David Houck had no interest in the oil and gas industry when he first became a lawyer. Now, more than four decades later, he is considered the dean of the energy bar. ACC Houston and The Texas Lawbook are rewarding his work and lifetime of learning with a Lifetime Achievement Award in the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards.
Tidewater’s Amelia Xu – A Rookie with a Lot of Big Deal Experience
Amelia Xu is only 30 years old, but as a lawyer she’s already been involved in 14 separate corporate transactions valued at $100 million or more – two of which exceeded $1 billion. Now she’s a nominee for Rookie of the Year in the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards. Mark Curriden reports.
Litigation Finance’s Longford Opens in Dallas
Litigation finance firm Longford Capital announced Tuesday that it is opening an office in Dallas. The Chicago-based private investment company has hired John Garda, a commercial litigator who has been the managing partner of the Dallas office of K&L Gates, to lead its Texas operations. The Texas Lawbook has the insider details.
Superior Energy’s Blaine Edwards – From Small Claims Court to a $70M Jury Victory
Blaine Edwards began his legal career as a teenager, filing in small claims court to collect unpaid bills for his parents’ petroleum wholesale business. Now he’s being honored as a finalist for Senior Counsel of the Year in the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards. Mark Curriden tells his story.
Plains All American’s Lawrence Dreyfuss – A Legend in Texas Oil & Gas Law
In his decades in the legal department for Plains All American Pipeline, Lawrence Dreyfuss worked through 62 completed acquisitions and divestitures with an aggregate value of over $8 billion. He oversaw the legal work for Plains’ capital projects totaling more than $7 billion. He was directly involved or supervised the handling of more than 3,000 legal claims. And during his tenure, Plains’ EBITDA grew from $89.1 million in 1999 to $2.684 billion in 2018. So, it’s no surprise that he will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Corporate Counsel Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook. Mark Curriden has his story.
Fermeen Fazal of UniversalPegasus: ‘The Ferminator’
Fermeen Fazal is chief counsel and chief administrative officer for Houston-based UniversalPegasus International. She’s so nice, that colleagues say it’s easy to forget that she can be a very fierce advocate. The company president has nick-named her “The Ferminator.” But she’s approachable, team-oriented and has a history as a very fine litigator. She’s also a finalist for GC of the Year for a Small Legal Department in the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards.
Kraton’s Jennie Howard – A Rookie with Securities Experience and a Huge Heart
Jennie Howard’s first day in the legal department at Houston-based Kraton Corp. began with her assignment to a $1.7 billion acquisition. She had to hit the ground running. Three months later, the deal was closed and she got REALLY busy overseeing a wide variety of corporate responsibilities. As a result she’s a finalist for Rookie of the Year in the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards.
Tim Johnson – A Plane Crash and a Painful Turnaround
When Tim Johnson’s friend and boss – the founder of the company he worked for – died tragically in a plane crash, it was a “punch in the gut.” But things were about to get worse. In the wake of his friend’s death, Johnson uncovered a massive fraud at his company. The skill and determination with which he approached that problem, as well as others that emerged at Peak Completion Technologies, has resulted in his nomination as GC of the Year for a Small Legal Department in Houston’s 2019 Corporate Counsel Awards.
Precision Drilling’s Veronica Foley: ‘A Superstar in All Respects’
Precision Drilling GC Veronica Foley is fluent in Spanish, fluent in French and talented in ways that her colleagues regard her as “a superstar.” From unique legal projects to everyday functions she helps keep the company out in front of issues. And now she is a finalist for GC of the Year for a Mid-sized Legal Department in the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards.
The Texas Lawbook Top 50: Corporate Lawyers Make $6 Billion, Elite Law Firms Biggest Beneficiary
Corporate lawyers operating in Texas made a record-smashing amount of money in 2018. Exclusive new research by The Texas Lawbook shows that the top 50 business law firms with offices in Dallas, Houston and Austin generated just a hair shy of $6 billion in revenues in 2018 – a 6% increase from 2017. Twenty-six corporate law firms worked more hours and collected more dollars last year than ever before. Several elite legal practices had huge financial gains last year. A few large Texas legacy law firms experienced significant economic declines in 2018. The Texas Lawbook has the details.