David Poole, who worked on an oil rig out of high school and rose to become the top legal officer at two major energy companies in Texas, retired as the GC of Range Resources Friday. In an interview with The Texas Lawbook on Sunday, Poole discusses his passion for oil and gas law, his challenges and successes as a GC for two decades, his best day on the job and his plans for the future at Wick Phillips.
‘Such a Privilege’: New HK Partner Reflects on Career as a Nonprofit Lawyer
Jonathan Blum has a multitude of skills as a corporate lawyer, but he’s one of the few who represents nonprofits instead of for-profits. The Lawbook recently spoke with Blum about his career path to practicing nonprofit law, trends in the charity and nonprofit world and why he recently moved his practice to Holland & Knight.
Baylor Law Dean to Step Down After 31 Years
This summer, Bradley Toben will return to the faculty, where he first began teaching law courses in 1983, following his tenure as the longest-serving dean of any American Bar Association-accredited law school in the country.
Senior Exxon Mobil Counsel’s Move to Gibson Dunn is ‘Very Personal’
Exxon Mobil assistant general counsel David Woodcock has departed the energy giant to join the Dallas office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher as the firm’s SEC enforcement practice co-head. The move surprised many within the legal department at Exxon Mobil because Woodcock, who was a past regional director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Fort Worth office, was viewed as a likely candidate to be the company’s next chief legal officer.
Veteran Dallas Prosecutor Tapped as EDTX U.S. Attorney
If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as expected, Damien Diggs would be the first Black U.S. attorney in the 166-year-old Eastern District.
Former Texas Appellate Judge Rejoins Dykema
After eight years on the Dallas Court of Appeals, former justice David Schenck is practicing law at his old law firm. In an interview with The Texas Lawbook, Schenck said Dykema was the only firm he seriously considered.
Haynes and Boone Opens Virginia Outpost
The Dallas-based firm expanded to Northern Virginia by adding 19 lawyers with expertise in government contracts, construction and white-collar law.
White & Case Hires Three Bracewell Litigators in Houston
Sean Gorman, Chris Dodson and Andrew Zeve are joining a team of about 90 attorneys in White & Case’s Houston office after tenures at Bracewell that included leading the firm’s $1.6 billion win for BMC against IBM.
Remembering Fort Worth Federal Judge John McBryde
Senior U.S. District Judge John McBryde of Fort Worth was old school and hardcore, viewed as the epitome of a federal judge and always regarded as the lord of his courtroom. Criminal defense lawyers compared him to the hanging judges of the Wild West because of the lengthy prison sentences. But other lawyers and judges say he was a fierce protector of the rule of law and the right to trial by jury. Judge McBryde, appointed to the federal bench in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, died Sunday. He was 91.
Winstead Elects Jeff Matthews as Next Leader
Shareholders at the corporate law firm Winstead have elected the chair of its business and transactions practice, Jeff Matthews, as the firm’s next chairman and CEO. A 2003 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and the son of a former Exxon general counsel, Matthews replaces David Dawson, who has led Winstead since 2014. In an interview with The Texas Lawbook, Matthews discusses the Texas firm’s position in the legal market, how 2022 has gone so far and whether there is any interest in a future merger.