News
The Texas Business Courts published their mediator wheel recently. It includes 22 Texas mediators — including Alan.
Besides serving on the mediator wheel for both civil district courts in Montgomery County and several courts in Harris County, Alan is honored to be included by the Texas Business Courts too.
Alan spoke for HR Southwest every year from 2012 until 2018. Then cancer ended his streak. But today, he’s cancer-free and back. HRSW called Alan to speak on his current craft — mediation:
Most employment lawsuits end at mediation. Counsel explains the process, but there’s more at play. How early is too early to mediate? What’s happening in the employee-turned-plaintiff’s room? What emotions may bubble up with our own team? We’ll paint a picture with clips from movies and shows.
You can still register for HR Southwest here:
The Montgomery County Bar Association tasked Alan with organizing and moderating a panel of both Business Court judges in the Houston Division. Mission accomplished!
The panel happened on 8.27.25 at the Black Walnut.
Along with Montgomery County District Courts’ rocket-docket, the Business Courts are now also a viable option to resolve business disputes.
The Texas Bar broadcast and recorded Alan’s popular talk about practicing through cancer and other medical crises. He broadcast the ethics CLE live and recorded it with TexasBar CLE.
Chances are high that you or a buddy lawyer will have a serious medical crisis by age 55. Get ready now. Understand the ethical duties in play. Think through a rough plan to cover your tail, so you can keep practicing. A three-time cancer survivor tells his lessons learned with video clips of comedies.
When the recorded show becomes available, we’ll post it.
The TMCA’s Annual Symposium has called Alan to speak on 10..25.25. He’s humbled. Alan leads off the day, followed immediately by Justice Lehrmann and Hon. John Coselli.
Gulp! Big shoes to fill.
Alan will deliver a variant of his popular negotiation ethics talk:
Negotiations can involve pressure, particularly when attorneys may not be carefully measuring their words. How far is too far to go to get that “sweet deal”? Ethically, that is. As mediators, we’ll get a feel for how to better actively listen to the parties and counsel who want to walk right up to the ethical line.
Register for the Symposium here:
The Texas Bar called Alan to speak again — this time, for the 17th Annual Business Disputes Course. He presented his popular topic:
Negotiations involve pressure. When your back is to the wall, how far can or should you go to get a sweet deal? Ethically, that is. Lawyers must measure their words to opponents – and their own clients.
Did you miss it? Register and watch the recorded course here.
The HBA’s Labor & Employment Section recently invited Alan to serve on its Section Council. Alan is honored to serve his fellow lawyers.
Alan is a Houston area mediator. He helps parties resolve civil and employment disputes.
The State Bar of Texas tapped Alan to speak for its Labor & Employment Section. He’ll speak for the 35th Annual Labor & Employment Institute.
“Practicing Through Cancer — and Other Deep Medical Crises” will be Alan’s topic on 8.22.25. He’s practiced through three rounds in the ring with aggressive, genetic-caused cancer. Now Alan offers ethics tips to lawyers to keep pushing, but take care of themselves and their clients.
Back before cancer, Alan frequented this conference. He made great memories at the lazy river with his wife and two daughters.
The Houston Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Section has tapped Alan and Felicia to speak about early mediation to a roomful of employment lawyers. Here are the details:
Maximize Resolution’s Value:
The Ethical Touchdown Before The Endzone
8.12.25 at High Noon
Brennan’s of Houston or Virtual
Mediation timing matters. Wait too long to settle, fees chew up your client’s value. Settle too early, lose the value of pressing your client’s strongest position. As a client’s advisor, counsel owes ethical duties to consider alternative paths to resolution. We’ll talk out practical skills to make the most of mediation at any stage of a case.
Alan will give a webinar CLE with fellow Aggie, Felicia Harris Hoss, from the State Bar’s recording studio in Austin. Here are the details:
Tuesday 7.22.25
12:30 - 1:30 pm
Mediation timing matters. Wait too long to settle, fees chew up your client's value. Settle too early, lose the value of pressing your client's strongest position. Once you're in mediation, shepherd your client through the three bargaining phases. And make sure to bring your tools to break past anchoring and through impasse.
Texas Lawyer just published Alan’s latest article. It’s titled “Business Courts Can Soon Hear Trade Secret Disputes: Lessons from a $51 Million Trial in Montgomery County.”
In the article, Alan unpacks:
How House Bill 40 opens up Business Courts to trade secret disputes over $5 million;
A recent trial of a $51 million Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act claim that resulted in a double-directed verdict in Montgomery County; and
How the Business Courts may be a venue worth considering for trade secrets disputes in certain situations.
Find the article here.
Alan Bush is a mediator. He mediates civil and employment disputes in person at several locations across Greater Houston—and over Zoom throughout Texas.
Alan recently presented “Can Your FLSA Settlement Slide Past The Judge” for the State Bar of Texas’ Labor & Employment Section. Given Alan’s work on both sides of the FLSA collective action docket, he had plenty to share.
Alan Bush is a mediator. He mediates civil and employment disputes in person at several locations across Greater Houston – and over Zoom throughout Texas.
Alan recently presented “Can Your FLSA Settlement Pass The Judge"?” for the Houston Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Section. His slide deck and article are available at Can Your FLSA Settlement Pass The Judge - Article PP.pdf.
Alan Bush is a mediator. He mediates civil and employment disputes in person at several locations across Greater Houston – and over Zoom throughout Texas.
The speaking trail calls Alan again. The Houston Bar Association Litigation Section has tapped Alan to give his popular ethics CLE titled “Negotiation Ethics: When You Can’t Back Down.”
Negotiations involve pressure. When your back is to the wall, how far can you (or should you) go to get a sweet deal? Ethically, that is. Lawyers must measure their words to opponents - and their own clients. Movies and shows have lessons to teach.
Join Alan for this CLE on 1.22.25 at Brennan’s. Register here.
Due to the winter storm, the HBA Litigation Section has postponed the Alan’s Negotiation Ethics talk until Friday 1.31.25.
Though Bush Mediation, Alan Bush mediates across the Houston area — focusing on disputes about employment, civil trials and personal injury.
The Brazoria County Bar Association has invited Alan to give an ethics CLE. On 4.9.25, Alan will deliver “Negotiation Ethics: When You Can’t Back Down.”
Though Bush Mediation, Alan Bush mediates across the Houston area — focusing on disputes about employment, civil trials and personal injury.
The Texas Aggie Bar Association has invited Alan to speak at its annual conference.
Alan will give one of his hardest talks yet titled “Practicing Through Cancer - and Other Deep Medical Crises.” In it, Alan shares lessons learned from his own fight with cancer.
Register for the conference on 3.1.25 here.
Though Bush Mediation, Alan Bush mediates across the Houston area — focusing on disputes about employment, civil trials and personal injury.
The Fort Bend County Bar Association has tapped Alan to speak. On 2.27.25, Alan will again deliver “Negotiation Ethics: When You Can’t Back Down.”
Expect a good time. Alan doesn’t do boring.
Though Bush Mediation, Alan Bush mediates across the Houston area — focusing on disputes about employment, civil trials and personal injury.
Alan Bush learned his biggest legal lesson from a mentor. Alan tells the tale:
So there I was — just pulled up to the Walker County courthouse to handle my first hearing. My mentor came along.
My mentor threw his gold F-150 into park. I put my hand on the door pull to pop open the door. Ready to jump out, run into the courtroom and kick some tail.
My mentor put up his hand: “Stop. Let’s pray.”
“This is gonna be great! This Godly dude is about to pray for victory, and there’s no way God won’t answer,” I thought.
My mentor had something else in mind.
“Heavenly Father, we pray that today your justice be done. Amen.”
It dawned on me. We lawyers go hard in the courtroom. We fight, we struggle. But at the end of the day, there is a right result. And it might not be the one my client wants.
Alan’s first article has hit the presses with Texas Lawyer. In it, Alan runs through counsel’s ethical boundaries in negotiations like mediation.
You can read the article here.
The article covers:
“Good faith” mediation referral orders
Counsel’s duty to give the advice a client may not want to hear
Counsel’s duty of honesty
Counsel’s potential duty to disclose if the client has a duty
Reality check
When it comes to giving the client the hard news, Alan points out:
Smart litigation counsel uses the mediator as cover. Because the legal profession thrives on ambush, new twists routinely pop up at mediation. A good mediator doesn’t pull punches in showing both sides their risks. Let the mediator be the first to break the bad news. Then soft echo it. Tell the client that, although you don’t like it, you see the wisdom in it.
Though Bush Mediation, Alan Bush mediates across the Houston area — focusing on disputes about employment, civil trials and personal injury.
The Montgomery County Bar has tapped Alan to deliver his talk titled, “Mediation Ethics: When You Can’t Back Down.” He gave this talk a few weeks ago for The Woodlands Bar and had the largest audience the WBA has seen all year.
Alan’s webinar for the MCBA goes down on June 12 at high noon. MCBA members can register for free here: Negotiation Ethics: When You Can’t back Down.
The MCBA now offers monthly CLE webinars — all free to members. Over the last year, the MCBA produced 10 hours of free CLE and launched a CLE web bank of past webinars.
Though Bush Mediation, Alan Bush mediates across the Houston area — focusing on disputes about employment, civil trials and personal injury.
