Over the past couple of decades Becky Diffen has managed to fashion a student passion into a formidable career guiding M&A transactions for renewable energy projects. She’s not only seen the energy business change, she’s literally been an agent of that change. Nushin Huq profiles her personal transition for The Texas Lawbook.
Joel Mack’s Long Flight at Latham
Joel Mack is a rare find in Big Law. He started at Latham & Watkins 35 years ago, and 35 years later, he’s still there. His LinkedIn job list is as short as a 24-year-old associate: college, law school, Latham. But his client list reads like a stock exchange, and his deal résumé like a history of environmental law. Nushin Huq tells his story and reveals the quiet passion for service that keeps him flying high.
Energy for Change: Three Young Energy Lawyers Help Texas Transition
The Texas energy economy is in an undeniable era of transition — from oil and gas dominance to sustainability. The Lawbook’s Nushin Huq talks to three young lawyers who have been making that transition along with their clients, and what they see coming to Texas’ energy future.
When Women Own Their Firm
There are 13 law firms in Texas certified by NAMWOLF as woman-owned. While small in number, these firms represent an impressive roster of clients including Fortune 500 companies and large government agencies. Nushin Huq looks at the stories behind a few of those firms, as well as the women behind the stories.
ASC Brings Together Women Lawyers in Dallas for Philanthropy and Networking
What started out with a group of attorneys organizing a luncheon to raise money for a local charity has grown over three decades, adding events and raising more than $5 million for its partnered nonprofits. It’s also become an important networking organization for the nearly 300 women lawyers who are members. Texas Lawbook correspondent Nushin Huq spoke with several of ASC’s key leaders about the organization’s influence and impact.
‘You should start a woman-owned law firm’
More than a dozen years ago, Kimberly Phillips, now GC of litigation at Shell Oil, told Dawn Estes she needed to create her own legal practice. Today, Estes Thorne & Carr is one of the largest women-owned corporate law firms in Texas. How did Estes build such a successful firm in a male-dominated legal world? The Texas Lawbook has the story.
“I don’t know when Dawn sleeps,” Golds Gym GC Shelby Angel said. “She’s extremely responsive and attentive to client needs.”
Like Everything Else, Top Muni Bond Issues of 2020 Were… Complicated
It is no surprise that the pandemic touched everything. But bond counsel and bond issuers found novel ways to beat the pandemic. Nushin Huq describes the problems, the solutions and the Top 10 bond deals of 2020.
Munis 2020: A Big Year During a Bad One
Maybe other kinds of legal work lagged in 2020, but the municipal bond market in Texas prospered as bond entities took advantage of favorable market conditions to push new projects or refinance old ones. The Lawbook’s Nushin Huq has the names of the firms that benefitted from a very good, very strange year.