Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann LLP, a Dallas-based commercial litigation firm, is bringing on retired U.S. District Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn, the first female chief district court judge for the Northern District of Texas.

The former judge is the spouse of firm chair and founder, Mike Lynn, and she will be formally added to the Lynn Pinker roster as a partner Sept. 15, the firm said.

Barbara Lynn told Law360 Pulse in a recent interview that she is proud of what she accomplished in her 25 years on the federal bench, but "felt like I had missed out on practicing law with Mike and his wonderful lawyers" who could not appear before her because of the obvious conflict of interest.

Lynn, who is in her early 70s, said she loved being a federal judge but that over the years she has "come to the view that term limits for federal judges are something we should talk about."

"I felt that, in light of my views about that, I shouldn't stay too long," Lynn said.

Lynn said she is looking forward to getting back to private practice. Before her appointment to the federal bench by President Bill Clinton in 1999, Lynn practiced for 23 years at Carrington Coleman Sloman & Blumenthal LLP.

Lynn said she expects to provide advisory services to the firm's clients and clients of other firms regarding trial strategy and that her work may include mock trials and giving feedback about what she thinks "is working and not working."

"I also expect that I'll be doing [alternative dispute resolution], mediation, arbitration," Lynn said. "I would be happy to be a special master in a big case for a judge who thinks I'd be helpful in that regard. And then I would expect to do government and corporate investigations and whatever else the firm would like for me to do."

Lynn said she hopes to be mentoring the attorneys on the Lynn Pinker roster, "helping to get them across the finish line as great lawyers" and being "available as a resource for any matters that come through the door."

Lynn said that one thing she wishes every lawyer knew walking into court is "that the most important thing on the table are the issues that the judge is interested in."

"I don't want to over-generalize, but many lawyers do not want to be interrupted by judges with questions," Lynn said. "The best lawyers are the ones that engage where the judge is. If I was only giving one piece of advice to a lawyer arguing a matter before a judge, that would be it."

Lynn said she also recommends that lawyers bring up case law before it is raised by opposing counsel that may be adverse to their position and distinguish their case from it.

Lynn said another piece of advice she would give to lawyers, young attorneys in particular, "is that if you want something, you need to ask for it."

"There's nothing wrong with asking for something and not getting it," Lynn said. "You don't end up in a lesser position than you were at the start."

Lynn recalled that she was among the first class that allowed women to attend the University of Virginia, and that while the school "co-educated, it did not require some of the clubs and organizations to do so."

Lynn wanted to join the then males-only Jefferson Literary and Debate Society and continued to push for admittance even after initially being told "no." Eventually, she was allowed to join after her husband called for a vote when the supporters of keeping women out of the club had left town for Mardi Gras, according to an account on the Lynn Pinker website.

Lynn went on to earn her law degree from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, where she graduated at the top of the class. She was the first female associate and later the first partner at Carrington Coleman.

Chris Schwegmann, managing partner of Lynn Pinker, said in a statement, "Judge Lynn's reputation for integrity, wisdom, and mentorship is unmatched."

"Her commitment to empowering the next generation of lawyers is something we deeply admire, and we look forward to learning from her, being challenged by her insights, and growing together as a firm," Schwegmann said. "Having Judge Lynn with us is an honor, and we are excited for the future."

Lynn said she is a strong supporter of the American Inns of Court, an organization that brings law students, lawyers and judges together to advance the profession. She previously served as president of the national organization and is a member of two local chapters, she said.

"I'm very much a proponent of it, as well as the American College of Trial Lawyers," Lynn said. "They establish a standard of excellence, professionalism and civility, which I believe are hallmarks of our profession. And civility in particular in modern life is declining."

Judge Lynn said it is important to "recognize that lawyers have been at the forefront of our democracy since the beginning," and added that, "We as a profession have an obligation to stay right there and to hold up the values of the United States and our profession in particular."