When I started The Texas Lawbook 11 years ago this month, I had no idea what I was doing. My team may tell you that I still don’t.
But the success The Lawbook has achieved seems like a miracle. We have more than 13,000 paid subscribers – about 2,800 of them are corporate in-house counsel. We continue to grow.
The reason: The Lawbook team. Without them, I would be operating a blog that not even my parents would pay to read. This week, I celebrate Thanksgiving because of my colleagues:
Allen Pusey turns 75 in a few weeks and he remains the most intellectually curious journalist I know. Allen is the former editor of the ABA Journal and projects editor at The Dallas Morning News. Allen is our senior editor and works on M&A coverage.
Brooks Igo has become the brains of this operation. He is our publisher and handles the business side. I knew Brooks was the person I wanted to be the business leader for The Lawbook in the spring of 2012 when he spent the spring break of his senior year of college working with a church group doing manual labor at an orphanage in Peru.
Bruce Tomaso is a retired Dallas Morning News writer and editor who covers litigation and white-collar criminal matters for us. Bruce loves being in court covering trials. And we love him being there.
Christi Trammell is the newest member of The Lawbook team. Christi, who graduates with a business degree in two weeks from the University of North Texas, will be The Lawbook’s first database manager and researcher. She will take over the Corporate Deal Tracker database from Allen, who will focus on reporting and writing bigger picture, enterprise stories.
Claire Poole is the god of M&A in Texas. She is also one of the most remarkable women I know and I am so glad that she continues to be my Texas Lawbook colleague. Claire covered dealmaking in Texas for The Deal for 16 years. She joined The Lawbook in 2017. Claire authors the Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker Weekly Roundup. In the spring of 2020, she suffered a stroke. But Claire is a fighter. We are so proud of her determination, strength and commitment. She is a role model in so many ways.
Janet Elliott started writing for The Lawbook in 2012, covering the Texas Supreme Court. A former reporter with the Wall Street Journal and Houston Chronicle, Janet has written some of the best articles The Lawbook has ever published.
Jason Curriden is our articles editor and in-house counsel. A lawyer, Jason is also my brother. He edits all controversial articles, all the Expert Voices columns.
Michelle Casady is now the lead litigation reporter for The Lawbook. After spending eight years covering litigation for Law360, Michelle joined the team in July and she has been amazing. Check out her weekly Litigation Roundup to witness what a great reporter she is.
Natalie Posgate has been with The Lawbook since June 2012. Natalie created the Corporate deal Tracker database and then created the Litigation Roundup. Along with Brooks and Sally Selio, Natalie is a critical part of the Lawbook’s leadership team. Three months ago, she officially became the first reporter in Texas to cover pro bono, public service and diversity full time. She writes the weekly P.S. column.
Nushin Huq covers ESG-related issues and muni-bonds for The Lawbook. Nushin also writes for Bloomberg. We are thankful to have Nushin’s expertise.
Sally Selio is my friend for 23 years. I’ve known Sally since she used to babysit for me when I was young. Or maybe I am misremembering that. But Sally is our office manager and keeps the trains on the track.
Tony Mauro covers the U.S. Supreme Court for The Lawbook. Tony is a legendary reporter and we are thankful to have his wisdom and expertise as part of our team.
Two others – Richard Alm and Osler McCarthy – round out the names of great journalists for whom I need to express my thanks. Osler stepped in for six months earlier this year to lead the team as I was focused on other matters. Every single one of us improved our writing and editing because of Osler. Rick, who is on the faculty of the SMU Cox Business School, plays two roles: Business advisor to Brooks and me, and co-author of our annual law firm finance coverage.
I am thankful for each of them. They do nearly all of the work and they make me look good. And I thank our readers. Without you, The Lawbook would be a periodic blog instead of the largest and most read legal online newspaper in Texas.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Mark