A Harris County jury recently determined that Matthew Smith, former general counsel to Microvast, had breached his fiduciary duty to his client, and owed it the cost of a laptop computer it purchased for him. The jurors rejected Smith’s argument that he was entitled to $3.4 million based on an oral agreement for stock options.
Q&A with GI Alliance CLO Cheryl Camin Murray
Cheryl Camin Murray and her legal team at DFW-based GI Alliance helped steer the nation’s largest gastroenterology practice through a physician-led buyout in August that valued the company at $2.2 billion. The deal happened a little over a year after Murray, a mother of triplets who built a thriving healthcare practice over more than two decades in private practice, joined GI Alliance as its chief legal officer.
The Texas Lawbook caught up with Murray about the Apollo-backed financing and her move in-house.
SMU Dedman Law’s Innovative Corporate Counsel Externship Program Shines, Thanks to Loyal GC Alums
During the past decade, 700 SMU Dedman law students have done externships at 100 corporate legal departments including Microsoft, Keurig Dr Pepper, Interstate Batteries, Liberty Mutual and Vistra Corp. “The program puts students in real-life situations where they have educational opportunities unobtainable in the classroom,” SMU Dedman assistant dean Stephen Yeager, creator of the externship initiative. An extern with Keurig Dr Pepper witnessed how different flavored drinks were developed. Fluor Corporation let law students visit construction sites. Mary Kay allowed its Russian-born extern to work on a project involving Russian data privacy laws. The Texas Lawbook interviewed a half-dozen SMU alumni who did externships and are now in-house counsel.
Only Four Texas Corporations Sign Pro-Diversity Briefs in College Admissions Case
The four companies are supporting Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, which have been sued by Students for Fair Admissions, an organization that claims that Asian Americans are being discriminated against when colleges consider race or ethnicity as a factor in admitting students.
Three GCs Provide a Peek into Their Companies’ Diversity Efforts
The top lawyers at Jacobs Engineering Group, Southwest Airlines and El Rancho Supermercado spent Tuesday’s lunch hour speaking about multiple aspects of diversity within the legal profession — what diversity means for them and their organizations, why it’s important in both the in-house and outside counsel context and how it could be improved. The Lawbook attended the event, which was organized by the Dallas Regional Chamber, hosted by UNT Dallas College of Law and sponsored by Munsch Hardt and Carrington Coleman.
Alana Matthews Leaves Dallas Stars to Be Pioneering Entrepreneur
Last month, Matthews left the Dallas Stars to pursue another deeply-held passion: creating a business that focuses exclusively on custom-made luxury workwear for professional women.
Siltstone Capital’s Mani Walia Wins Houston Legal Innovation Award
When the Houston private equity firm Siltstone Capital decided to expand its investment portfolio beyond energy, minerals and real estate into the arena of litigation finance, it had the perfect advisor already in the house. Siltstone General Counsel Mani Walia has leveraged his background in Big Law, plaintiffs’ IP litigation and private equity to create a new model for litigation finance investments. Citing Walia’s creativity and achievements, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook awarded the 2022 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Legal Innovation to the Siltstone Capital general counsel.
Q&A: Mani Walia
Premium-Only Content: Mani Walia shares tips and pet peeves for outside counsel.
Archrock GC Stephanie Hildebrandt – A Lifetime of Achievements and a ‘Never-ending Education’
Stephanie Hildebrandt has been an in-house lawyer and general counsel at some of the nation’s largest energy companies and has been involved in some of the biggest and most complicated civil lawsuits and M&A transactions in Texas. For three decades, corporate executives from Texaco and El Paso Energy to Enterprise Products to Archrock have relied on Hildebrandt’s legal knowledge, ability to analyze an issue, wisdom and creativity to develop and execute a successful strategy.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook honor Hildebrandt with the 2022 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Q&A: Theresa Terrell
Premium-Only Content: Theresa Terrell discusses what she’d do if she won the Powerball lottery tomorrow and shares pet peeves regarding outside counsel.