Skadden Nabs ‘Go-To’ Energy Litigator Michelle Scheffler
Michelle Scheffler, formerly of Haynes Boone, joins Skadden as a litigation partner in its Houston office. Scheffler has led high-profile energy litigation across the country.
Prominent White-Collar Attorney Bill Mateja Takes Helm Of Dallas Bar Association
In a Q&A with The Lawbook, Bill Mateja shares what shakeups he’s got in store for the bar association and the advice he gave former DBA president Aaron Tobin. The DBA will host an inauguration ceremony Sunday for Mateja, a partner at Sheppard Mullin.
Duane Morris Hires Away Craig M. Warner From Bell Nunnally
The firm adds Warner to its growing Dallas office amid “an environment of increased investigations and rising litigation.” Warner, a former assistant U.S. attorney and ex-assistant attorney general for the Texas Attorney General’s office, has represented Bass Pro Shops, Miller Brewing, and Primerica, as well as other Fortune 500 companies.
SCOTX to Decide if Class Action Suit May Proceed Against USAA
The owner of a restored vintage Mercedes that was declared salvage by USAA, a decision the company later walked back, argues the insurance giant participates in a wrongful practice of prematurely reporting to the state that it has paid claims. USAA argues the plaintiff should be required to pursue her novel claims as an individual and not on a classwide basis.
Founding Partner Joe W. Redden Jr. Retires from Beck Redden After ‘Great Ride’
Joe Redden rang in the new year as a retiree, marking the end of a 48-year legal career. In 1992, Redden cofounded the boutique trial and appellate law firm in Houston.
Blank Rome Bolsters White Collar Defense Group as DOJ Investigations, Prosecutions Increase
Dallas litigator Barrett Howell came to Blank Rome from Katten. Howell says the most significant trend he’s seeing in his white collar practice is the Department of Justice’s criminal health care fraud investigations and prosecutions.
Yetter Coleman Nets $58.5 Million Settlement in Business Civil Rights Case
The settlement between a gravel mining company and Sacramento County, California, is one of the largest ever in a business civil rights case nationwide, the Houston-based firm said.
Litigation Boutique Burns Charest Nabs Longtime Assistant U.S. Attorney
Clay Mahaffey joined the Dallas-based firm after a 22-year run with the U.S. Department of Justice. He recently discussed his career, including a case that changed his perspective on attorney-client relationships, and why he made the move from DOJ with The Lawbook.
Administrative Patent Judge Joins Bracewell’s IP Practice in Austin
Christopher L. “Kit” Crumbley navigated unprecedented trials as an administrative judge on the U.S. Patent and Trial Appeal Board beginning in 2012, as the America Invents Act went into effect. He said he left the bench in pursuit of his “next challenge.”
SCOTX to Decide if Thousands of Plaintiffs Can Sue Their Former Fen-Phen Lawyer
Houston lawyer George Fleming says Texas law should bring an end to the claims of thousands of his former clients by analyzing “privity,” or the existence of a legally binding relationship between them, under standards articulated both in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Taylor v. Sturgell and Section 40 of the Restatement of Judgments. SCOTX justices heard arguments Tuesday and had plenty of questions.