After nearly two decades at T-Mobile, prominent telecom legal executive Chris Luna has retired and returned to public service, which he had vowed to do after serving as a Dallas City Council member in the 1990s. The Lawbook recently spoke with Luna about his priorities leading the SPCA of Texas and with Jones Day partner Joe Van Asten, the new pro bono counsel Luna has retained.
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When Shared Profits Create Shared Liability: Two Dallas Software Company Founders Indicted in $70M Healthcare Fraud Charges
On Jan. 10, two practice management software company founders and two physicians were indicted to the tune of $70 million for allegedly submitting false claims to private insurers. For in-house counsel and business leaders looking to understand the larger implications of this indictment, there is a clear takeaway. If your company provides any kind of business management software, you might have a shared responsibility for how that software is used once it leaves your four walls.
CDT Roundup: 26 Deals, 14 Firms, 196 Lawyers, $10.8B
VC M&A has suffered from the same statis markets as any other kind of M&A. But it’s been a while since the CDT Roundup has focused on startups, so this is the week. With the help of PitchBook, The Lawbook’s Claire Poole takes a look at what those in the industry are predicting for the coming year. Are non-SPAC IPOs making a comeback? That, and a look at a rather raucous week of 26 pretty disparate deals and the lawyers who worked on them.
Litigation Roundup: Pension Fund Sues Pioneer Over Exxon Deal, Union Pacific to Face Fatal Crash Suit
In this week’s edition of Litigation Roundup, Pioneer Natural Resources draws suit over its $60 billion Exxon deal, a fight between faculty at MD Anderson spills into court, a jury renders a take-nothing judgment in a personal injury suit that had sought damages in excess of $10 million, and the Fifth Circuit revives a fatal crash suit against Union Pacific.
‘Good, Better, Best’ – The Mantra that has Guided Jennifer Ryback’s Career
Jennifer Ryback worked with McGuire Craddock her entire legal career until recently, when she jumped to Carrington Coleman to grow her employment law practice. The award-winning lawyer talks juggling career, parenting and community involvement with The Texas Lawbook.
Diamondback, Endeavor Energy Merge in $26B Transaction
Paul Weiss and Vinson & Elkins counseled the privately owned Endeavor, whose 85-year-old founder has been considering selling.
Paul Hastings Lands CapM Trio from Akin
A dozen years after first opening an office in Houston, Paul Hastings is making a concerted effort to expand its presence in Texas. The 1,100-lawyer corporate firm announced Monday three new capital markets partners — David Elder, Christopher Centrich and Patrick Hurley — have joined its Houston outpost from Akin Gump. The addition of the trio of lawyers comes six months after Paul Hastings hired complex commercial litigator Paul Genender away from Weil, Gotshal & Manges.
Former FERC Leader Joins Baker Botts in Houston
Baker Botts announced Monday the addition of David Applebaum, a former head of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, from Jones Day. It is the firm’s fourth lateral partner hire in Texas this year.
Match CLO Jared Sine ‘Taking on More of a Strategy Role’ at GoDaddy
For eight years, Jared Sine has navigated multibillion-dollar M&A deals and bet-the-company litigation at Match Group. On Friday, Sine announced that he is leaving the dating app tech company on March 11 to become the chief legal and chief strategy officer with GoDaddy, a $15 billion web hosting corporation, starting March 18. Sine’s deputy at Match, associate general counsel Jeanette Teckman, will step in as acting chief legal officer.
“At the end of the day, eight years is a long time to be at any one place,” Sine told The Texas Lawbook in an interview Friday. “We’ve built a great team — a phenomenal team that I would be hesitant to challenge if I was an opponent. It’s been a fun ride to be part of the growth at Match.”
Longtime Thompson Coe Partner to Launch New Personal Injury Firm
William Moye is not only venturing out on his own for the first time after 20 years with Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons, he’s entering a whole new practice area. Moye Law Firm, slated to open March 1, will focus on handling catastrophic personal injury cases.