In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Texas follows up on its state court lawsuit against proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services with a lawsuit against Glass, Lewis & Co. in Collin County, and Gray Reed secures a complete defense win for a homebuilder client in a Tarrant County jury trial.
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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: Denise Hansen
In this Q&A, Denise Hansen dives into AI and shares an easy ice breaker for conversation with her.
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
Texas Capital’s Dan Hoverman: The Finance Executive Who Thinks Like a Lawyer
Dan Hoverman built his career by understanding the law and succeeding in high finance, but the Texas Capital executive insists it was never the product of a master plan so much as a habit of following the right mentors at the right moments.
The Texas Lawbook recently sat down with the Kirkland alum to discuss his unique career path, his sports career, the dealmaking environment in Texas and more.
CDT Roundup: A $79 Billion Week, Yet SpaceX Still Steals the Shot
Sixteen deals were reported to the CDT Roundup this week valued at $79.4 billion the second-highest weekly total recorded this year — or, if you prefer, the largest weekly total that didn’t involve SpaceX. Well, not exactly.
That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup.
Dallas Regulatory Partner Moves from Haynes Boone to Holland & Knight
Clarissa Howley Mills, an environmental regulatory partner, has joined Holland & Knight in Dallas from Haynes Boone. She will focus her practice on environmental regulatory counseling, enforcement defense, permitting, litigation, due diligence and transactional matters.