Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Ruhrpumpen General Counsel Eugene Moore hired the Cokinos law firm to handle a patent infringement case on a contingency fee. Moore then wanted a share of the fee for himself. But Moore died without informing his bosses he made such a deal. Now his wife wants Cokinos to pay up. But the Dallas Court of Appeals has the final word.
Kirkland & Ellis, Vinson & Elkins and Latham & Watkins continue to top the Texas M&A charts, according to new data from Mergermarket. Despite a decline in dealmaking in 2019, a few firms showed a jump in the number of transactions they handled last year, including DLA Piper, Willkie Farr, Hunton AK and Holland & Knight.
Blucora Inc.’s journey last year to acquire Dallas-based competitor 1st Global Inc. for $180 million faced several obstacles. Those involved in the deal say Blucora CLO Ann Bruder's steady hand and strategic maneuvering is the reason the transformational transaction closed.
An eight year veteran of the U.S. Army, Glen Hill had no idea what public finance was. But after a decade of training in the Bracewell muni-bond practice, Hill is the assistant general counsel at Preston Hollow Capital and has “touched” more than 80 financial transactions. He’s worked on 35 deals that have closed.
Lori Browne attended her first law school class when she was seven and she immediately gave up her dream of being a rock star in favor of practicing law. Three decades later, Browne is the GC of a pipe manufacturer that employs 5,000 people, operates 85 manufacturing facilities and has a market cap of $922 million. And she's had a really big year.
Ashford Associate GC Jim Plohg played a critical role in 10 transactions, including a couple transformational deals last year for the publicly traded hospitality industry asset management firm. But you can also catch him frequently at the Eagles Canyon Raceway racing a Porsche 911 GT3 in near-bumper-to-bumper traffic at speeds of 160 MPH.
Less than two years on the job, Aundrea Holt assumed legal support for the airline's nationwide paid sick leave policy and administration, played an instrumental role in American’s nationwide sexual harassment prevention training and led the legal department's move to its new corporate headquarters, Skyview 8 .She credits her parents and two federal judges for her success.
A West Point alum, Noah Webster led Zix through a transformational acquisition and capital raise last year. But his most interesting success for the security tech business involved a URL, an Oakland artist and past due garbage collection bills. Not bad for the son of a "toilet paper salesman."
Seven years ago, Tracy Preston traded in her Levi jeans for Jimmy Choo shoes to become the GC at Neiman Marcus. Last year, she defeated a $1 billion lawsuit brought by a hedge fund, executed a complex transaction that extend the company's funded debt and played a strategic role in the opening of Neiman Marcus Hudson Yards, the company’s first store in New York City. She has more to come in 2020.
Mike McKool and a group of McKool Smith lawyers asked a San Diego federal court jury to order Apple to pay their client $85 million for patent infringement. On Friday, the jury did just that. The Texas Lawbook has details.
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