Main Content
Top Stories
Top Stories
Reese Marketos Scores $213M Patent Win Against Comcast - Adam Sanderson was in a patent trial in Chicago in 2016 when opposing counsel pulled him aside. He had a potential big case but also a conflict and offered to introduce Sanderson to his client. Today, a decade later, Sanderson won a $213 million federal jury verdict for those clients in a patent case against Comcast. October 15, 2026
Jury Orders NAE Enterprises to Pay $21.6M in Construction Case - A Tarrant County jury awarded a local family more than $21.6 million after finding that construction defects in their home exposed them to toxic sewer gas, mold and insects, in violation of the state Deceptive Trade Practices Act. The jury trial began on Oct. 5 in Judge Don Cosby’s courtroom in Fort Worth. October 14, 2026
Bankruptcy Judge: Camp Mystic Trustee Ruling Should Come Next Week - After hearing nearly four hours of closing arguments Tuesday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said he should have a decision within about a week on a proposal to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee over the Camp Mystic bankruptcy. October 13, 2026
Litigation Roundup: Pioneer Sees Uri-Related ‘Force Majeure’ Win Affirmed - In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the SEC’s Fort Worth regional office closes out a case involving an alleged $91 million Ponzi scheme, a Dallas jury sides with Jani-King in a franchisee dispute, ExxonMobil investors are granted class certification in a securities suit and a Fifth Circuit panel affirms Pioneer Natural Resources’ force majeure win in a Winter Storm Uri dispute. October 12, 2026
Dallas Federal Judge’s Entire Docket Transferred to Other Judges - The chief judge of the Northern District of Texas has issued two separate “special orders” that remove all civil and criminal cases from the docket of U.S. District Judge Ada Brown, who is a highly respected jurist and believed to be the only Native American woman federal judge in Texas. Neither of the special orders provides an explanation. October 12, 2026
Norton Rose Fulbright in Dallas: Measuring Retention by the Decade - In an era when lawyers are changing teams with the frequency of SEC linebackers, a large contingent of Dallas-based lawyers at Norton Rose Fulbright have been staying put for decades. Like lawyers on-the-move, they cite 'culture' as their reason for staying; but offering the credibility of decades in the same office of the same firm, these lawyers may actually mean it. October 11, 2026CDT Roundup: A Return to Business As Usual? - The 11 deals valued at $16.4 billion reported last week amounted to an average week on the year. But as the second highest value since early August, it may be a signal that uncertain deal markets are returning to 'normal' — whatever that is in a topsy-turvy year. October 11, 2026
Centerpiece
Lewis Energy’s Wes Sharples Runs a Lean Legal Team and a Growing HR Department - Wes Sharples had a clear vision when he left Texas for college at Dartmouth in 1999: Play football, earn a degree in economics and get a big job on Wall Street.
“My playing career ended after a year and a half along with my interest in economics,” Sharples told The Texas Lawbook. "I ultimately determined law school was the best fit, but it was more pragmatism than lifelong ambition.”
Twenty-seven years later, Sharples is the GC at Lewis Energy Group, where he has guided the San Antonio-based privately owned energy company through five transformational corporate transactions and negotiated a highly favorable settlement agreement in an eight-figure litigation during the past two years. And he is also the 2026 San Antonio GC of the Year for a Small Legal Department. October 14, 2026
Frost Bank’s C.E. Rhodes Has a ‘Servant Leader’s Heart’ - During his five years as GC at Frost Bank, C.E. Rhodes has achieved extraordinary successes. He is the recipient of the 2026 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department (21 lawyers or more). October 13, 2026Expert Voices
Juries May Not Get the Last Word on AI - A recent Lawbook piece cited trial experts predicting juries would become AI’s de facto regulators as litigation surges. History says otherwise — pointing to how Congress and state legislatures moved to shield gun makers and businesses from similar waves of lawsuits before they ever reached juries. October 14, 2026
