Large corporate law firms have faced unprecedented actions by a presidential administration during the past two weeks, including five presidential executive orders targeting five law firms, a presidential memorandum directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to “review conduct” by lawyers and firms who engage in “frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation” against the U.S. government and demand letters sent by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission targeting 20 law firms — 13 of them operating in Texas — seeking their policies and activities regarding diversity and inclusion. The Texas Lawbook seeks your insight and commentary regarding how law firms and the legal profession should respond.
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Excelerate Energy to Purchase New Fortress Energy’s Jamaican Assets and Operations for Over $1B
Excelerate Energy announced on Thursday that it had entered an agreement with New Fortress Energy to acquire its Jamaican assets and operations for $1.055 billion. Lawyers from Gibson Dunn, Vinson & Elkins and Simpson Thacher are advising on the deal.
Back to the Future in the Practice of Law
Leaving the practice of law to raise a family and deciding to reenter the workforce are major life decisions that require sacrifice and perseverance. Here’s my story of navigating the challenges of returning to practice law after more than a decade at home.
Family of Ex-SMU Quarterback Sees CTE Case Against NCAA Revived
Roger S. Braugh Sr. played both quarterback and defensive back for the Southern Methodist University football team from 1960 until 1962. He died in March 2019 and an autopsy performed at Boston University showed the cause was stage IV CTE. A Dallas County judge dismissed the suit after agreeing with the NCAA that the two-year deadline to bring the lawsuit had lapsed.
Municipal Bond Boom Continues as Texas Cities Sell $68B in Bonds to Keep Pace with Migration
Texas continues to experience rapid population growth, adding nearly 563,000 new residents in 2024, pushing its population north of 31 million. To accommodate this influx, municipalities issued about $68 billion in bonds last year to fund critical infrastructure projects like schools, hospitals, and roads. The leading bond counsel firm in the state, McCall Parkhurst & Horton, advised on 372 bond issues last year as managing partner Mark Malveaux attributes the steady bond activity to the strong Texas economy and robust demand for public services and infrastructure.
Q&A with Trial Lawyer Michael Lyons
Michael Lyons is a student of heroes. An avid reader, he concentrates on what makes a hero and how they’re portrayed in stories. It’s no wonder that the trial lawyer finds heroes in his own cases, whether it be a man killed saving his fiancée from the deadly 2021 Astroworld crowd surge or a Good Samaritan who comforted a dying truck driver.
Swift and Rigorous — Texas Business Court’s Primexx Energy Ruling and Its Implications for Corporate Governance
Texas is at the forefront of a new era in corporate governance. As businesses question decades of wisdom that led to an unflinching resolve to incorporate in Delaware, everyone seems to be asking the same question about Texas, Nevada and other states: “What do you offer that’s better?” A recent decision from the Texas Business Court helps answer that question.
Anti-SLAPP Law’s Automatic Stay Under Fire at Capitol
The Texas Citizens Participation Act has helped media defendants and public advocates fight meritless lawsuits aimed at intimidating them into silence. Now, legislators are reviewing the anti-SLAPP law’s automatic stay of trial proceedings during an interlocutory appeal of a motion to dismiss. Critics of the 2011 law say it is too broadly written, allowing unscrupulous defendants to delay cases that have nothing to do with free speech. The high-stakes battle is playing out at the Capitol where supporters from across the political landscape face off against powerful business interests — with observers wondering if a compromise is possible.
Patience, Process and Persistence — Using Sequential Mediator’s Proposals in Commercial Contractual Negotiations
Two recent successful mediations of commercial contractual disputes were implemented by using successive, iterative mediator’s proposals under the time pressure of approaching arbitration deadlines and increasing cost deposit invoices. Mediators frequently use these confidential proposals to close the final gap in a financial negotiation.
Litigation Roundup: Fifth Circuit Revives Coast Guard Vaccine Mandate Challenge
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, we give readers one guess as to why Buc-ee’s filed a new lawsuit in Missouri, CBS moves to dismiss a federal lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump, and we detail two new state court lawsuits each seeking more than $100 million in damages.