The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

Commercial Litigation

Steptoe Acquires Smyser Kaplan & Veselka ‘Lock, Stock and Barrel’

Craig Smyser, who cofounded SKV in 1995, said his firm had been approached several times over the years by national and international firms looking to expand into Texas. There’s one reason in particular why the negotiations with Steptoe, which began in May, ended with this merger: Steptoe was willing to take on every member of the SKV team.

“It’s an amazing law firm with a lot of magic,” Gwen Renigar, Steptoe’s chair, said in an interview with The Lawbook. “The magic they had is magic I did not want to disturb.”

Mesa Airlines Settles Racial Profiling Suit

Issam Abdallah and Abderraouf Alkhawaldeh recently reached a confidential settlement with Mesa Airlines. The two men filed suit after their flight was delayed and subsequently canceled because of what they allege was racial profiling by a flight attendant and pilot. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor had tossed the claims against Mesa on summary judgment. The Fifth Circuit revived the lawsuit in October.

Senate Confirms Judge John Kazen to SDTX District Bench

The U.S. Senate Tuesday confirmed the first U.S. district court judge in Texas in nearly four years when it voted to approve U.S. Magistrate Judge John Kazen for an open seat on the federal bench in the Southern District of Texas. President Biden nominated Judge Kazen for the position last year after Houston federal judge Vanessa Gilmore retired. Judge Kazen’s chambers in Laredo, once he is sworn in, will be in the federal building named after his father, former U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen.

New Law Governing Judicial Candidate Disclosures Spawns Legal Challenges

The Texas Supreme Court is awaiting responses to two petitions for writ of mandamus in cases challenging whether judicial candidates can remain on the March primary ballot or if their alleged failures to comply with a new law means they must be stricken from the ballot. Lawyers involved with the cases have indicated more challenges could be coming as a Jan. 20 deadline for sending mail-in ballots looms.

Kaplan, Others Depart SKV, Launch Murphy Ball Stratton

A team of former partners at Smyser Kaplan & Veselka, including cofounder Lee Kaplan, have departed the boutique to launch a new firm, Murphy Ball Stratton. Members of the new firm, according to its website, are Land Murphy, Dane Ball, Michelle Stratton and Lee Kaplan.

Biggest Texas Verdicts of 2023

The types of cases that topped the list of damages awards in Texas this year were varied, but some of the usual suspects, like patent cases in the state’s Eastern and Western districts, occupy four of the Top 10 spots. Jurors in Harris County awarded damages totaling nearly $2 billion in three cases on the Top 10 list, and Jurors in the Western District doled out awards taking three of the Top 10 spots, totaling $857.7 million.

Top 10 Texas Legal News for 2023

Nearly every headline-gripping news item we read last year had a legal tie, from the mysterious missing animals at the Dallas Zoo to the historical impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Many of the stories that made this list will be drawn out in 2024. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, for example, could still be compelled to submit DNA testing to determine if he is the biological father of a woman who works as an aide to U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Amarillo. And the criminal case for the Houston man accused of killing Migos rapper Takeoff is scheduled to go to trial this year.

Publisher’s note: This content is premium subscriber thought leadership and is published outside of our paywall.

Top Litigation Matters in 2023

In this article, The Texas Lawbook looks back at some of the most significant litigation Texas lawyers handled in 2023, as well as a rundown of major changes to civil litigation practice in the state wrought by lawmakers who this session created a new system of business courts and a new appellate court.

© Copyright 2024 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.