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The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

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Mark Curriden

Mark Curriden is a lawyer/journalist and founder of The Texas Lawbook. In addition, he is a contributing legal correspondent for The Houston Chronicle and the Dallas Business Journal.

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Mark Curriden

Mark Curriden is a lawyer/journalist and founder of The Texas Lawbook. In addition, he is a contributing legal correspondent for The Houston Chronicle and the Dallas Business Journal.

Mark is the author of the best selling book Contempt of Court: A Turn-of-the-Century Lynching That Launched a Hundred Years of Federalism. The book received the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award and numerous other honors. He also is a frequent lecturer at bar associations, law firm retreats, judicial conferences and other events. His CLE presentations have been approved for ethics credit in nearly every state.

From 1988 to 1994, Mark was the legal affairs writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he covered the Georgia Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He authored a three-part series of articles that exposed rampant use of drug dealers and criminals turned paid informants by local and federal law enforcement authorities, which led to Congressional oversight hearings. A related series of articles by Mark contributed to a wrongly convicted death row inmate being freed.

The Dallas Morning News made Mark its national legal affairs writer in 1996. For more than six years, Mark wrote extensively about the tobacco litigation, alleged price-fixing in the pharmaceutical industry, the Exxon Valdez litigation, and more than 25 cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. Mark also authored a highly-acclaimed 16-part series on the future of the American jury system. As part of his extensive coverage of the tobacco litigation, Mark unearthed confidential documents and evidence showing that the then Texas Attorney General, Dan Morales, had made a secret deal with a long-time lawyer and friend in which the friend would have profited hundreds of millions of dollars from the tobacco settlement. As a direct result of Mark’s articles, the U.S. Department of Justice opened a criminal investigation, which led to the indictment and conviction of Mr. Morales.

For the past 25 years, Mark has been a senior contributing writer for the ABA Journal, which is the nation’s largest legal publication. His articles have been on the cover of the magazine more than a dozen times. He has received scores of honors for his legal writing, including the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award, the American Judicature Society’s Toni House Award, the American Trial Lawyer’s Amicus Award, and the Chicago Press Club’s Headliner Award. Twice, in 2001 and 2005, the American Board of Trial Advocates named Mark its “Journalist of the Year.”

From 2002 to 2010, Mark was the senior communications counsel at Vinson & Elkins, a 750-lawyer global law firm.

Mark’s book, Contempt of Court, tells the story of Ed Johnson, a young black man from Chattanooga, Tenn., in 1906. Johnson was falsely accused of rape, railroaded through the criminal justice system, found guilty and sentenced to death – all in three weeks. Two African-American lawyers stepped forward to represent Johnson on appeal. In doing so, they filed one of the first federal habeas petitions ever attempted in a state criminal case. The lawyers convinced the Supreme Court of the United States to stay Johnson’s execution. But before they could have him released, a lynch mob, aided by the sheriff and his deputies, lynched Johnson. Angered, the Supreme Court ordered the arrest of the sheriff and leaders of the mob, charging them with contempt of the Supreme Court. It is the only time in U.S. history that the Supreme Court conducted a criminal trial.

You can reach Mark at [email protected] or 214.232.6783.

Natural Gas Companies Dismissed from Winter Storm Uri Lawsuits

The Texas judge handling more than 100 personal injury, wrongful death and property damage lawsuits brought by hundreds of plaintiffs against scores of energy companies related to Winter Storm Uri has dismissed the allegations against more than 60 natural gas companies in four of those cases.

Judge Sylvia Matthews ruled Jan. 26 that natural gas companies such as Anadarko, Apache, Comstock, Energy Transfer and XTO will not have to stand trial for any damage or deaths caused by power outages during the four days in February 2021 in which Texas was hit with record cold temperatures and sleet and snow.

February 2, 2023 Mark Curriden

Former Texas Appellate Judge Rejoins Dykema

After eight years on the Dallas Court of Appeals, former justice David Schenck is practicing law at his old law firm. In an interview with The Texas Lawbook, Schenck said Dykema was the only firm he seriously considered.

February 1, 2023 Mark Curriden

Q&A: Vaishali Bhatia of HF Sinclair

For Premium Subscribers In this Q&A HF Sinclair GC Vaishali Bhatia discusses how she selects outside counsel, her thoughts on $2,000 hourly rates and diversity, and advice to young lawyers.

January 31, 2023 Mark Curriden

HF Sinclair’s Vaishali Bhatia Balances Concerns of Business and Law, and Wins a Green Apatosaurus

Vaishali Bhatia experienced five crazy months in 2022. As HollyFrontier’s GC, she and her team closed the $400 million acquisition of the Puget Sound Refinery, negotiated and closed the $2.7 billion acquisition of Sinclair Oil Corporation and Sinclair Transportation, which required multiple regulatory approvals and the creation of an entirely new publicly-traded entity. That was immediately followed by a $400 million senior notes offering and a new credit facility.

Citing those extraordinary successes, the ACC DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook named Bhatia as the 2022 DFW General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department.

January 31, 2023 Mark Curriden

Keurig Dr Pepper, MB2 Dental, Black Mountain Sand, OpTic Gaming Winners at 2022 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards

The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced the winners in four competitive categories – Business Litigation of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department and General Counsel of the Year for a Solo Legal Department – and presented awards to in-house counsel in a dozen different categories.

January 27, 2023 Mark Curriden

Tuesday Morning’s GC Jennyfer Gray’s Life in the Fast Lane

Jennyfer Gray knows what it means to take it to the limit one more time. As interim general counsel of Tuesday Morning, Gray is helping lead the Dallas-based retailer through turbulent times. Facing severe economic challenges like most retailers, Tuesday Morning and Gray went through multiple financings and credit facilities, including a $110 million asset-based loan, and the transition to a new executive leadership team and corporate board. In recognition of Gray’s achievements, she is the recipient of the 2022 DFW Corporate Counsel Award recipient for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department.

January 26, 2023 Mark Curriden

Q&A: Jenny Gray of Tuesday Morning

For Premium Subscribers Tuesday Morning GC Jennyfer Gray shares about what she seeks in hiring outside counsel, diversity and pro bono. Texas Lawbook: What do you look for in hiring

January 26, 2023 Mark Curriden

What’s City Electric Supply’s Denton Muse Doing Today? Closing a Deal

In 2022, Denton Muse negotiated, drafted and closed more than 300 real estate acquisitions and commercial leasing transactions for City Electric Supply and its 642 locations in North America. That’s more than corporate law firms with hundreds of attorneys. As a result of Muse’s handiwork, City Electric significantly reduced leasing costs in 2022 and also increased the company’s negotiation leverage throughout the term. The Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and The Texas Lawbook have named Muse as a finalist for the 2022 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department (five lawyers or less).

January 25, 2023 Mark Curriden

Kelli Roach: A ‘Ferocious Advocate’ for Black Mountain Sand

Kelli Roach became Black Mountain Sand’s first GC in July 2020, when the frac sand provider had closed two of its five mines and let go of half of its 500 people because of the Covid pandemic. Roach focused on how she would strategically help her new employer the fastest. She identified contract breaches and filed lawsuits, which led to $54 million being added to Black Mountain Sand’s bottom line. At the same time, she led the defense to have the company dismissed from a tragic wrongful death lawsuit, renegotiated several commercial contracts at considerably more favorable terms and implemented Black Mountain Sand’s first ESG program.

Citing these accomplishments, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have named Roach as a finalist for the 2022 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Solo Legal Department.

January 25, 2023 Mark Curriden

Q&A: Kelli Roach of Black Mountain Sand

For Premium Subscribers Black Mountain Sand GC Kelli Roach dishes on being a solo GC, her best day on the job, how she hires outside counsel, mentoring and her hero

January 25, 2023 Mark Curriden

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Features

  • Range Resources GC David Poole Retires after 15 Years, Joins Wick Phillips - David Poole, who worked on an oil rig out of high school and rose to become the top legal officer at two major energy companies in Texas, retired as the GC of Range Resources Friday. In an interview with The Texas Lawbook on Sunday, Poole discusses his passion for oil and gas law, his challenges and successes as a GC for two decades, his best day on the job and his plans for the future at Wick Phillips. March 20, 2023Mark Curriden

GCs, Lawyers & Firms

  • ‘Such a Privilege’: New HK Partner Reflects on Career as a Nonprofit Lawyer - Jonathan Blum has a multitude of skills as a corporate lawyer, but he's one of the few who represents nonprofits instead of for-profits. The Lawbook recently spoke with Blum about his career path to practicing nonprofit law, trends in the charity and nonprofit world and why he recently moved his practice to Holland & Knight.
  • Baylor Law Dean to Step Down After 31 Years
  • Senior Exxon Mobil Counsel’s Move to Gibson Dunn is ‘Very Personal’
  • Veteran Dallas Prosecutor Tapped as EDTX U.S. Attorney
  • Former Texas Appellate Judge Rejoins Dykema
  • Haynes and Boone Opens Virginia Outpost
  • White & Case Hires Three Bracewell Litigators in Houston
  • Remembering Fort Worth Federal Judge John McBryde
More GCs, Lawyers & Firms

Lawyers in the News

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Alan Albright
Alan Alexander
William Aronin
Victoria Bahrami-Negad
Gina M. Benavides
Bill Benitez
Anya Bidwell
Will Bos
Jamila Brinson
Robert Burford
Ian Bushner
Zachary Carlson
David Castro
Jack Chadderdon
Nathan Chapman
Michelle Chiu
Jason T. Contreras
Cody Conwell
C. Celeste Creswell
Cassandra Cuellar
Matthew C. Daly 
Chad Davis
Lowell Denton
Jeff Diamant
Becky Diffen
Michael Dorf
Stuart Kyle Duncan
Mark Dundon
Kurt D. Engelhardt
Yong Eoh
Patrick M. Jaicomo
Scott C. Faciane
Archie Fallon
Analisa Figueroa
Murray Fogler
Tyler Frankel
Gabriela Garcia
Sameer Ghaznavi
Shayna M. Goldblatt
Michelle Gray
Steven Haas
Kendall Hayden
Alia Heintz
Benjamin Hershkowitz
Patrick E. Higginbotham
Tara Higgins
Allyson Ho
James Ho
Kenneth Hoyt
Robert Hughes
Martin S. Hyman
Andrew Ingram
Ralph Janvey
Geetika Jerath
Shawn Johnson
Cyril Jones
David Keltner
Jim Kennedy
Elizabeth Kiernan
Dan Komarek
Kenneth J. Lambert
Sang Lee
Andrew LeGrand
David Levy
Alec Manzer
Peter Marshall
Amos Mazzant III
Levi McCathern
Daniel McEntee
Robert McNamara
Tom Melsheimer
Andres Mena
Katherine Montoya
Veronica Moyé
Robert J. Myers 
Jason Nasra
Brennon Nelson
Stephen Noh
Pete O'Brien
Stephen Pate
Sam Peca
Lionel Aron Peña Jr.
Brent Perry
Connie Pfeiffer
Ravi Purohit
Clint Rancher
Brian Rosenthal
Kevin Sadler
David Salmons
Jody Sanders
Akash Sethi
Gregory Shamoun
John J. Shaw
Barry Shelton
Lande Spottswood
Amy M. Stewart
Tim Taylor
Mike Telle
Jaime E. Tijerina
Scott Tschirhart
Jon Waldrop
Camille Walker
Sean Wheeler
Debbie Yee

Firms in the News

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AEP
Amyris
Baker Botts
Baytex Energy
Bernhard Capital Partners
Bison Oil & Gas
Burford Perry
CenterPoint Energy
Clark Hill
Copenhagen Infrastructure
Cozen O'Connor
Dell
Denton Navarro Rocha
Fogler Brar O’Neil 
Gibson Dunn
Golenbock Eiseman
HBS
Hedrick Kring
HSBC
Hunton AK
Independent Bank
Institute for Justice
International Entertainment
Invenergy
IRG
Jackson Walker
JP Morgan
Kabat Chapman & Ozmer
Kasowitz
Kelly Hart
Kirkland
Landry's
Latham
Lemoine
Lotus Infrastructure 
Marriott
Mastercard
McCathern
McGuireWoods
Morgan Lewis
Myers & Shaw
NeuVentus
Norton Rose Fulbright
Paymentech
PBF Energy
Providence Equity Partners
Quantum Energy Partners
Ranger Oil
Shamoun & Norman
Shearman & Sterling
Sidley
Stewart Law Group
TD Bank
UTRGV
V&E
Visa
VMware
Wafra
Weil
Wildcat Capital
Willkie
Winston & Strawn
WSOU Investments 
Yetter Coleman

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