Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
On Monday, in apparent response to concerns about potential disruption to the Texas electrical grid, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state’s top two energy agencies to pause any new data center grid connections while the effect of those connections is studied by the state.
The deal for the Houston-based valve distributor provides both tech and customer-base expansion for Ferguson's push into data center infrastructure air and water services. Orrick, Kirkland and Foley are advising.
A low‑key SEC data dump on July 1 quietly implies a CapM “revival” based on first‑quarter numbers. A closer look shows the comeback is largely powered by SPACs, not new operating companies. So, how much of this recovery is substance, and how much is spin?
Shell Offshore, a subsidiary of Houston-based oil giant Shell Oil, announced that it is selling its interest in two major offshore Gulf platforms to Talos Energy and Ridgewood Energy for $1.7 billion.
Taking advantage of its expanded new market cap, Space Exploration Technologies announced its pricing of an inaugural $25 billion bond issue. Gibson Dunn lawyers in Texas and New York advised.
An Eastern District of Texas jury in Marshall swatted Verizon Wireless with a $190 million verdict for infringement of a patent owned by Aspen Networks, a California technology company. The case is one of three such cases alleging the unauthorized use of Aspen's system to connect cellular phone calls in-progress between cell and Wi-Fi systems. The other two cases involving AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA are still pending.
The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz may be creating a profound sense of uncertainty among consumers at the gas pump, but the bankers who will be lending billions for oil and gas production are sanguine about the prospects of oil and gas prices returning to normal by the end of the year. In the latest survey of energy lenders conducted by Haynes Boone, energy lenders are expecting oil prices to subside by the end of the year, with long-term projections reaching pre-conflict levels by 2028.
Berger, a 1996 graduate of UT Law, worked at Winston for 15 years. The corporate litigation veteran called his move to Latham "the next natural step."
Melissa Kalka once imagined herself in a white dentist’s coat, peering into mouths across bicuspids and middle molars.
Instead, now she examines balance and term sheets, drilling into multibillion‑dollar deals for hidden risk and opportunity. A transactional partner at the richest law firm in the world, she has become one of the firm’s go‑to architects for complex, capital‑intensive energy and infrastructure deals.
The Texas Lawbook caught up with her about her upbringing and career and the deals she's leading now.
Exxon shareholders approved the move to Texas, first recommended in March, with more than 70 percent of shareholders voting in favor.
The move may prove more historical than controversial. While the company's relocation received some opposition, the controversy was nothing compared to Exxon's legal and historical past.
© Copyright 2026 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.
