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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 Dallas Morning News.

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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 Dallas Morning News.

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 mark.curriden@texaslawbook.net or 214.232.6783.

DBA Seeks New Executive Director

The executive director position primarily entails overseeing all operations and policies of the DBA. The director is appointed by the board reports directly to the DBA board and president.

March 13, 2016 Mark Curriden

Greenberg Traurig Expands Latin American Practice in Dallas

Manuel Rajunov and Dania Duncan, who join as shareholders from DLA Piper, will split time between their new firm’s Dallas and Mexico City offices.

March 10, 2016 Mark Curriden

Baker Botts Appoints Andrew Baker to Second Term as Managing Partner

Baker’s second term will end in 2019.

March 10, 2016 Mark Curriden

Farney Daniels Promotes Jacqueline Lu to Shareholder

Lu has represented Hewlett-Packard, Xerox Corp., HEC Pharm Co., Nang Kuang Pharmaceutical Co., Creative Labs and Acer Inc.

March 10, 2016 Mark Curriden

Delaware Judge Approves Litigation Finance in Complex Business Dispute

A Delaware court ruled Wednesday that a business suing another business did not violate the state’s prohibition against “champerty and maintenance” when it engaged a third-party to finance the litigation. The opinion is believed to be the first such ruling issued by a judge in the U.S.

March 10, 2016 Mark Curriden

Updated – SEC Settles Uni-Pixel’s Investment Fraud Case, Charges Two Former Execs

California-based Uni-Pixel agreed Wednesday to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission $750,000 to resolve allegations that the technology company fraudulently misled investors about its operations. At the same time, the SEC filed charges against two former Uni-Pixel executives for their role in a scheme in which “materially misleading” statements about the production and sales of a touch-screen sensor product were made public.

March 10, 2016 Mark Curriden

Gray Reed Elevates Three to Shareholder

Travis Crabtree, Preston Kamin and Gabe Vick are based in Houston.

March 9, 2016 Mark Curriden

Bankruptcy Judge in Sabine Energy Upends ‘Running with the Land’ Covenants

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Shelley Chapman in Manhattan ruled Tuesday that Houston-based Sabine Oil & Gas Corp. can reject contracts with two companies that gather, treat and transport oil and natural gas as part of their Chapter 11 restructuring. The decision is a huge blow to midstream energy companies, as these contracts were previously viewed as untouchable in bankruptcy.

March 9, 2016 Mark Curriden

Sayles Werbner Promotes Two to Shareholder

Shawn Long and Rob Sayles are both graduates of SMU Dedman School of Law.

March 9, 2016 Mark Curriden

Wick Phillips Adds Insurance Coverage and Commercial Litigation Partner

The University of Texas School of Law graduate was most recently at Haynes and Boone, where he practiced for nearly 30 years.

March 9, 2016 Mark Curriden

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Lawyers in the News

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Barry Barnett
Wes Bearden
Emily Westridge Black
Michael Burke
Alicia Campbell
John Campbell
Madeleine Carpenter
Alexander Clark
Dawn Pittman Collins
Richard Finneran
Elizabeth Freeman
David Gail
Elizabeth Gibson
David Jones
Frank Lopez
Abbe Lowell
Neal Manne
Billy Marsh
Tom Melsheimer
Tasha Moser
Justin Nelson
Reed O'Connor
Kate Pennartz
John “J.” Pieratt
Danielle Reyes
Christopher Richardson
Randy Sorrels
Harry Susman
Larry Vincent
Victor Vital
Brent Walker
Matt Weybrecht
Melody Wilkinson
Alex Wolens

Firms in the News

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A&O Shearman
Bryan Cave
Cozen O'Connor
Haynes Boone
Holland & Knight
Jackson Walker
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Law Office of Liz Freeman
Paul Hastings
Porter Hedges
Sorrels Law
Susman Godfrey
Toyota
Troutman Pepper Locke
Willkie
Vinson & Elkins
Weil
Winston & Strawn

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