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Alexa Shrake

Alexa covers litigation and trials for The Texas Lawbook.

Alexa Shrake

A former reporter with The Indiana Lawyer in Indianapolis, Alexa covers litigation and trials for The Texas Lawbook. Alexa won two first place awards from the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists: one was for a story examining the foster care system and the other was for her coverage of the attorney general election and retention of Indiana Supreme Court justices.

Trustee for Bankrupt Financial Startup Sues Winston & Strawn 

The trustee of a bankrupt financial services startup aimed at conservative customers that Winston & Strawn represented is suing the law firm and one of its partners for alleged malpractice. The trustee for GloriFi, seeking more than $1.7 billion in damages, claims Winston & Strawn schemed with the company’s founder, putting his interests over those of the business. 

Winston & Strawn said it “will vigorously defend against these meritless claims, including the fanciful, billion-dollar lost value claim for a company that never opened its doors for business.”

Alexa Shrake

Hearing in Merit Street Media Case Premiered Tuesday 

Northern District Bankruptcy Judge Scott Everett heard from counsel representing Dr. Phil’s Merit Street Media and Trinity Broadcasting Network Tuesday, who argued about whether the celebrity television psychologist acted in bad faith by filing for bankruptcy. The hearing on the motion to dismiss and partial summary judgment is expected to last through Thursday, and Dr. Phil is on the list of potential witnesses who will testify. (File photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Alexa Shrake

JCPenney Estate, Jackson Walker Reach Potential $1.4M Settlement

Jackson Walker, which represented JCPenney during its 2020 bankruptcy proceedings, has agreed to pay the estate of the department store $1.4 million as a result of a romantic relationship between a former partner and a former Houston bankruptcy judge. This latest settlement proposal requires the court’s approval, but the U.S. Trustee’s Office remains opposed to individual settlements. 

Alexa Shrake

Asked & Answered with Jackson Walker’s Juan Alcala: Crawling out of Poverty and Finding Passion

Asked & Answered is a standing feature The Texas Lawbook will bring readers every other week, highlighting the work of leading Texas lawyers and offering insight into their lives outside the courtroom. In this edition, Jackson Walker partner Juan Alcala discusses representing Chevron and arguing before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Alcala recently joined Jackson Walker from Holland & Knight.

Alexa Shrake

DOBS Gets $34.2M Mesothelioma Verdict for Former Shipyard Worker

A former shipyard worker in Portland, Oregon, developed mesothelioma after working with John Crane gaskets and packing for over a decade. A jury last Friday found the company liable for the fatal cancer. The case was first tried earlier this summer but ended in a mistrial after four days of jury deliberations.

Alexa Shrake

Jury Returns $12.25M Verdict for Family of Woman Who Died from Mesothelioma

A New York jury found Vanderbilt Mining knew about asbestos contamination in its mines but failed to protect its neighbors. The plaintiff's lawyer, Sam Iola of the Dallas asbestos litigation boutique Iola Gross & Forbes-King, called the case unique due to the allegations that environmental exposure harmed his client rather than the use of a specific product.

Alexa Shrake

Lawyers Sound Off on One Year Practicing in Texas Business Court 

For Part II of a set of stories examining how the first year went for Texas’ newest court, The Texas Lawbook spoke to lawyers who have practiced in the Texas Business Court about their experiences litigating complex disputes in the venue. Some of those lawyers have also practiced in the Delaware Chancery Court and drew distinctions about what differentiates the specialty courts.  

Alexa Shrake

‘If You Build It, They Will Come’: A Look at the Texas Business Court After 1 Year in Operation

Two years ago, lawmakers created a new court, in part as a signal to the business community that Texas is a good place to incorporate and that jurists here could deliver quick, consistent results in complex business disputes. 

In its first year of operation, the 10 judges appointed to the five divisions of the court have seen more than 180 cases filed. That figure is higher than some of the judges who spoke to The Texas Lawbook expected to see. We asked them to look back on the first year of operations.

Alexa Shrake

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