The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

More Stories

Laura Tyson’s Responsibilities at EMG ‘Extend Far Beyond a Traditional GC’

The evening before Thanksgiving last year, Energy and Minerals Group General Counsel Laura Tyson was working to close a $1.1 billion transaction when she learned that an investor had filed a lawsuit in Delaware to pause the deal. The litigation didn’t just threaten a transaction, it threatened the future of our company. Despite facing enormous challenges and extraordinarily tight deadlines, Tyson identified and hired a new legal team and put together their legal response to force the litigation into confidential arbitration only five days later.

EMG and Tyson won the litigation and closed the major continuation vehicle transaction. She is also the winner of the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department.

Collaboration, Coaching and Exxon’s Winning Securities Class Action Defense

In the counsel of many, there is wisdom.

That is a paraphrase of an Old Testament quote that I used in the opening of the securities class action we tried to a jury earlier this month in Judge Ed Kinkeade’s court in Dallas. It applied to our securities class action defense, which was rooted in the good faith efforts of the hard-working people of ExxonMobil. But it also applied to the trial team that won the case, a combination of firms and lawyers that came together to produce a winning result in a very rare circumstance where unexpected events intervened.

Houston Employee Benefits Partner Returns to Norton Rose

Matthew Grunert, an employee benefits and executive compensation partner, has rejoined Norton Rose Fulbright in Houston from Bracewell. Grunert advises public and private companies, private equity sponsors and boards of directors on the benefits and executive compensation aspects of corporate transactions.

The Next Generation of Trial Lawyers MUST Use Pro Bono Work to Gain Courtroom Experience

The paradox of modern complex litigation is that the cases we dream of trying almost never get tried — and the smaller cases that once trained generations of trial lawyers are rarely handled at large firms anymore. As a result, I recommend resisting the urge to ask, “Where should I go?” Try asking, “What else can I do?” That question has one uncomfortable but effective answer — take responsibility for building your own trial experience.

Energy Transfer’s Ali Henderson is a ‘Trial Warrior’

Most lawyers go a lifetime without winning a nine-digit litigation. Energy Transfer Assistant GC Ali Henderson won two in 2025. She co-led a complex, high-stakes trial in North Dakota that culminated in a historic $667 million jury verdict for the midstream energy giant. And she co-led the defense of a $200 million lawsuit against her company for negligence and trespass.

The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are awarding Henderson, Energy Transfer and the lawyers at Yetter Coleman and Gibson Dunn with the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year. The Business Litigation award is one of the few that also recognizes the role of outside counsel in court victories.

Siemens Energy GC Denise Hansen has ‘Consistently Overcome Adversity and Persevered’

Denise Hansen has dealt with the consequences from constantly evolving tariffs; the continuous and massive federal regulatory changes in the energy sector, including the dialing back of wind-industry tax credits; the executive orders regarding diversity and inclusion; the emergence and employment of artificial intelligence; the successful licensing necessary to do potential work in Venezuela; and the extraordinary growth that SEI has experienced.

The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are honoring Hansen with the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department.

Premium Subscriber Q&A: Ali Henderson

In this Q&A, Ali Henderson dispels myths about going in-house and details what she looks for when hiring outside counsel. Texas Lawbook: What advice do you give lawyers considering going

© Copyright 2026 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.