An appeals court in Houston has ruled a lawyer who threatens to file a grievance against opposing counsel during a trial in order to get an advantage in the litigation is committing an ethics violation.
Houston Law Firm Wins Nation’s First Prisoner Release under First Step Act
Richard Evans walked out of federal prison Thursday as the first person freed under the new First Step Act’s “compassionate release” measure. U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt of Houston signed the order and Houston lawyers David Gerger, Samy Khalil and Ashlee McFarland filed the emergency petition. The Texas Lawbook has the inside details.
Growing Feud Between Fifth Circuit Judges and Houston Trial Judges Shocks Legal Experts
Twice in two weeks, a Republican-appointed Fifth Circuit appellate judge directly dressed down a Houston trial court judge in opinion. But this time, the trial judge is fighting back. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison and Judge Jerry Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit have gotten into a nasty public feud that Texas legal experts describe as astonishing. The Lawbook has complete details.
Trump Nominates Justice Brown, Brantley Starr for Federal Judgeships
No president in U.S. history is having as much impact on the federal courts in Texas as President Trump. On Friday, President Trump nominated Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Brown and Texas Deputy First Assistant Attorney General Brantley Starr to the district court bench. The Texas Lawbook has details.
Updated – Bill Powers, a Lion of the Texas Bar, Remembered
Bill Powers served three years in the Navy and taught jurisprudence and legal process to thousands of students over three decades. He was dean of the UT School of Law for five years and president of UT for a decade. Powers, 72, died Sunday morning from complications from a fall he experienced in September. The Texas Lawbook looks at Powers’ career.
The State of Business Law in Texas
The Texas Lawbook is conducting its annual survey of Texas law firms to gauge economic trends in the business law community. The deadline is March 15.
Shonn Brown Joins Kimberly Clark as Deputy GC
Dallas trial lawyer Shonn Brown had an interesting Friday. In the early morning hours, she won a 10-digit jury verdict in Dallas County District Court. After lunch, she packed up her office at Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst and moved her litigation practice to Irving-based Kimberly-Clark Corp., where she is now the deputy general counsel over litigation and regulatory.
Texas Lawbook Hits 11K Subscribers, Launches Insider Newsletter
Buoyed by partnerships with the DFW and Houston chapters of the Association of Corporate Counsel, The Texas Lawbook now has more than 11,000 paid subscribers, including 2,470 corporate in-house counsel. To celebrate, we are launching The Texas Lawbook Insider, a free newsletter that provides insider details about the inner workings of The Lawbook team and offers behind-the-scenes descriptions on how specific stories came together. Here are the details.
ACC Houston & The Texas Lawbook 2019 Corporate Counsel Awards: One Day Left for Nominations
Law firms, corporate legal departments and others have only one day left to submit nominations for the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards.
There are 15 categories, including General Counsel of the Year, Senior Counsel of the Year, Business Litigation and Corporate Transaction of the Year. The awards event is set for Thursday, April 25, at the Four Seasons Hotel.
SCOTX: Written Contracts Can Protect Corporations’ Fraudulent Conduct
The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that a written contract between Mercedes-Benz and a South Texas car dealer exempts the automaker from being held financially responsible for the economic losses it caused by its false oral promises and misleading comments – conduct a jury described as criminal.