Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht says the number of Texans needing legal assistance but who cannot afford an attorney is increasing so fast that the state’s legal profession is not equipped to handle the demand for basic legal services for military veterans, abused spouses and children and other low-income residents. Even so, new Texas Lawbook data shows that most corporate law firms in Texas are not doing their share of pro bono work, even as those same firms achieve record profits. The solution may rest with in-house corporate legal departments and general counsel. The Texas Lawbook has an in-depth report.
$20M HOA Verdict Becomes Personal for Coinsource GC Arnold Spencer
Arnold Spencer has tried around 100 cases in his legal career. But a recent Perry Mason moment during an insurance negligence trial came to him while wearing a different hat: a fact witness. Natalie Posgate tells his tale and how he and lawyers at Hedrick Kring secured a $20 million jury verdict this week on behalf of residents of a burned down Dallas condominium.
Nominations Open for 2019 DFW Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are officially accepting nominations for the 2019 Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards, which recognize the best of the best legal work being performed by corporate in-house counsel. There are 14 categories this year, including three categories that also recognize successful partnerships between general counsel and their outside law firms. The Lawbook has full details.
The 2019 Magna Stella Award Goes To…
The Texas GC Forum chose in-house lawyers at AT&T, Boeing Global Services, ExxonMobil, Platinum Dermatology, Southwestern Energy and the Teacher Retirement System of Texas to receive the Magna Stella Award. The biggest winner is Houston-based Mattress Firm. The Texas Lawbook has the names.
American Airlines Names Priya Aiyar as New GC
The Fort Worth-based airline conducted a national search to replace Paul Jones, who retired earlier this year. Willkie Farr partner Priya Aiyar, whose practice specialized in litigation and global trade and investment disputes, will start the job in September and will relocate to American’s DFW headquarters.
Worldwide Flight Services GC Baron Oursler’s ‘Crazy Year’
The past six months have been a whirlwind for Baron Oursler. He played a critical role in the sale of his employer, FleetPride, to a New York private equity firm. His wife gave birth to their first child, who was born six weeks prematurely and spent a month in the hospital. And he recently started a new job as GC of Worldwide Flight Services. The Texas Lawbook has the inside details.
Two ACC-DFW Members Win Global Award … and One gets a New Job
For the first time, members of the DFW Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel – J.C. Penney Senior Counsel April Goff and Pinnacle Group GC Erin Stewart – have been named Top 10 30-Somethings by the global group of in-house lawyers. One of them starts a new job this week.
Former V&E Lawyer Appointed GC of EQT After Activists Win Proxy Fight
Houston attorney Will Jordan was appointed general counsel of Pittsburgh-based EQT Corp. after the Rice brothers took control of the company in a bitter proxy fight.
Orrick Partner Becomes GC of ROX Financial
Orrick partner David Ronn is moving in-house, becoming general counsel of a company that plans to create exchange-traded securities that will allow investment in single-property real estate.
TechnipFMC’s Lisa Wang: From Scooping Ice Cream to Expertise on Multijurisdictional, Dually Traded Public Companies
Widely viewed as one of the brilliant young stars in the corporate in-house legal community, Lisa Wang played a leading role in the incredibly complex $13 billion merger of Houston-based FMC Technologies and Technip of Paris in 2017 and guided the newly formed company through a $460 million debt offering in 2018. The Texas Lawbook has an in-depth profile of Wang’s life and career.
