John R. Rolater, Jr. - Guest Commentator. John holds a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a JD from Texas Tech School of Law. He has been an Assistant Criminal District Attorney for Collin County and Chief of the Appellate Division for 13 years. He was previously an Assistant Criminal District Attorney for Dallas County for 11, including 3 years as Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division. John clerked for the Hon. Paul McCollum and the Hon. Anne Crawford McClure of the El Paso Court of Appeals before becoming a prosecutor. In 2003, he was recognized as the Henry Wade Prosecutor of the Year by the Greater Dallas Crime Commission, and, in 2015, was recognized as a Lone Star Prosecutor by the Texas District & County Attorneys Association as a member of the team who prosecuted Eric Williams. He has taught CLE courses for TDCAA, the State Bar of Texas, the Center for American and International Law, the Texas Center for the Judiciary and UT-CLE. John is Board Certified in Criminal Appellate Law by the Board of Legal Specialization and serves on the Grievance Committee.