M&A is “slowly on the mend,” according to a new PitchBook report on global M&A activity. But like most statements of fact these days, that may depend on your point of view. In the first three months of 2024, M&A is down from Q4 2023, but that’s okay. That previous quarter contained a few blockbuster deals and set a record valuation for energy M&A. The CDT Roundup this week looks a bit closer at the PitchBook metrics and even closer at the transactions reported last week. There are a few numbers that may surprise you.
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Sorrels Law Adds Houston Lawyer Raina Spielman Newsome as Partner
The medical malpractice and personal injury lawyer left Big Law in 2020 to represent victims of negligence and medical malpractice and has recovered more than $40 million in damages for her clients. Newsome brings more than 25 years of litigation experience to Sorrels Law.
‘Rarer Than a Hen’s Tooth’ – Jury Deadlocks in Waco Patent Case
Hung juries, in general, are infrequent. One study estimates they occur in about 6 percent of all cases that go to trial. When it happens, it’s usually in state criminal cases where someone’s life or freedom is at stake, not in highly technical disputes over a patent.
Litigation Roundup: SMU Defeats Covid Suit, Shell Beats $16M Bonus Suit
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the Fifth Circuit undoes class certification in an investor suit against Anadarko, Roku beats back a $318 million patent infringement claim in Waco, and a Houston appellate court brings an end to a heart surgeon’s defamation lawsuit against ProPublica and the Houston Chronicle.
Q&A: Hugo Testé
Hugo Teste is the general counsel and vice president of legal of Vopak. In this Q&A, Teste discusses the factors he uses when hiring outside counsel and specific items outside lawyers need to know about him.
GC Hugo Testé is ‘an Indispensable, Hands-on Resource’ for Vopak
As a first-year lawyer at Mayer Brown in Houston, Hugo Testé was given a case that his partner told him he was “going to lose.” His new client was a 19-year-old Honduran mom and her three-year-old daughter seeking asylum. The son of Cuban immigrants, Testé said the case hit home right away. “After one meeting with my clients I knew that I couldn’t afford to lose,” he said.
Nineteen years later, Testé is the general counsel of Vopak, where he has guided the chemical, oil and gas and biofuels storage corporation through numerous transformation transactions. Testé’s 2023 successes are the reason that the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are honoring him with the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department (less than five lawyers).
Is it Time to File More Motions to Dismiss in Criminal Cases?
Dismissals by district courts in federal criminal cases are rare — even more so in white collar criminal matters. That is why the recent dismissal in a securities fraud case in the Southern District of Texas is quite notable.
Texas Lawbook 50 Report: Lateral Partner Moves Cooled in 2023
Some big names in Texas corporate law changed addresses in 2023. Sean Gorman, Mary-Olga Lovett, Rakhee Patel, David Sweeney, Greg Nelson and Paul Genender, to name a few. In all, 229 partners jumped to new firms — down 13 percent from 2022. Even so, Lotus Legal Search founder Kate Cassidy said the “Texas lateral market is strong compared to other markets.” The Texas Lawbook breaks down Texas lateral partner moves by law firm, practice area, metro and gender.
P.S. — Houston Lawyers Rock Out for Charity, May Pro Bono Clinics, UNT Law Celebrates 10 Years
This edition of P.S. features May dates for pro bono legal clinics in Dallas, fundraising goals for a public service and a diversity-oriented law school’s upcoming 10th anniversary, and the fundraising outcome of a recent Houston concert that featured a battle of lawyer-formed bands.
Firms mentioned in this week’s P.S. include Goldman Sachs, Prudential, Cooper & Scully, Hunton Andrews Kurth, Bradley, Weil, Haynes Boone, Akin, Godzina Law, Greenberg Traurig, Latham, Sidley, Baker O’Brien, Gibbs & Bruns, IST Management, Vinson & Elkins, Consilio, Jones Walker, Powerhouse Copy, Walker Eisenbraun, Weaver, Secretariat, Shell, Enterprise Products, the Harris County Law Library, Sommerman McCaffity, Carter Arnett, Stewart Law Group, Susman Godfrey, Locke Lord and Toyota.
From Lawyer to Counselor: Building Trust with Credibility, Reliability and Connection
Of the many qualities that help young lawyers build a productive, fulfilling career, self-awareness ranks among the most important.