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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.

V&E Advises Summit Midstream in $513 million Acquisition

Dallas-based Summit Midstream Partners is purchasing Bear Tracker Investments, another midstream company with natural gas assets in North Dakota and Colorado.

January 9, 2013 Mark Curriden

V&E Advises Summit Midstream in $513 million Acquisition

Dallas-based Summit Midstream Partners is purchasing Bear Tracker Investments, another midstream company with natural gas assets in North Dakota and Colorado.

January 9, 2013 Mark Curriden

The ‘Ethics Follies’: Lee Cusenbary Makes Music With Legal Issues

San Antonio General Counsel and former actor Lee Cusenbary is the director of a musical parody, way-off-Broadway production and continuing education program that shows that the slippery slope of ethics provides ongoing fodder that teaches ethics while entertaining audiences.

January 9, 2013 Mark Curriden

Baker & McKenzie Elects 19 New Partners in North America, Four in Texas

Baker & McKenzie has 19 newly promoted partners in North America, including four in Texas, effective Jan. 1, 2013. The new Texas partners are: Kevin Maher, whose practice focuses on

January 9, 2013 Mark Curriden

Baker & McKenzie Elects 19 New Partners in North America, Four in Texas

Baker & McKenzie has 19 newly promoted partners in North America, including four in Texas, effective Jan. 1, 2013. The new Texas partners are: Kevin Maher, whose practice focuses on

January 9, 2013 Mark Curriden

Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody Names Susan P. Burton New Vice President

Austin-based firm Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody has named Susan P. Burton the new vice president of the firm effective Jan. 1, 2013. Burton, a graduate of Baylor Law School,

January 9, 2013 Mark Curriden

Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody Names Susan P. Burton New Vice President

Austin-based firm Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody has named Susan P. Burton the new vice president of the firm effective Jan. 1, 2013. Burton, a graduate of Baylor Law School,

January 9, 2013 Mark Curriden

Justice Joe Morris Joins Hankinson Law Firm

Retired Texas Appeals Court Justice Joseph Morris is back in private practice as Of Counsel at the Hankinson law firm, a Dallas appellate and arbitration boutique.

January 8, 2013 Mark Curriden

Baker Botts Promotes Six Lawyers to Special Counsel, Three in Texas

Baker Botts Managing Partner Andrew M. Baker announced the promotion of six lawyers to special counsel effective Jan. 1, 2013. Three of the new special counsel are from the firm’s

January 7, 2013 Mark Curriden

Texas Representative Elliott Naishtat Receives Texas Access to Justice Legislative Hero Award

The Texas Access to Justice Commission and Texas Access to Justice Foundation honored Representative Elliott Naishtat with the Texas Access to Justice Legislative Hero Award for his contributions to improving

January 7, 2013 Mark Curriden

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Features

  • P.S. — J.L. Turner Legal Association Hosts Sold-Out Inaugural Juneteenth Celebration in Dallas - In this edition of P.S., we highlight the success of the J.L. Turner Legal Association’s first official Juneteenth Celebration, held at the Dallas African American Museum. The Dallas African American bar association, named for one of the city’s first Black lawyers, shared with The Texas Lawbook why it was compelled to emphasize the importance of Juneteenth in an event that was open to people of all professions and not just the legal community. Meanwhile, the State Bar of Texas is kicking off its annual meeting on June 19 amid controversy over its decision to disinvite the NAACP president from speaking at its Bar Leaders Recognition Luncheon. Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, Wallace B. Jefferson, will deliver a keynote address commemorating the legal history and significance of Juneteenth. And we highlight other upcoming Juneteenth celebrations, as well. June 13, 2025Krista Torralva
  • P.S. — Raising the Bar: Lawyers Fight Food Insecurity, Support Veterans and More  - In this week’s P.S. Column, the Dallas-area legal community is recognized for raising more than $145,000 and donating nearly half a ton of food to the North Texas Food Bank through the annual Food from the Bar campaign, with top-performing firms honored at a recent awards celebration. In Houston, Bracewell and Cheniere Energy recently worked a free legal clinic at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, assisting 23 veterans with challenges such as housing disputes. Meanwhile, Kirkland & Ellis and AlixPartners have launched the first-ever Knock Out the Need blood drive to address summer shortages. Other notable updates include nonprofit board appointments, scholarship awards and Communities Foundation of Texas presenting its 2025 Vester Hughes Award to Holland & Knight’s David Rosenberg.  June 6, 2025Krista Torralva

GCs, Lawyers & Firms

  • Holland & Knight’s Recent Lateral Partner Additions Strengthen RE, Financial Services Offerings - The firm has announced three new partners this month recruited from three different firms.
  • Rice Taps Munck Wilson Attorney to be Associate Athletic Director
  • Veteran Energy Lawyer Christopher Richardson to join Paul Hastings
  • Troutman Pepper Locke Snags Two Key Houston PE Partners
  • Jackson Walker Hires Bracewell Partner to Lead Appellate Group
  • Husch Blackwell Hires Veteran Real Estate Partner in Dallas
  • Bracewell Partner Becomes Shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s Houston, New York Offices
  • Bradley Hires Former EVP, CLO of Texas Regional Bank
  • Dell Technologies In-house Counsel Joins Yetter Coleman IP Group
  • Atma Kabad Moves from Kirkland to Gibson Dunn
More GCs, Lawyers & Firms

Lawyers in the News

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Reem Abdelrazik
Doug Bacon
Harry Beaudry
Jonathan Benloulou
Gene Besen
Doug Bland
Jacqui Bogucki
Vera De Brito de Gyarfas
David Buck
Nora Burke
T.J. Campbell
Wayne Chan
Michael Considine
Mogan Copher
James Cowen
Kevin Crews
Samantha Crispin
Dawud Crooms
Shamus Crosby
Clint Culpepper
Brock Degeyter
Nick Dhesi
William Eiland
Austin Elam
Miles Emery
Bill Finnegan
David Gail
Adam Garmezy
Sami Ghubril
Breen Haire
Kim Hicks
J. Dean Hinderliter
Nicole Islinger
James Johnston
Atma Kabad
John Kaercher
Erin Kaufman
Paul Kukish
Thomas Laughlin
Oscar Fernando Leija
Emily Lichtenheld
Rob Little
Ryan Logan
Bryan Loocke
Katy Lukaszewski
Ryan Lynch
Ryan Maierson
Benjamin J. Martin
Madeline McCune
Sean McFarlane
Richard McGee
Sarah McLean
Sameer Mohan
Andrew Monk
Charlie Ofner
Stephen Olson
Joe Orien
Zach Parker
John Pitts
Benjamin Potter
Brendan Quigley
Kevin Richardson
Alex Robertson
Jason Rocha
Julian Seiguer
Mark Sloan
Chad Smith
Lande Spottswood
John Stribling
Vanessa Sutherland
Tanner Sykes
Martha Todd
Michael Vardanian
Thomas Verity
Douglas Warner
Kyle Watson
Luke Weedon
John Wetwiska
Sean Wheeler
Debbie Yee

Firms in the News

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Akin
Baker Botts
Bracewell
Haynes Boone
Holland & Knight
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Morgan Lewis
Pillsbury
Porter Hedges
Sheppard Mullin
Sidley
Simpson Thacher
V&E
Weil
White & Case
Willkie

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