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Transocean Acquires Valaris for $5.8B Creating Deepwater Drilling Behemoth - Transocean announced Monday it has acquired Valaris Ltd. for about $5.8 billion in an all-stock transaction that creates an offshore drilling behemoth with 33 ultra-deepwater drillships, nine semisubmersibles and 31 modern jackups. Skadden advised Valaris with a team led by Eric Otness in Houston and Stephen Arcano and Max Troper in New York. Davor Vukadin is GC at Valaris, and Brady Long is Transocean's chief legal officer. February 9, 2026Jason Philyaw
Fifth Circuit Gives Trump Admin Win on Immigration Detention Policy - A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Friday sided with the Trump administration’s interpretation of immigration law, allowing the government to detain noncitizens without the opportunity to seek bond while they contest deportation. The opinion comes as federal district courts across the country confront a surge of lawsuits challenging the Administration’s approach. February 8, 2026Krista Torralva
CDT Roundup: Groundhog Calls for More Winter as Deal Blizzard Hits Texas - Last week began with a Pennsylvania groundhog seeing his shadow, an occurrence that supposedly forewarns a stubborn winter. In Texas, where the temps reached 70 degrees and above, such news is met with little more than a shrug.
Would that Punxsutawney Phil had forewarned us that a $58 billion deal on Monday to create a shale oil giant would be immediately dwarfed on Tuesday by the gobsmacking $1.25 trillion marriage of a satellite delivery system and an AI chatbox with a reputation for snarkiness.
That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup. February 8, 2026Allen Pusey & Jason Philyaw
Would that Punxsutawney Phil had forewarned us that a $58 billion deal on Monday to create a shale oil giant would be immediately dwarfed on Tuesday by the gobsmacking $1.25 trillion marriage of a satellite delivery system and an AI chatbox with a reputation for snarkiness.
That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup. February 8, 2026Allen Pusey & Jason Philyaw
Motion to Dismiss Elders from Gateway Defamation Case Denied - Dallas County Judge Emily Tobolowsky, who is not seeking reelection, denied the motion to dismiss two elders from the defamation lawsuit against Gateway Church. The nondenominational, evangelical Christian megachurch has been tangled in several lawsuits following sexual abuse allegations against Robert Morris, its former senior pastor. February 6, 2026Alexa Shrake
Jury Awards $20.2M in Dispute Between Business Partners - A two-and-a-half-week trial concluded with the jury awarding just over $20.2 million to a car dealership executive after finding his business partner liable for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. The pair are still business partners but are working toward untangling themselves so they can go their separate ways. February 5, 2026Alexa Shrake
A&O Shearman, DLA Piper Advise on $7.5B Semiconductor Deal - DLA Piper and A&O Shearman advised on the deal whose announcement triggered a run-up on Nasdaq for Silicon Labs stock. February 4, 2026Jason Philyaw
Centerpiece
Big Law’s Transfer Portal: Elite Firms Raid Texas Talent with Record Pay Packages - The Texas corporate legal market has started 2026 with a frenzy of activity that includes several high-profile lateral partner moves, new office openings, new hourly rates nearing $3,000 and record-shattering compensation agreements with some lawyers being offered guaranteed multi-year compensation packages exceeding $20 million. February 6, 2026Mark Curriden
Hot-Button Issues Shaped Kyle Hawkins’ Advocacy - Before he was appointed as a justice on the state’s highest court in October, Kyle Hawkins argued five cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and nine at the Texas Supreme Court. His advocacy included cases targeting abortion, the Affordable Care Act and New York’s school vaccination law. Hawkins’ appointment came shortly after he argued a tobacco tax case before the court he now sits on. February 5, 2026Janet ElliottExpert Voices
My Five Favorite (True Crime) Books: Natalie LeVeck (Senior Counsel at Google/YouTube) - When I was asked to write about my five favorite books, I initially shuddered at the idea of admitting to my law colleagues that I have a long-standing (and deeply ingrained) obsession with true crime. But after a quick dive into statistics about the popularity of true crime shows, films, and podcasts — particularly among women in my age range — I felt a little less exposed. Maybe what started for me in middle school, watching Dateline with my family, isn’t quite as niche as I once thought. February 4, 2026Natalie LeVeckHow Businesses Can Protect Insurance Claims After Winter Storm Fern - Winter Storm Fern left a historic trail of damage across more than 30 states, affecting an estimated 230 million Americans. With a predicted six more weeks of winter ahead, property owners face a critical window to protect both their physical assets and their legal rights to insurance recovery. This guide outlines essential actions for business owners navigating the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern. February 2, 2026Carlton D. Wilde III
Stories You Might’ve Missed
The Legacy of Pennzoil v. Texaco 40 Years Later — The Civil Jury Trial of the Century - Pennzoil v. Texaco's legacy remains significant, as it changed how companies handle mergers and acquisitions, caused the Chamber of Commerce to designate Texas as a judicial hellhole in 1986 and directly led to two decades of massive tort reform efforts that dramatically limited the rights of Texans to sue businesses, doctors and insurance companies for wrongdoing. It also launched Texas trial lawyer Joe Jamail to national stardom and made him the richest trial lawyer in American history.
In this in-depth article, The Texas Lawbook provides a detailed timeline of the events involved in the historic litigation, as well as comments from more than a dozen lawyers about the legal strategies employed. November 18, 2025Mark Curriden & Alexa Shrake














