A divided Texas Supreme Court decided Friday to cancel the bar examination scheduled for late July due to increasing concerns about “the recent surge in COVID-19 cases” and “uncertainty regarding the availability of examination sites.”
Lilis Energy Seeks to Restructure
Another Texas exploration and production company has sought protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. Fort Worth-based Lilis Energy filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas, citing $251 million of debt.
Texas Supreme Court Extends, Modifies COVID-19 Emergency Order Again
In what has become a monthly ritual, the state’s highest court issued its 18th emergency order related to the COVID-19 pandemic that essentially extends its previous emergency order from May 26 for another month, except in a few specific circumstances. The ban on civil and criminal jury trials, as well as civil case filing deadlines, have been extended into September.
Nicole Lynn’s Double Shift: Corporate Litigator and NFL Sports Agent
An associate at Norton Rose Fulbright, Nicole Lynn is also a sports agent with Lil Wayne’s Young Money agency and the only African American female agent to represent a top 10 NFL draft pick. Lynn is part of a team representing an offshore equipment company in a $550 million dispute and litigating a major Voting Rights Act case on behalf of students at Prairie View A&M.
Joe Jamail Endowment for Veterans Legal Aid Hits $1M
A few months after the death of famed Houston trial lawyer Joe Jamail in 2016, another prominent attorney, Richard Mithoff, created an endowment to memorialize his life-long friend’s commitment to pro bono and military service. Since, the endowment has helped provide legal services to 8,800 veterans in Texas.
Chesapeake Energy Officially Files Ch. 11 in Houston
Citing the need to eliminate $7 billion in debt, Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake Energy officially filed for Chapter 11 restructuring protection Sunday in the Southern District of Texas. Seven prominent corporate law firms, including Kirkland, Jackson Walker, Sidley, V&E and Akin Gump, are working on the bankruptcy.
Five Texas GCs Ask Congress to Increase Legal Aid Funding
The chief legal officers at AT&T, Dell, Kimberly-Clark, LyondellBasell and Pioneer Natural Resources joined colleagues from across the U.S. in asking the U.S. Congress to significantly raise the amount of funding it provides to the Legal Services Corporation.
Northwest Texas Legal Aid Celebrates Women Advocacy Awards, Needs Funding
Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht says domestic abuse cases are “up quite a bit” during the past 15 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are not enough lawyers doing pro bono to help abused women and children. The chief justice’s comments came during a webcast conducted by the Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, which celebrated the 2020 Women’s Advocacy Awards.
Remembering Ed Tomko – A Legend in White Collar Law
For 52 years, Ed Tomko was a mainstay in the white-collar criminal practice. He served as a state and federal prosecutor. He was the head of the Houston office of the SEC when it closed 30 years ago. His last big trial was last year when he defended a former administrators of the Forest Park Medical Center. Tomko died last Wednesday. He was 76.
Missouri Appeals Court Upholds $2.11B Judgment for Mark Lanier’s Clients in Talcum Powder Case
An appeals court in Missouri handed 20 women, including two from Texas, a partial but still major $2.11 billion victory Tuesday by upholding a jury’s verdict against a subsidiary of pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson for making and selling asbestos-containing talcum powder products that led to the women being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.