Kent Rutter

Kent Rutter is an accomplished appellate advocate who has practiced at Haynes Boone for more than 25 years. 

Kent is recognized as a leading Texas appellate lawyer by Chambers USA, praised by clients as a “terrific writer” who is “easy to work with” and “achieves great results” (Chambers and Partners, 2018-2024). In the past year alone, those results include: 

• In the Texas Supreme Court, Kent presented oral argument and won a unanimous reversal in a critical decision for the railroad industry, clarifying the types of warnings that railroads must provide to drivers at the thousands of locations where private roads cross railroad tracks in rural Texas. 
• In the Twelfth Court of Appeals in Tyler, Kent presented oral argument and won a unanimous reversal in a historic dispute involving an 1872 agreement that required a railroad to build a repair shop and employ local residents at “forever,” resulting in a cost savings to the client of $180 million.
• In the First Court of Appeals and a trial court in Houston, Kent successfully represented Apple as lead appellate counsel in multi-district litigation arising from the Astroworld music festival tragedy, obtaining results that were hailed by Law360 as among the “biggest rulings in 2024.”  

A recognized leader of the appellate bar, Kent has chaired the three largest organizations for appellate lawyers in Texas: the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists (TACTAS) (2020-2021); the Appellate Section of the State Bar of Texas (2019-2020), and the Appellate Practice Section of the Houston Bar Association (2010-2011).

Kent is board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He is also a prolific author and speaker who has won the Outstanding Law Review Article Award from the Texas Bar Foundation twice, first as co-author of “Reasons for Reversal in the Texas Courts of Appeals,” an empirical study of the factors that most frequently result in reversal in the Texas appellate courts, and second as co-author of “Summary Judgments in Texas,” which has been recognized as one of the ten most-cited articles by appellate courts nationwide. He has given presentations to hundreds of trial lawyers, appellate lawyers, and in-house counsel, often co-presenting with members of the federal and state judiciary.

Kent is also active in the community at large. As a longtime member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society of the United Way of Greater Houston, Kent has mentored young professionals with an interest in bettering their communities, and has supported a wide array of organizations that serve families in need.