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CDT Roundup: Final Deadline for Submitting Deals for Lawbook’s 1Q CDT Rankings is Today - In this edition of the CDT Roundup, we take a look at a more robust deal week than we've seen recently, while the first-quarter deadline for being included in the rankings is later today. Plus, a helpful guide is now available for all things Corporate Deal Tracker. That and more in this week's CDT Roundup, our regular feature highlighting the work Texas dealmakers are doing inside and outside the state. April 7, 2025
Scott Hogan, Former 1st Assistant U.S. Attorney in Dallas, Joins Dykema - The longtime prosecutor is reuniting with former U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton to form what Dykema calls ‘a potent tag team’ in healthcare litigation and other white-collar fields. April 7, 2025Nine Texas Litigation Firms Sign Amicus Brief in Opposition to Presidential EOs - Stating that their “abiding commitment to preserving the integrity of the American legal system leaves us no choice,” 504 law firms across the U.S. signed an amicus brief Friday supporting the corporate law firm Perkins Coie in its battle for survival against the Trump administration. Of those 504 law firms supporting Perkins Coie, only nine are based in Texas and not a single law firm with a corporate transactional practice signed the brief. The firms include Yetter Coleman, Susman Godfrey, Graves Dougherty, Nachawati Law Group, Aldous Law, Crain Brogdon and Waters Kraus. April 4, 2025
Jackson Walker Reaches First of Potentially Several Settlements in Ex-Judge Jones Bankruptcy Fee Case - Jackson Walker issued a statement to The Lawbook indicating more settlements will be filed soon. “We have always said that we regret being misled in this matter by our former partner, and we have continued to proactively reach out to other parties to try to resolve this matter in a constructive fashion,” the statement reads. April 4, 2025
Brookfield Infrastructure Announces Acquisition of Colonial Enterprises for $9B - Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, the infrastructure company of New York's Brookfield Asset Management, and its institutional partners announced on April 3 that it had entered an agreement to acquire 100 percent ownership of Colonial Enterprises and its midstream asset portfolio for $9 billion. Lawyers from Kirkland & Ellis and Simpson Thacher are advising on the deal. April 4, 2025
Middle-Market PE Report Reflects a Sense of Optimism Undermined - The 2025 Katten Middle-Market Private Equity report released Thursday was based on bullish post-election December business optimism. But the early and aggressive moves by the Trump Administration forced the report sponsor, Katten, to reassess its data — to the point of authorizing a "flash survey" to gauge whether optimism had survived. April 3, 2025
Texas Law Professors Join Amicus Brief in Support of Perkins Coie Challenge to Trump Executive Order - More than a dozen professors from Texas law schools joined an amicus brief in support of Perkins Coie’s challenge to President Donald Trump’s March 6 executive order targeting the firm. The president's executive order is unconstitutional and poses a grave threat to the rule of law, the professors argue. April 3, 2025Centerpiece
M&A Newsmaker: Term Sheet to Triumph, Pillsbury’s Andy Smetana Fuels Startup Successes - Andy Smetana took what he considers an unconventional path to transactional law. After graduating from Boston University School of Law, he sensed that the conditions weren't favorable for dealmaking. He patiently worked as a litigator while waiting for corporate and market opportunities to improve. Once they did, Smetana quickly transitioned into the transactional sector and has not looked back since, he told The Texas Lawbook. April 7, 2025
Q&A with Trial Lawyer Geoffrey Harrison - Susman Godfrey trial attorney and partner Geoffrey Harrison won five lawsuits last year involving a total of more than $1.25 billion. In this exclusive interview, Harrison talks about his trial rituals, what name partner H. Lee Godfrey taught him as a newly minted lawyer, the litigation trends he’s watching closely and more. April 4, 2025Expert Voices
Where is Securities Litigation Headed in Texas? - Securities litigation is one of the most interesting and important areas of commercial litigation. It is arguably the reason why the United States has been able to attract more capital via foreign investment than any other country in the world. And Dallas has recently been making moves that are likely to result in it becoming a new center for securities-related litigation. April 3, 2025
Defining the Client File — Using Fee Agreements to Establish Clear Boundaries in the Digital Age - What categories of documents are included in the “file” has never been defined. With technology creating a record of nearly everything a lawyer does on behalf of a client, a liberal interpretation of the rule would mandate expansive and intrusive disclosures. This can be particularly problematic if the client is an entity that experiences a change in control — perhaps even to a former adversary. This article discusses the use of attorney-client fee agreements to define and limit what documents will be included in the client’s “file” to resolve the ambiguity and minimize exposure to lawyers. April 1, 2025
Stories You Might’ve Missed
Winter Storm Uri — Four Years Later, Zero Jury Trials for 30,000 Victims of Historic Storm - The ground had not yet thawed four years ago when the Texas courts were slammed with an avalanche of lawsuits. More than 30,000 individuals and small businesses filed wrongful death, personal injury and property damage lawsuits against ERCOT and the energy companies accusing them of gross negligence that caused much of the power blackouts. A separate class action accused energy companies and financial institutions of using Winter Storm Uri to manipulate prices and generate billions of dollars in profits. Four years later, not a single witness deposition has been taken and not a single case has been set for trial. And a growing number of legal experts predict that none of those cases will ever be heard by a jury of Texas citizens. February 13, 2025
