLE papers/speeches, 1999-2002
• C. Andrew Weber & Jennifer Hodgkins, “Environmental Law, Fifth Circuit Survey,” 31 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 629 (2000)
• Sally Longroy & C. Andrew Weber, “Environmental Law, Fifth Circuit Survey,” 30 Tex. Tech L. Rev. 667 (1999)
• Andrew Weber & Kristin O’Neal, Comment, “Procedural Problems Under the Texas Administrative Procedure Act When Securing Judicial Review of Contested Case Decisions or Orders,” 48 Baylor L. Rev. 883 (1996)

RECOMMENDATIONS

“Andrew Weber is one of the most competent attorneys in Austin, and we are fortunate to have him on our team. I sent him an email, by mistake, asking for work on a spreadsheet.  Rather than come back to me and say, “You might have sent this to me in error,” he just got the work done…No fuss, no questions, no nothing. You have become my customer service hero.” -David Willms | Easy Serve