Jerry Drake

Municipal Litigation Defense – Trials and Appeals
Land Use
General Municipal Law

Jerry has over 35 years of experience in representing Texas cities and counties in litigation, and retired in 2020 as Denton’s First Assistant City Attorney over the Litigation Division, with 31 years of service to that community. Jerry has handled cases in such areas as civil rights, tort law, employment law, and land use. His technical background helps him to understand and seize upon the critical details of a case, applying an analytical mindset to help find creative solutions and understanding beyond what might be apparent on the surface. In most cases, this approach has allowed him to achieve positive results without need for a trial. Beyond trial and arbitration experience, Jerry has successfully handled appeals at the intermediate appellate courts, Texas Supreme Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. By helping him to understand issues from the perspectives of employees with specific technical training, Jerry’s experience provides an advantage in finding creative solutions in transactional and advisory roles as well.

• J.D. Southern Methodist University School of Law, 1985
• B.S.M.E., Southern Methodist University School of Engineering and Applied Science, 1981

• Licensed to practice in all Texas State courts
• U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Texas
• United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

• Member, State Bar of Texas
• Texas City Attorneys Association
• 2017 Merit Certification in Municipal Law – Texas City Attorneys Association

• Rushing, et al. v. City of Denton, Judgment Reversed and Rendered for City at Texas Supreme Court, 2019 (second chair at Supreme Court).
• Esker v. City of Denton, Fort Worth Court of Appeals, 2018, affirmed trial court judgment for city (first chair all phases).
• ACE Cash Express v. City of Denton, Fort Worth Court of Appeals affirmed judgment for city, petition refused Tex. Sup. Ct. 2015 (first chair all phases).

Jerry has spoken at seminars sponsored by the State Bar of Texas, Texas City Attorneys Association, Lorman, Denton County Paralegals Association, and other seminars on a variety of topics, including electronic discovery, annexation, document retention, internet resources for legal research, mold litigation strategies, and internet filtering by public libraries.

Jerry formerly worked for the Vought Corporation as a liaison engineer on both the Boeing 757 commercial and B-1B military aircraft projects – as a student, he designed ground support equipment for the A-7 aircraft. After law school, Jerry worked part time for the Garland City Attorney’s Office, and spent two years as an Assistant County Attorney in Grayson County, prosecuting misdemeanors and felonies.

Jerry was born, raised, educated, and trained in the Dallas area.  He regularly performs in, and serves on the Board as President of, the Denton Community Band and Jazz Ensemble. His wife is a Clinical Neuropsychologist practicing in Denton, and both of them volunteer significant time to non-profits. Their daughter graduated from Texas A&M University and now helps in training others at Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) in College Station.