A new law makes it more difficult for shareholders to challenge corporate decisions through litigation. A second bill headed to the governor’s desk would enhance the fledgling Texas Business Court’s authority, although lawmakers decided for now against expanding the system to rural Texas. (Photo by Ricardo Garza)
Dell Technologies In-house Counsel Joins Yetter Coleman IP Group
Houston based Yetter Coleman LLP adds former Dell Technologies in-house counsel to its intellectual property litigation group. The addition strengthens the firm’s IP litigation group to a total of six attorneys.
Report: Judge Gilstrap Again the King of Patent Litigation
Patent infringement litigation has mostly been on the decline across the U.S. for the past three years, but not in the Eastern District of Texas, which has re-established its courts as the preferred destination for disputes regarding patent infringement. A new report by legal analytics firm Lex Machina shows that U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap of Marshall was assigned 795 new patent lawsuits in 2024 — six times more than any other federal judge in the U.S.
V&E, Susman Godfrey Alums Launch Litigation Finance Firm
Lauren Harrison and Mani Walia have clerked for federal appellate judges, practiced at premier law firms and done pioneering work in the world of litigation funding. This week, the duo launched Signal Peak Partners, a Houston-based investment firm that customizes litigation financing, private credit solutions and monetization options for plaintiffs and their lawyers.
Legislature Revives 25% Judicial Pay Hike After Frantic Negotiations
A longstanding statutory link between judicial pay and legislative pensions almost derailed a bill to increase district court judges’ salaries. Last-minute negotiations between the House and Senate led to an agreement to end the link by 2030. (File photo of Texas House Rep. Jeff Leach by Tony Gutierrez/AP)
Litigation Roundup: Intel Gets a Win in $3B VLSI Fight
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a woman who alleges she was raped by the NBA’s Zion Williamson hires The Lanier Law Firm to pursue her claims in California court and two former high-ranking lawyers in Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office who launched their own firm are named as defendants in a lawsuit brought by a former coworker who alleges she was the victim of sexual harassment.
Legendary Trial Lawyer H. Lee Godfrey Dies
In an announcement, the firm said he died following a long illness. In 1982, Godfrey joined his friend, Steve Susman, who launched his own firm two years earlier. Together, the pair built Susman Godfrey into a preeminent, commercial litigation boutique with a reputation for taking big cases on a contingency basis.
Fisher Phillips Hires Reed Smith Partner to be Regional Managing Partner in Houston
Fisher Phillips on Monday announced it has hired Reed Smith labor and employment partner Emily Harbison, who will serve as the firm’s regional managing partner in Houston.
Gibson Dunn Partner Launches Solo Dallas Firm to ‘Reengineer Litigation Models for Businesses’
Texas legal history is replete with young hot-shot trial lawyers leaving their big corporate firms to start their own operations — from David Beck, Paul Yetter and John Zavitsanos in Houston to Mike Lynn, Pete Marketos and Clayton Bailey of Dallas. This week, John S. Adams hopes to join this elite group of highly successful trial lawyers-turned-business leaders who have their name on the front door. Friday was Adams’ last day as a partner in the Dallas office of the elite global law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Today, he launched his own law litigation boutique, the John S. Adams Law Firm, where he is the only lawyer but plans to add lawyers quickly.
Dykema DQ’d in PE Dentistry Suit
Dykema Gossett has been disqualified from representing a group of plaintiffs suing a dentist and his many practices after a judge in Dallas determined the law firm had previously represented the dentist in other legal matters that are “substantially related” to this case.