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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.

Email Mark

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.

Andrews & Kurth Leads WCA Waste Sale to Marquarie

Andrews & Kurth is representing Houston-based WCA Waste Corporation in its sale to Macquarie Infrastructure Partners II for $526 million – an all-cash deal that was made public Wednesday.

December 23, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

Andrews & Kurth Leads WCA Waste Sale to Marquarie

Andrews & Kurth is representing Houston-based WCA Waste Corporation in its sale to Macquarie Infrastructure Partners II for $526 million – an all-cash deal that was made public Wednesday.

December 23, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

Billable Hour: Adapted from the book, ‘Lawtalk’

Few terms hold more importance for a law firm’s clients or its employees than billable hour–not a real hour, but sixty minutes of work that the lawyer can bill a client for. It is no accident that a popular lawyer joke on this subject made its first written appearance in a major federal case on attorneys’ fees. As recounted by a dissenting judge,

December 21, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

Billable Hour: Adapted from the book, 'Lawtalk'

Few terms hold more importance for a law firm’s clients or its employees than billable hour–not a real hour, but sixty minutes of work that the lawyer can bill a client for. It is no accident that a popular lawyer joke on this subject made its first written appearance in a major federal case on attorneys’ fees. As recounted by a dissenting judge,

December 21, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

LAWTALK: It’s Not Just for Lawyers Anymore

Did you know that the phrase “wet foot dry foot” was inspired by a Dr. Suess novel? Or that “black letter law” once had a negative connotation? What about the surprising linguistic origin of “green card”?

December 21, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

Top 10 Texas Legal Business Stories of 2011

A combination of high-profile bankruptcies, political conflicts and contentious business disputes dominated the Texas legal landscape during the past year.

December 21, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

Email Scam Ensnarls Dallas Lawyer and Houston Bank

The State Bar of Texas and the Texas Department of Banking issued dozens of notices during the past few years about scams that target lawyers and financial institutions.

December 19, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

Jones Day’s Sprint to Close Weir – Seaboard Deal

Just three weeks. That’s how long it took Dallas M&A lawyer Troy B. Lewis and his team at Jones Day to close The Weir Group’s $675 million acquisition of Houston-based Seaboard Holdings, an independent wellhead solutions provider focused on the growing North American unconventional oil and gas drilling and production markets.

December 19, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

Dallas Corporate Lawyer Jeffrey Chapman Leads Bi-Lo’s $560 million Acquisition of Winn Dixie

Just 18 months ago, Bi-Lo was mired in bankruptcy. Today, the southern grocery chain, which is now owned by Dallas-based Lone Star Funds, announced it is acquiring Winn Dixie for $560 million in an all-cash deal.

December 19, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

V&E’s Public Finance Group Moves To Bracewell

Fourteen partners and possibly a dozen more counsels and associates in Vinson & Elkins’ public finance group announced Tuesday they will join Bracewell & Giuliani in January.

December 13, 2011 Mark Curriden Leave a Comment

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Features

  • Texas Lawbook Thanks Keurig Dr Pepper and Shell, Toyota and Vitol, and Many of You - A devoted single mom of three who worked two hourly wage jobs — one as a dishwasher and the other changing oil — because the state of Texas forced her to pay hundreds of dollars each month in child support to her deadbeat baby daddy, who was serving 20 years in prison for raping one of their children. She literally struggled to pay the rent and food for her family. Within hours of The Texas Lawbook writing about the case, lawyers at Reese Marketos stepped forward. Weeks later, a Dallas district judge signed an order reversing the Texas attorney general.

    Three years ago, The Lawbook launched a full-time reporter position to write about pro bono, public service and diversity in the Texas legal profession. During the three years, The Lawbook has published more than 240 articles on Texas lawyers representing military veterans, abused children, asylum seekers, the elderly and those discriminated against because of their religious beliefs. Those 240 stories highlighted the pro bono work, public service initiatives and diversity efforts of more than 400 lawyers, 115 law firms and 60 corporate legal departments in Texas.

    Now, we need your help.
    July 25, 2025Mark Curriden
  • My Five Favorite Books: Jennifer Rodriguez (Head of Legal at Half Price Books) - Pulling this list together was harder than expected. My book choices vary greatly — from chick lit rom-coms to biographies to thrillers. I love a book that doesn’t make me think. I’m a lawyer — I have to think a lot. So it’s sometimes nice to just read something light and mindless. That said, what this exercise taught me is that I am really drawn to books that weave storylines together and pull me in enough that I get to the “just one more chapter” stage. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. And, if you happen to come by Half Price Books’ flagship store in Dallas to grab one of these books, let me know! My office is right upstairs.

    Editor’s note: The Texas Lawbook is pleased to launch this new column in partnership with Texas-based Half Price Books sharing our readers’ favorite reads.
    July 23, 2025Jennifer Rodriguez

GCs, Lawyers & Firms

  • Paul Hastings Continues TX Growth Play with Energy M&A Hire - Peter Hays has had a career-long focus on onshore and offshore energy and a practice spanning both domestic and international markets.
  • Sorrels Law Adds Veteran Houston Litigator
  • Fisher Phillips Adds Houston Litigator
  • Bradley Adds Partner in Dallas
  • Meet the New Head of Litigation at J.D. Silva & Associates
  • Dorsey & Whitney’s New Managing Partner Has Texas Ties and Big Plans
  • Vartabedian Hester & Haynes Hires Richard Roper to Launch New White Collar, Investigations Practice Group
  • Willkie Continues to Expand its Dallas Office with Veteran Dealmakers
  • FBFK Adds Two Lawyers to its Austin Office
  • Beck Redden Bolsters Appellate Group With Hire From Troutman Pepper Locke
More GCs, Lawyers & Firms

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

Hover right to show full list

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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