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Michelle Casady

Michelle Casady is based in Houston and covers litigation and appeals — including trials, breaking news and industry trends — for The Texas Lawbook.

Email Michelle

Michelle Casady

Michelle Casady has been a reporter in Texas since January 2009. She's covered crime at The Bryan-College Station Eagle, courts at the San Antonio Express-News and civil litigation for Law360. In July 2022, she joined The Texas Lawbook.

Her reporting has included covering arrests, trials, plea deals and settlements, executions, natural and manmade disasters, colorful characters and various oddities.

She lives in Houston with her husband Matt, a sweet dog Hurricane Harvey brought into their lives, and a confident cat who keeps everyone in line. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Texas Tech University and was a 2018 fellow of the Loyola Marymount University Journalist Law School.

You can reach Michelle at michelle.casady@texaslawbook.net or (713) 614-7929.

Vartabedian & Hester Announces New Name Partner, New Offices, 2 More Additions

The energy-focused team from Alston & Bird that launched a new firm in Fort Worth late last month has added Craig Haynes from Holland & Knight to become Vartabedian, Hester & Haynes. The firm has also officially opened an office in Dallas and is in the process of opening an office in West Texas.

February 5, 2024 Michelle Casady

SCOTX Answers Fifth Circuit’s Prompt Payment Question in Favor of Insurer

The court heard oral arguments in October in Rodriguez v. Safeco Insurance Company, a case that that asked the court to interpret a state insurance law as it related to recovery of attorney fees. “Rather than speculate about whether the Legislature intended recovery of attorney’s fees to be likely, unlikely, or impossible, we should instead stick with the bedrock principle that the Legislature intends the courts to follow its instructions as written,” Justice Jimmy Blacklock wrote for the unanimous court. “In this instance, the Legislature has required the use of a mathematical formula that yields zero attorney’s fees in cases like Rodriguez’s.”

February 2, 2024 Michelle Casady

Fifth Circuit Knocks $366M Judgment Against FedEx Down to $248K

Jennifer Harris’ attorney, Brian Sanford of Sanford Firm, told The Lawbook he plans to appeal the ruling either by seeking rehearing en banc at the Fifth Circuit or by petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. Harris was awarded $366 million, including $365 in punitive damages, by a jury that rejected her claim of racial discrimination but did find that Harris’ firing was retaliatory.

February 2, 2024 Michelle Casady

Baker Botts Adds L&E Pro in Houston

Scott Nelson will join as the firmwide leader of the labor and employment practice and will also be a partner in the Houston office’s litigation department. He was previously a partner with Hunton Andrews Kurth.

February 1, 2024 Michelle Casady

Justices Eye Scienter in State’s $16M Medicaid Fraud Win

The main issue in the case involves whether the state proved scienter — that Dr. Richard Malouf knew he was in violation of the law when he filed forms for reimbursement 1,842 times representing he had performed certain services that were actually performed by trainees at his All Smiles Dental Clinic — which is required for the judgment to stand. After Texas was granted the early win by Travis County District Judge Catherine Mauzy, Malouf appealed and a three-justice panel affirmed the holding in October 2022. He took his fight to the Texas Supreme Court in January 2023, and in November the court agreed to hear the case.

January 31, 2024 Michelle Casady

SCOTX Takes 3 Cop Crash Suits This Term

Each term, watchers of the Texas Supreme Court are likely to see the court grant review in a handful of cases interpreting oil and gas leases, or cases requiring them to delineate what constitutes a medical malpractice claim. But this term, the court has taken an interest in something slightly different: three cases involving police crashes and the immunity that typically shields officers from related litigation.

January 31, 2024 Michelle Casady

Litigation Roundup: Electric Co-op Draws $100M Injury Suit; ‘Red Flags’ Doom $20.8M Recovery

In this week’s edition of Litigation Roundup, the Dallas appellate court undoes a $20.8 million award in a fight between a landlord and a grocery company after finding “red flags” during the negotiation process were ignored, a federal jury convicts a software company CEO of bilking investors out of at least $25 million and prosecutors go after a business mogul who they say hasn’t paid taxes since 1992.

January 29, 2024 Michelle Casady

Energy Team of 10 Departs Alston & Bird, Launches Boutique

A group of 10 attorneys have left Alston & Bird to launch their own law firm focused on serving energy industry clients. Rob Vartabedian and Conrad Hester, who have been working together since 2008, will be name partners in the new venture.

January 26, 2024 Michelle Casady

Judge Higginbotham Drills Down on ‘Impermissible Gloss’ of Court’s ‘Moment of Threat Doctrine’ in Qualified Immunity Case

Judge Patrick E. Higginbotham authored the panel opinion and a concurrence, saying the court was bound to follow its own precedent in this case while also calling on the Fifth Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court to “revisit the doctrine” that is “deployed daily across this country” in police shooting cases. The case involves the shooting death of Ashtian Barnes, who was stopped for having outstanding toll violations — a non-arrestable offense — and was killed by Officer Roberto Felix Jr. when he attempted to drive away.

January 24, 2024 Michelle Casady

Litigation Roundup: Exxon Sues Activist Investors; Paxton, Abbott Lose Uvalde Email Appeal

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Exxon Mobil sues two activist investors, a propane company draws a $150 million lawsuit over a fatal crash and the Texas Supreme Court issues an opinion clarifying premises liability law.

January 22, 2024 Michelle Casady

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Features

  • P.S. — Texas Attorneys Step in as Santa for Kids in Need, Kiosk in Travis County Boosts Access to Legal Aid - Holiday giving is in full swing across Texas law firms, with many stepping up to ensure kids across the state have gifts waiting for them. In Houston, the Holland & Knight office “adopted” a whopping 141 children through the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation’s drive. Boutique law firm Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing set a firm record by adopting 56 children among 35 volunteers. The Texas Lawbook's Krista Torralva and Elle Grinnell cover that and more in this edition of P.S. December 12, 2025Krista Torralva & Elle Grinnell
  • My Five Favorite Books: Shamoil Shipchandler - When I set out to write this column, I thought about all the ways in which I’d try to impress you. Law is, after all, a see-and-be-seen profession! Perhaps I’d start with William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and its dense stream-of-consciousness prose (I can’t stand it). Or the scope and cultural impact of David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest (I couldn’t get through it). Or maybe I’d do something unexpected about influential children’s books and write about Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree (a truly awful, dreadful thing – I won’t be taking any questions at this time).

    But what I kept coming back to was something that plays a huge role in my personal and professional life: humor. So, I chose five books that never fail to make me laugh.
    December 10, 2025Shamoil Shipchandler

GCs, Lawyers & Firms

  • Latham Makes the Chris Heasley Move Official - After more than 11 years at Kirkland, Christopher Heasley has formally taken his diverse energy practice to Houston. The move was first reported by Bloomberg Law in late November.
  • Krisa Benskin Joins Hogan Lovells Houston Office
  • K&L Gates Moves to New Dallas Digs in Uptown
  • Holland & Knight Recruits Texas A&M GC Ray Bonilla
  • VC Advisor Carmelo Gordian Departs A&O Shearman for Holland & Knight
  • Warm Texas Welcome: Arizona Firm Joins Forces With San Antonio’s Schmoyer Reinhard
  • Mike Androvett Joins Texas Lawbook Foundation Board
  • Paul Hastings Add Two Litigators from Winston & Strawn 
  • Brink’s Adds Maria Fernandez as Associate General Counsel
  • Sheppard Mullin Grows Corporate Capabilities in Dallas
More GCs, Lawyers & Firms

Lawyers in the News

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Chip Babcock
Chris Bankler
Jamie B. Beaber
David J. Beck
Bill Benitez
Jessica Berkowitz
Brent Bernell
Tyler Bexley
Shawn Blackburn
Michael Blankenship
Jeffrey Brill
Anita Brown
Ian Brown
Stuart Campbell
Jack Chadderdon
Paul Clement
Erin Nealy Cox
Scott Craig
Kevin Crews
Shamus Crosby
Hannah M. Crowe
Geoffrey Culbertson
Sean Cunningham
John Daywalt
Rajiv Dharnidharka
James Ducayet
Brian K. Erickson
Scott Everett
Weiru Fang
Elizabeth Freeman
Tad Freese
Melanie Fry
Geoff Gannaway
Paul Genender
John J. Gilluly III
Rodney Gilstrap
Andrew Gorham
John Greer
Joseph Grinstein
Matthew Haddad
Colleen Haile
Breen Haire
Shahmeer Halepota
Dionne Hamilton
Troy Harder
Rusty Hardin
Michael Hawes
Nathan Hecht
Stephen Hessler
Hillary Holmes
Marc Jaffe
Lauren Jenkins
David Jones
Atma Kabad
Susan Kennedy
David Kinder
Justin King
Allan Kirk
Melanie Koltermann
Doug Kubehl
Joe Laurel
Sang Lee
Steven Lockhart
Arthur Lotz
Barbara Lynn
Mike Lynn
Nora McGuffey
Stephanie McPhail
Mark Melton
Jeri Leigh Miller
Kimberly A. Moore
Mark Moore
Shelby Morgan
Alia Moses
Davis Mosmeyer III
Darren Nicholson
Eamon Nolan
Ivy Nowinski
Holland O’Neil
George Padis
Ian Peck
Jonathan Platt
Chase Proctor
Doug Rayburn
Joel Reese
Kevin Richardson
Andrew Rodheim
Seth Rubinson
Mazin Sbaiti
Ana Sanchez
Vincenzo Santini
Jeffrey Scharfstein
Robert Schroeder III
Scott Seidel
Steven Sexton
Ahmed Sidik
Robert Slovak
Emily Smith
Melissa R. Smith
Jonathon Soler
Robert Soza
Lande Spottswood
Craig Stanfield
Justin Stolte
Josh Teahen
Kelly Tidwell
Linda Tieh
Rafael B. de Toledo
Monica Uddin
Rhett Van Syoc
Rahul Vashi
Gabe Vazquez
Patrick Venter
Sarah Walden
Kandace Walter
Kyle Watson
Mikell Alan West
Noël Wise
Meng Xi

Firms in the News

Hover right to show full list

AZA
Baker Botts
The Bandas Law Firm
Beck Redden
Boies Schiller Flexner
Bracewell
Bradley Arant
Burns Charest
Clement & Murphy
Condon & Forsyth
DLA Piper
Dykema
Foley & Lardner
Gibson Dunn
Gillam & Smith
Haynes Boone
Holland & Knight
Jackson Walker
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Lynn Pinker
Mayer Brown
MoloLamken
Pamela Welch PLLC
Patton Tidwell Culbertson
Paul Hastings
Porter Hedges
The Probus Law Firm
Reese Marketos
Rusty Hardin & Associates
Sbaiti & Company
Sidley Austin
Simpson Thacher
Skadden
Squire Patton Boggs
Sullivan & Cromwell
Susman Godfrey
Troutman Pepper Locke
Vinson & Elkins
Weil
Willkie
Winston & Strawn

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