Premium Subscriber Q&A: Stephen Myers, Match Group
In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Stephen Myers discusses the traits he seeks in outside counsel, what outside counsel need to know when working with him and more.
John Nance Garner: The Texas Lawyer Who Was a Heartbeat Away
The famous saying that characterized the American vice presidency as “not worth a warm bucket of spit” was first uttered about 85 years ago.
However, the man behind that famous aphorism is largely forgotten. Lost in the tranquility of history’s footnotes stands a West Texas frontier lawyer and judge whose impact extended far beyond the courtroom. He left a significant mark on the judicial, legislative and executive branches of America’s constitutional republic. That country lawyer from the southwest who became America’s 32nd vice president was John Nance Garner.
In this special feature for The Lawbook, historian and author James Lumley offers an important review of Garner’s 50-year legal and political career.
CDT Roundup: $10B Week Fueled by Fusion
For the week ended Dec. 20, The CDT Roundup saw 11 transactions reported with a total value of about $10.2 billion, which is roughly on par with the prior week's 15 deals for nearly $10 billion, though up from the 11 transactions at $3 billion this time last year. The week's top transactions and more in this edition of CDT Roundup.
Documents Unsealed in Paxton Divorce Case
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, agreed to unseal the documents in their divorce proceeding Thursday. Counsel for the media intervenors and the attorney general told Judge Robert Brotherton Friday morning at their scheduled hearing that “appropriate” redactions may be made.
My Five Favorite Books: Shamoil Shipchandler
When I set out to write this column, I thought about all the ways in which I’d try to impress you. Law is, after all, a see-and-be-seen profession! Perhaps I’d start with William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and its dense stream-of-consciousness prose (I can’t stand it). Or the scope and cultural impact of David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest (I couldn’t get through it). Or maybe I’d do something unexpected about influential children’s books and write about Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree (a truly awful, dreadful thing – I won’t be taking any questions at this time).
But what I kept coming back to was something that plays a huge role in my personal and professional life: humor. So, I chose five books that never fail to make me laugh.
Tradition or Transition? SMU Law’s Potential Move Triggers Tension
A proposal by Southern Methodist University to move the four buildings that comprise Dedman School of Law to a new campus east of U.S. 75 has ignited blowback from students and alumni caught off-guard by the swiftness and apparent secrecy behind the move. (Photo courtesy Southern Methodist University)
Thought Leadership: Essential Considerations for Cryptocurrency in Estate Planning
Digital assets are no longer on the margins of wealth management. Today, cryptocurrency represents a meaningful portion of many estates, from Bitcoin and Ethereum to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), stablecoins and illiquid tokens. According to an article published by State Street Investment Management, 31% of high-net-worth investors hold crypto. With that shift comes a new reality: estate plans that don’t account for digital assets are incomplete.
The 1915 Letter to the Editor Championed Women Serving on Juries
When I was a teenager, my grandmother told me that her grandmother, “Nana,” marched for women’s suffrage.
What impressed my grandmother was not just that Nana walked the streets with throngs of other women clamoring for voting rights; it was that she did so despite being a woman who personally had little to gain from equal suffrage.
Nana was a married, middle-aged mother who, as my grandmother put it, “wore black chiffon at night.” In other words, she was a woman of means. As such, Nana benefited from the status quo. Practically speaking, she had reason to resist change. Still, she believed women should have the right to vote. So, she marched.
She also wrote.
My Five Favorite Books: Dr. Bill Chriss
I have more than five favorite books. This list represents a smattering of what I have enjoyed most across different genres: ancient history, historical fiction, anti-western, philosophy and theology, and non-fiction.
Houston Retirement Home Files for Bankruptcy in DFW
Buckingham Senior Living Community cited between 1,000 and 5,000 creditors who are owed between $100 million and $500 million, according to court documents. Buckingham has hired McDermott, Will & Schulte as its lead legal advisor. Partner Marcus Alan Helt of the firm’s Dallas office filed the first day documents in the case.
A Veterans Day Reflection
As we head into Veterans Day, we are reminded that less than 1% serve in the armed forces. Yet, we owe our freedom to these brave men and women who could potentially sacrifice all for our freedom. They don’t do it for the money, the fame or the accolades. They do it for a higher call.
My Five Favorite Books (Veterans Day Edition): Brett Govett, Norton Rose Fulbright
These books captured my attention and taught me valuable lessons on sacrifice and leadership. All of them have connections to Texas in some way and I have found them applicable in the practice of law. They also help to maintain perspective when – one thinks – it was a tough day. As Admiral William H. McRaven and the SEALs say – “The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday.” I hope you enjoy these, and please remember and thank our Veterans at all times – not only on Veterans Day.