Barry Thomas’ earliest memories as a boy were with his dad out in the oil patch. Now an associate GC at Pioneer Natural Resources, Thomas is one of the most respected energy lawyers in Texas. He is also the top lawyer for a non-profit consortium of 20 energy companies that are investing time and money to improve living conditions for the people of the Permian and West Texas.
Chasity Henry: ‘Commitment to Make a Real Impact’
To Kimberly-Clark executives, Chasity Henry is a critical strategic advisor. To the legal profession, the associate GC is a disruptor who is forcing much needed change. To scores of young women lawyers of color, she is a role model who has made a substantive difference for diversity in the world of corporate law. To Henry herself, she is just being the lawyer she always wanted to be.
AT&T’s Alan Dorantes – The Busiest Corporate Lawyer in Texas
Alan Dorantes worked on the set of Oliver Stone’s “Born on the Fourth of July.” He was once Matthew Broderick’s stand-in and he is almost certainly the only corporate lawyer in Texas with an award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The AT&T senior counsel is a national expert on diversity in the legal profession and is involved in several groundbreaking public service projects in Texas. He’s also packing his bags and leaving town.
Being Gary Kennedy – A Sky-High Career of Challenges and Achievements
Former American Airlines GC Gary Kennedy was at the center of extraordinary growth, extreme tumult and radical change at one of the world’s largest commercial airlines. He implemented groundbreaking mandatory pro bono and diversity efforts. He navigated American through the tidal wave of litigation set in motion after the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks and negotiated an historic agreement that settled a decades-long dispute with Southwest Airlines regarding Dallas Love Field. Most of all, Kennedy guided American through one of the largest, most complex and financially successful bankruptcies in U.S. history.
Elsie the Cow Seeks Bankruptcy Protection in Delaware
Dallas-based Borden Dairy and its GC Alex Madrazo, a former litigation associate at Locke Lord in Dallas, hired New York-based Arnold & Porter to lead its corporate restructuring. The 163-year-old dairy producer chose to file for bankruptcy in Delaware instead of the Northern District of Texas.
‘Landslide’ Luna’s Lifetime of Achievements
Chris Luna won his Dallas City Council election by 156 votes, earning him the nickname Landslide Luna. Now chief counsel for Metro by T-Mobile, Luna is one of the leading and most influential voices in the Texas corporate legal community. During his 35-year career, Luna has played a critical role in several major corporate transactions and advocated tirelessly for increased diversity in the legal profession. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are honored to give the 2019 Outstanding Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement to John Christopher Luna.
DFW M&A Deal of the Year and Pro Bono/Public Service Finalists
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced Monday the finalists for both the 2019 Pro Bono and Public Service Award and the M&A Deal of the Year Award.
Healthcare Exec Sentenced to 5 ½ Years for Two Fraud Schemes
A federal judge Thursday sentenced a Dallas healthcare executive to five and one-half years in prison for his role in two kickback schemes involving the now-defunct Forest Park Medical Center and Nexthealth.
Updated – Halliburton Names Van Beckwith its Next General Counsel
Halliburton GC Robb Voyles is being promoted to CLO and he has named Baker Botts litigation partner Van Beckwith as his successor. The Texas Lawbook has exclusive interviews with Voyles and Beckwith, who is relocating to Houston and starting the new position Jan. 1.
Kimberly Phillips Takes Over as Shell Oil’s Head of Global Litigation
Houston appellate law expert Kimberly Phillips has long been an advocate for increased diversity in the legal and energy sectors. Now, she is advocating from a new lofty position: general counsel of global litigation at Shell Oil Company.