White-collar federal prosecutors Nick Bunch and Christopher Stokes of Dallas notched another victory for the government last week when Vantage Benefits Administrators co-owners Wendy Richie and Jeffrey Richie were sentenced to several years in prison for their roles in a $15.2 million fraud scheme.
The Texas Lawbook Lawyer of the Year: SDTX Chief Bankruptcy Judge David Jones
Most lawyers in Texas simply tried to survive 2020. A small handful thrived. One lawyer – a judge – has had a year for the ages. David Jones, Chief Bankruptcy Judge of the Southern District of Texas, is a disruptor of law and business. No judge in the U.S. in 2020 has had more impact on corporate boardrooms, C-suites and tens of thousands of day laborers as Judge Jones. Citing the extraordinary, commonsense reforms for complex corporate bankruptcies implemented by Judge Jones and the impact they have had on the practice of law in Texas, The Texas Lawbook is naming David R. Jones as the 2020 Lawyer of the Year.
(Photo: Houston Chronicle)
Texas Lawbook Adds Houston Energy and Corporate Transactions Writer
The Texas Lawbook, which is entering its 10th year of operation as an online newspaper for business law and business lawyers in Texas, is pleased to announce that veteran energy reporter Caroline Evans is joining the legal publication as a writer in Houston.
A former writer and editor with two energy industry trade publications, Caroline will cover corporate transactions – M&A activity, CapM, corporate finance and some regulatory matters – for The Lawbook, which now has 13,000 paid subscribers, including more than 2,800 corporate in-house counsel. Here is a Q&A with The Lawbook’s newest writer.
Circuit Judge Tom Reavley, ‘Pope of the Fifth Circuit,’ Has Died
Thomas Reavley preached his first sermon against racial discrimination in East Texas in 1935. He was a Naval officer in the South Pacific during World War II. He was a prosecutor in Dallas. Governor John Connally appointed him to a Travis County district court and later to the Texas Supreme Court. President Jimmy Carter appointed Reavley to the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1979.
Judge Reavley, who was believed to be the oldest serving federal appellate judge in the U.S., died Tuesday in Houston. He was 99.
Kylie Loya – Keeping the Legal Trains on Time
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County lawyer Kylie Loya was born in a refugee camp in Manila. She was still a baby when she was granted asylum and was still in high school when she represented herself in court. Today, Loya is a rising star in the Texas legal community; she is a legal expert on drone usage and helped bring Wi-Fi to public transit customers in Houston. She is also the recipient of the 2020 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department.
Q&A: Kylie Loya
The Texas Lawbook provides unique and substantive content to our Premium subscribers. In this exclusive interview, METRO staff attorney Kylie Loya discusses the mentors in her life, discusses her best day on the job, provides insight what she looks for when hiring outside counsel and the need for more diversity in the legal profession.
Houston Bar Gives Thanks, Raises $878K for Pro Bono
Baker Botts partner Bill Kroger, Blank Rome partner Susan Bickley and Vinson & Elkins partner Chris Popov called colleagues and clients, law firm leaders and neighbors. Because the annual Harvest Celebration was cancelled due to the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of dollars in support for legal aid in Houston were in jeopardy. Kroger and other Houston Bar leaders took action. The results: A truly Happy Thanksgiving.
Q&A: Charlotte Rasche
The Texas Lawbook provides unique and substantive content to our Premium subscribers. In this exclusive interview, Prosperity Bank General Counsel Charlotte Rasche provides insight what she looks for when hiring outside counsel, key things that outside counsel need to know about her, how the role of the GC has changed and the need for more diversity in the legal profession.
Three Federal Judges to TX GC Forum: COVID Issues Rule
Don’t expect federal civil jury trials in Texas to increase for the next few months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, three federal judges told 200 Texas general counsel Thursday. The judges have some other pet peeves, too.
Chevron’s Alyssa Schindler Knows Firsthand the Difference Pro Bono Lawyers Can Make
The 2020 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Creative Partnership goes to Chevron senior counsel Aylssa Schindler and Lauren Brogdon of Norton Rose Fulbright. The duo normally handle multimillion-dollar transactions and lawsuits, but they came together to co-engineer a major pro bono effort involving more than 20 lawyers from the energy giant and the global law firm to help 10 low-income victims of Hurricane Harvey.