Texas Pacific Land GC Dobbs Navigated ‘Sensitive Board Dynamics’ at ‘Pivotal Time’ 

When Micheal W. Dobbs took his first in-house job and joined Texas Pacific Land Corporation in August 2020, the pandemic was raging and the company was in the midst of arguably the biggest change in its more than 132-year history: transitioning from operating as a liquidating business trust to a Delaware corporation. He is now the senior vice president, secretary and general counsel of TPL, which is one of the largest landowners in the state. Dobbs and his outside counsel at Sidley have been named as one of two finalists for the 2024 Business Litigation of the Year Award by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook.

January 28, 2025 Michelle Casady

Removal Waiver Front and Center in En Banc Fifth Circuit Arguments 

The en banc oral arguments came in a dispute between Abraham Watkins Nichols Agosto Aziz & Stogner and former associate Edward Festeryga, who the firm alleges tried to take its clients with him when he left. The whole court agreed to hear the dispute after Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan — who sat on the panel that sided with the law firm and affirmed a ruling that sent the case back to state court — called for the move in a July 2024 concurring opinion that said the crux of the court’s 1980 holding in In re Weaver was “incorrect.”

January 22, 2025 Michelle Casady

Dallas Firm Defeats $150M Lawsuit Against Energy Transfer in New York Trial 

Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann secured a major win for Energy Transfer in a complex fraud and breach of contract claim mounted by investment funds associated with Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board. After a three-week trial in New York, the judge ruled Jan. 17 that Energy Transfer was not liable on any counts, effectively avoiding a potential $200 million judgment including pretrial interest.

January 22, 2025 Krista Torralva

Litigation Roundup: Texas Sues Biden Admin One Last Time

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the Fifteenth Court of Appeals decides a case of first impression in favor of Google in the biometric data lawsuit Texas is pursuing, the state and W&T Offshore join forces to sue the outgoing Biden administration, and a jury in San Antonio determines a barbecue restaurant owes millions in a suit over hot barbecue sauce.

January 21, 2025 Michelle Casady

Baker Botts Boosts International Disputes and Antitrust Practices with High-Profile Hires

Ben Love returns to Texas after working out of Boies Schiller Flexner’s New York and Washington D.C. offices. Former Texas-based lawyer Edward Duffy joins Baker Botts from the U.S. Department of Justice.

January 21, 2025 Krista Torralva

Energy Transfer and Far West Texas Gas Companies Settle Lawsuit One Week Before Trial

Energy Transfer, represented by Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann, filed a lawsuit in April 2022 against Culberson Midstream Equity and Moontower Resources Gathering alleging a breach of their 2018 contract because the gas gatherers didn’t deliver committed gas. Culberson and Moontower, represented by Reese Marketos, filed a counterclaim also alleging a breach of contract.

January 16, 2025 Krista Torralva

Ousted Oil Executive’s Suit Goes to Trial in Dallas

Bernard Tubeileh, a German national, claims he was wrongly terminated by the Plano-based U.S. subsidiaries of a German oil and gas company he helped start. The companies say he resigned when his years of self-dealing, unlawful transactions and misappropriation of company funds came to light.

January 16, 2025 Bruce Tomaso

Judge Awards $1.8M in Fees to Disabled Ex-NFL Player’s Lawyers

In a 34-page order, Judge Scholer found that the NFL and its retirement fund must pay Michael Cloud’s lawyers at Barlow Garsek & Simon in Fort Worth $1,232,058.75 for their pretrial and trial work, $550,000 for their appellate work and $30,074.72 in costs.

January 15, 2025 Mark Curriden