Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
In this edition of Asked & Answered, Mo Lovett Law’s founder discusses opening a new office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and growing her law firm a year into opening. She also talked about mentorship and the state of the profession.
The dispute pits the lawyer Albert Theodore “Ted” Powers against three members of the Berry family, who, through their businesses, is one of the largest private employers in Corpus Christi. Its origins can be traced back to an idea Lawrence Berry had in 2018 to build a world-class crude export terminal outside of Corpus Christi that could receive oil from the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford Shale. The product could be stored in Aransas Pass and then loaded onto tanker ships from Harbor Island before being shipped anywhere in the world.
If January is any indication, it’s going to be another blockbuster year for the Court. The Court penned three opinions and gave us an early contender for quote of the year.
In this edition of the Litigation Roundup, the first jury trial for the Texas Business Court kicked off, while Johnson & Johnson had a motion for summary judgment and its request for a new trial denied and a former partner of a Dallas venture capital firm filed a lawsuit against the firm and its founders, alleging fraud and more. That and more in this week’s edition.
Dallas County Judge Emily Tobolowsky, who is not seeking reelection, denied the motion to dismiss two elders from the defamation lawsuit against Gateway Church. The nondenominational, evangelical Christian megachurch has been tangled in several lawsuits following sexual abuse allegations against Robert Morris, its former senior pastor.
The Texas corporate legal market has started 2026 with a frenzy of activity that includes several high-profile lateral partner moves, new office openings, new hourly rates nearing $3,000 and record-shattering compensation agreements with some lawyers being offered guaranteed multi-year compensation packages exceeding $20 million.
A two-and-a-half-week trial concluded with the jury awarding just over $20.2 million to a car dealership executive after finding his business partner liable for breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. The pair are still business partners but are working toward untangling themselves so they can go their separate ways.
In an amended complaint filed Monday with the Texas Business Court, Clean Hydrogen Works has added Exxon Mobil as a defendant in an antitrust and unfair competition suit. Exxon’s affiliate Denbury Carbon Solutions filed a motion for partial summary judgment last week.
Prominent Dallas trial lawyer Tom Melsheimer, long-time law partner Steven Stodghill and seven other litigation partners from Winston & Strawn started their new positions as partners at King & Spalding in Dallas today. “I was on top of the mountain with Winston,” Melsheimer told The Texas Lawbook. “But then I saw another mountain. King & Spalding made an offer that I could not say no to, so I didn’t. King & Spalding understands that this is a war for the best talent because the best talent attracts the best clients. King & Spalding is in it to win this war.”
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a veteran trial lawyer has been chosen to lead the South Texas College of Law Houston board and a First Amendment case is settled between a Texas Tech professor and an ex-dean. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice opposes Jackson Walker’s fee settlements related to the romance scandal between former U.S. Bankruptcy Chief Judge David Jones and a former Jackson Walker partner, while a Houston-area man pleads guilty in a Ponzi scheme.
Dublin-based Arigna Technology filed a lawsuit against Susman Godfrey and Longford Capital in Harris County over a $37 million award. The case in which the patent monetization firm hired Susman went to arbitration, and Longford was awarded over $37 million.
Winter Storm Fern left a historic trail of damage across more than 30 states, affecting an estimated 230 million Americans. With a predicted six more weeks of winter ahead, property owners face a critical window to protect both their physical assets and their legal rights to insurance recovery. This guide outlines essential actions for business owners navigating the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern.
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