Before taking the bench, Judge Birdwell was a practicing attorney with more than 20 years of experience defending primarily members of the local medical community in both trials and appeals in state and federal courts. He acted as lead appellate counsel in approximately seventy appeals and original proceedings, participated in oral arguments before the federal Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Supreme Court of Texas, and the state courts of appeals in Amarillo, Dallas, Eastland, El Paso and, of course, Fort Worth. He was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court on June 1, 2004. Based upon his extensive experience before state and federal appellate tribunals, Judge Birdwell became in 1998, and remains today, Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a certification that evidences not only an extensive knowledge of and experience with civil trial and appellate procedure, but also proven expertise in the interpretation and application of both state and federal law. Judge Birdwell's record of service in the Republican Party of Texas similarly demonstrated his strong commitment to Republican principles. In addition to his service as a precinct chair in Mansfield, he previously served as a poll watcher, an election judge, and a member of the nominations and resolutions committees for Senate District 10. As a delegate to five of the last six state conventions, he has consistently supported the platform's call ...