The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

Krista Torralva

Krista Torralva is a regular contributor to The Texas Lawbook. Previously, she covered courts for The Dallas Morning News. Krista has spent the bulk of her decade-plus-long career covering criminal courts in Texas and Florida. Her reporting includes the high profile federal terrorism trial against the Pulse nightclub shooter’s widow in Orlando, which ended in a rare acquittal. Her civil courts coverage has included the long-winding Texas voter ID lawsuit, legal battles over local Covid-19 mandates and school board disputes. Krista's work has been recognized by the State Bar of Texas' Gavel Awards, the Texas Association Press Managing Editors, the National Headliner Awards program and various local chapters of the Society of Professional Journalists.

The daughter of a Naval officer, Krista grew up traveling every few years but calls Corpus Christi home and talks about the Texas Gulf Coast every chance she gets. She lives in Dallas’ North Oak Cliff with her husband, Fares Sabawi.

Krista graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Dallas Firm Defeats $150M Lawsuit Against Energy Transfer in New York Trial 

Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann secured a major win for Energy Transfer in a complex fraud and breach of contract claim mounted by investment funds associated with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board. After a three-week trial in New York, the judge ruled Jan. 17 that Energy Transfer was not liable on any counts, effectively avoiding a potential $200 million judgment including pretrial interest.

Workrise Associate GC Kelsey Williams Revolutionized Company’s Legal Strategy and Collections

Kelsey Williams almost didn’t become a lawyer. She bucked her parents’ efforts to persuade her to follow in her father’s footsteps. But it was in a specific moment during her undergraduate literature studies that she realized she may be a natural fit for the legal profession. Today, her peers say she has a “signature brand of meticulous and thoughtful legal work” that has transformed Workrise’s profitability and stability. And she is a finalist for the 2024 DFW Senior Counsel of the Year Award. 

Six Lawyers Jump from Bradley to Sheppard Mullin

Partners Gene Besen, Elisha Kobre and Scarlett Singleton Nokes, as well as special counsel Stephen Moulton and associates Rebecca James and Courtlyn Ward, have joined Sheppard Mullin’s governmental practice. The team’s practice grew exponentially at Bradley and a move to Sheppard Mullin was a strategic decision to grow their practice further in a larger firm, Besen said. 

Social Media Influencer’s Texas Lawsuit Against Rival Could Pave the Way for Future Copyright Cases

A lawsuit filed by Sydney Nicole Gifford, a former Austin resident who promotes Amazon products, against fellow Austin-area influencer Alyssa Sheil survived a motion to dismiss last month. Lawyers who spoke with The Texas Lawbook said widespread attention on the case is likely to incite other influencers to contact lawyers and explore legal avenues, including litigation, to safeguard their brand aesthetics, even though those same legal observers expressed skepticism about the case’s viability moving forward.

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