In three orders issued Wednesday and Thursday, Harris County District Judge Rabeea Collier sanctioned Transocean and its former legal team for “egregious” conduct in the multidistrict litigation. The judge declined to disqualify the company’s new legal team, AZA, from continuing its representation of the drilling company.
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Baker McKenzie, Eversheds and Reed Smith Promote New Partners
The parade of firms announcing their 2024-25 partnership class continued Thursday. Two global corporate law firms — Baker McKenzie and Reed Smith — each announced that three of their younger Texas lawyers had been elected to their partnerships, while Eversheds Sutherland promoted one.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the number of new Texas partners announced by Baker McKenzie, as well as a promotion that wasn’t to its partnership class. The Lawbook regrets the error.
Dispute Over Settlement Terms Leads to New Trial in 2019 Crane Collapse Case Against Greystar, Bigge
One week into an August trial, the real estate developer and crane rental company reached a settlement agreement with plaintiffs over the crane collapse onto a Dallas apartment complex. Or so they thought. A conflict over the settlement terms has prompted the case to return to court, and another trial date has been set.
In W&T’s Fight with Insurers over $250M Collateral Demands, Jurisdiction, V&E’s Representation Questioned
Recent developments in the dispute stemming from new Federal Bureau of Ocean Management bond rules targeting offshore energy companies include a question of whether the case belongs in federal court and if Vinson & Elkins should be allowed to represent two insurers after previously representing W&T for nearly a decade.
Gibson Dunn Names Newly Promoted Texas Partners
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has admitted five new Texas lawyers to its partnership. The Los Angeles-founded firm, which has about 180 lawyers in Dallas and Houston, made the announcement Wednesday.
Litigation Roundup: Omni Gets New Trial in $25M Sex Discrimination Suit
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Whataburger hires Holland & Knight to defend a patent infringement lawsuit in East Texas, and DLA Piper turns to a team from Vinson & Elkins to defend it in a legal malpractice lawsuit in Harris County over its alleged employment of a “fake lawyer.”
Beck Redden, Bracewell, Winston, Yetter Coleman Announce Partner Promotions
Twenty-two corporate law firms operating in Texas have announced their partner promotions — 112 in all — for the 2024-25 season. Four more firms announced their new partnership ranks.
CDT Roundup: 15 Deals, 12 Firms, 186 Lawyers, $5.3B
The biggest deal reported last week was the $2.4 billion sale of “non-core” assets along the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast by Dow, the chemical giant. The sale involved a 40 percent stake in Dow InfraCo sold to alternative asset manage Macquarie. The deal is only the latest in a series of “non-core” sell-offs, a phrase that is becoming as common as “consolidation” in the current market. The CDT takes a look at the “non-core” transaction trend and an observer of the Dow deal who less than impressed. And, of course, the usual report on last week’s deals and dealmakers.
ACC-DFW and Texas Lawbook Select DFW GCs of the Year
The general counsel at Toyota North America, Sandra Phillips, and the GC at the North Texas Tollway Authority, Dena Stroh, have been selected by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook to receive the 2024 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards for General Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department and a Governmental/Nonprofit Legal Department respectively.
In addition, ACC-DFW and The Lawbook have named Texas Capital GC Anna Alvarado and FirstService Residential GC LaToyia Pierce Frink as the two finalists for the 2024 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for GC of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department and Caris Life Sciences GC Russ Denton and Momentum GC Robin Everly as finalists for GC of the Year for a Small Legal Department.
Investors Allege Multimillion Dollar Fraud in Suit Against Bitcoin Mining Company
A group of investors allege Rhodium Enterprises executives and Fort Worth-based Imperium Investments Holdings, LLC deceived investors to secure a $33 million investment. Rockdale-based Rhodium filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August.