The Texas Access to Justice Commission has presented its 2020 Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Award to Toyota Managing Counsel Scott Young. Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman said Young “has an unwavering commitment to pro bono work.”
Anne Chandler – A Mind for the Law and a Heart for Service
As the new head of the Houston Volunteer Lawyers program, Anne Chandler brings a lot of pro bono experience to the job. Even as a second year law student, she helped pioneer a pro bono asylum project at the University of Houston Law Center and represented a Guatemalan girl who was raped repeatedly for three years.
Kirkland and Latham Top Texas M&A Legal Advisors in H1 2020
The first six months of 2020 downright sucked for corporate M&A law firms. New Mergermarket data shows that 11 of the top 12 corporate practices did fewer transactions involving Texas-based businesses than they did the year before. For the first time in 13 years, no firm reported working on at least 30 Texas transactions. The Texas Lawbook has the law firm rankings.
SCOTX Cancels July Bar Exam, Going Online for October
A divided Texas Supreme Court decided Friday to cancel the bar examination scheduled for late July due to increasing concerns about “the recent surge in COVID-19 cases” and “uncertainty regarding the availability of examination sites.”
Lilis Energy Seeks to Restructure
Another Texas exploration and production company has sought protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Fort Worth-based Lilis Energy filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas, citing $251 million of debt.
Texas Supreme Court Extends, Modifies COVID-19 Emergency Order Again
In what has become a monthly ritual, the state’s highest court issued its 18th emergency order related to the COVID-19 pandemic that essentially extends its previous emergency order from May 26 for another month, except in a few specific circumstances. The ban on civil and criminal jury trials, as well as civil case filing deadlines, have been extended into September.
Nicole Lynn’s Double Shift: Corporate Litigator and NFL Sports Agent
An associate at Norton Rose Fulbright, Nicole Lynn is also a sports agent with Lil Wayne’s Young Money agency and the only African American female agent to represent a top 10 NFL draft pick. Lynn is part of a team representing an offshore equipment company in a $550 million dispute and litigating a major Voting Rights Act case on behalf of students at Prairie View A&M.
Joe Jamail Endowment for Veterans Legal Aid Hits $1M
A few months after the death of famed Houston trial lawyer Joe Jamail in 2016, another prominent attorney, Richard Mithoff, created an endowment to memorialize his life-long friend’s commitment to pro bono and military service. Since, the endowment has helped provide legal services to 8,800 veterans in Texas.
Chesapeake Energy Officially Files Ch. 11 in Houston
Citing the need to eliminate $7 billion in debt, Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy officially filed for Chapter 11 restructuring protection Sunday in the Southern District of Texas. Seven prominent corporate law firms, including Kirkland, Jackson Walker, Sidley, V&E and Akin Gump, are working on the bankruptcy.
Five Texas GCs Ask Congress to Increase Legal Aid Funding
The chief legal officers at AT&T, Dell, Kimberly-Clark, LyondellBasell and Pioneer Natural Resources joined colleagues from across the U.S. in asking the U.S. Congress to significantly raise the amount of funding it provides to the Legal Services Corporation.
