The Houston Volunteer Lawyers program kicked off National Pro Bono Week on Monday by honoring a handful of attorneys who made extraordinary differences in the lives of people who otherwise could afford legal counsel. CenterPoint Energy GC Jason Ryan said “lawyers don’t only have jobs, we are part of a profession and with that comes obligations” to help those who need it.
SEC Director David Peavler: More Crypto-Fraud, Less Oil & Gas Schemes
The new head of the SEC’s Fort Worth Regional Office says there are changes upon us. Cryptocurrency fraud is all the rage, oil and gas offering fraud is blase. SEC enforcement lawyers are getting more aggressive with witnesses and targets earlier in cases. Whistleblowers with evidence of corporate fraud are being more warmly welcomed. And a new, but not nearly as funny, Twitter feed is in the works.
Texas M&A Dealmakers in 2019: Kirkland & Everyone Else (updated)
In a year when mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures in Texas are down significantly, lawyers at Kirkland & Ellis are actually expanding their position as the go-to M&A law firm for businesses in the state. M&A activity declined or was stagnate at 17 of the top 30 corporate law firms during the first nine months of this year, according to Mergermarket. Five firms are down double-digits in deal count from 2018. Kirkland is the only firm in the top 30 up double-digits. The Texas Lawbook has the details.
Bill Brewer Sanction Case Gets Testy at SCOTX
Texas Supreme Court oral arguments Thursday in the dispute over judicial sanctions against Dallas trial lawyer Bill Brewer featured lawyers on all sides making factual allegations, highly engaged justices actively interrupting and pushing back and one attorney threatening to quit the legal profession if the court ruled in favor of Brewer. One of the lawyers went so far as to argue that Texas law gives the justices no choice but to uphold the sanctions against Brewer. The Texas Lawbook has full details.
Texas Lawbook Exclusive Event: New SEC Director David Peavler Takes Questions, Gives Insight
David Peavler has been the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s top federal cop in Texas overseeing corporations, financial institutions and investment firms for three months and one day. This Tuesday, Peavler and a panel experts are discussing the SEC’s challenges, new focuses and recent developments and trends in an exclusive CLE ethics program. In this article, Peavler and the panelists give a sneak, but substantive preview of their talking points.
Dallas Judges Poll: Two Women Jurists get Highest Ratings, Three get Lowest
U.S. District Chief Judge Barbara Lynn and Texas District Judge Tonya Parker are the two best civil court judges in Dallas, according to a new poll of lawyers who practice before them. The survey gave three other judges failing grades. The Texas Lawbook has details.
Legal Experts: Environmental & Safety Incidents Facing Increased Scrutiny
Companies that experience major environmental and workplace incidents are facing increasing scrutiny, including criminal investigations, according to lawyers who represent corporations involved in crisis situations. Baker Botts partners Greg Dillard and Scott Elliott say that public repercussions for businesses experiencing serious environmental, health and safety issues has expanded significantly, especially those involving workplace deaths.
CLE Showcase: Four Premier Texas Trial Lawyers, Four Huge Verdicts & a Federal Judge
During the past year, four of the most skilled trial lawyers in Texas have scored several huge trial verdicts. On Monday night, in an exclusive live event hosted by The Texas Lawbook, the Texas GC Forum and SMU Dedman School of Law, those four lawyers – who will be questioned by federal judge Karen Gren Scholer – will take attendees behind the scenes of their historic courtroom victories. The Lawbook has full details.
Nominations Open for 2019 DFW Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are officially accepting nominations for the 2019 Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards, which recognize the best of the best legal work being performed by corporate in-house counsel. There are 14 categories this year, including three categories that also recognize successful partnerships between general counsel and their outside law firms. The Lawbook has full details.
NRF Scores Win in Unusual Car Wreck Trial
Most defendants do not hire a global corporate law firm to handle old-fashioned car crash cases, but Brenda Buenrostro v. Richardo Machuca, Stripes, Sunoco and Energy Transfer Equity had the potential to be much bigger than a garden variety auto accident – millions of dollars bigger. Enter Norton Rose Fulbright.