As the general counsel and chief legal officer of the Texas A&M University System, Bonilla oversaw legal matters for eleven universities. He will focus his practice on representing educational institutions.
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The 1915 Letter to the Editor Championed Women Serving on Juries
When I was a teenager, my grandmother told me that her grandmother, “Nana,” marched for women’s suffrage.
What impressed my grandmother was not just that Nana walked the streets with throngs of other women clamoring for voting rights; it was that she did so despite being a woman who personally had little to gain from equal suffrage.
Nana was a married, middle-aged mother who, as my grandmother put it, “wore black chiffon at night.” In other words, she was a woman of means. As such, Nana benefited from the status quo. Practically speaking, she had reason to resist change. Still, she believed women should have the right to vote. So, she marched.
She also wrote.
Caterpillar Infringes on Five Patents, Bobcat Alleges in Suit
Farm and construction equipment manufacturer Bobcat claims competitor Caterpillar is infringing on five of its patents, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Eastern District of Texas. The company has also filed actions against Caterpillar in the U.S. International Trade Commission, German court, and the Unified Patent Court of the European Union.
Application of the Economic Loss Rule in Texas
The economic loss rule provides a limitation on damages in cases alleging both breach of contract and certain other causes of action sounding in tort, by precluding a party’s recovery of damages when the only economic loss is the subject matter of the contract. In operation, the rule “restricts contracting parties to contractual remedies for those economic losses associated with the relationship, even when the breach might reasonably be viewed as a consequence of a contracting party’s negligence.” This article explores this rule and when it applies — as well as the exceptions to it.
VC Advisor Carmelo Gordian Departs A&O Shearman for Holland & Knight
Veteran venture capital lawyer Carmelo Gordian, a longtime Austin-based specialist in emerging companies, has signed on as a partner with Holland & Knight, leaving A&O Shearman after a nearly eight-year run.
Litigation Roundup: Google Wins Fee Battle Over ‘Frivolous’ Patent Suit
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a businessman faces sexual assault allegations, a Texas attorney is ordered to pay fees to Google, and one of the plaintiffs in the private-equity dentistry lawsuit in Dallas was found in contempt for violating the temporary injunction.
Warm Texas Welcome: Arizona Firm Joins Forces With San Antonio’s Schmoyer Reinhard
Phoenix-based Fennemore is entering the Texas legal market by combining with a San Antonio-based litigation and labor and employment firm. The move to tie up with Schmoyer Reinhard gives Fennemore its first major presence in the Lone Star State. Home to some of the world’s largest public and private companies, Texas offers a mix of practice work that aligns with the firm’s existing client base, Fennemore announced Monday in a news release.
Mike Androvett Joins Texas Lawbook Foundation Board
The Texas Lawbook Foundation, a nonprofit that supports news coverage of pro bono, public service and diversity in the legal profession, announced Monday that longtime Texas legal media executive Mike Androvett is joining the foundation’s board of directors. Derek Lipscombe, managing counsel at Toyota North America and co-chair of the Lawbook Foundation, said Androvett “brings much needed professional expertise that will help promote the extraordinary efforts of Lawbook Foundation and pro bono, public service and diversity reporter Krista Torralva.”
Targa Buys Stakeholder Midstream for $1.25B
Targa Resources said Monday that it agreed to acquire Stakeholder Midstream for $1.25 billion in cash, expanding the Houston midstream services provider’s footprint in the Permian Basin. Latham & Watkins represented Targa with a national team led by Houston partners Ryan Maierson and James Garrett. Willkie and Clifford Chance advised Stakeholder.
Willkie’s Texas-based team was led by Houston partner Sarah McLean. Gerald Shrader has been Targa’s general counsel since December 2023.
Paul Hastings Adds Two Litigators from Winston & Strawn
Stephanie D. Clouston and Matthew Durfee have joined Paul Hastings’ Dallas office as the firm continues its Texas expansion.