Although the developers label these apps as “experimental,” some commentators suggest that AI be put to work now in the real world of business and commerce. Some even contend that AI applications can do the job of lawyers, implicitly jeopardizing law practice as a career. Is it true?
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BakerHostetler, D.C. Solo Tapped in ‘The Ticket’ Noncompete Suit
The Ticket’s parent company is accusing Jacob Kemp and Daniel McDowell, the former hosts of popular sports talk radio show The Hang Zone, of violating a noncompete agreement by launching a new podcast after leaving the station in July.
Elite Law Firms in Texas Lead H1 2023 M&A Law Firm Rankings
The Corporate Deal Tracker M&A rankings of law firms in Texas witnessed a shake up during the first six months of 2023. Last year, Texas lawyers at two firms each worked on 80 M&A deals. No firm worked on more than 66 during the same period this year. Seven firms handled 30 deals or more during H1 in 2022, but only three did it this year.
Fifty-four law firms with attorneys in Texas reported M&A transactions during H1 and 17 of them worked on 10 or more deals. And 25 firms in Texas reported working on deals with combined values of $1 billion or more during H1 2023, up from 19 during the same period last year. The CDT top 10 has three new members. The top six also witnessed a shakeup.
Veteran Antitrust Expert Jumps to King & Spalding
Sean Royall, who has represented AT&T, Facebook, Allergan and JUUL Labs, joins King & Spalding as its global head of antitrust and consumer protection. Since 2019, Royall’s career has taken him from Gibson Dunn to stops at Kirkland and Sidley and now K&S.
CDT Roundup: 13 Deals, 12 Firms, 118 Lawyers, $5.2B
In March and April, the market for M&A looked pretty thin. A few high-profile bank failures and strong employment figures fed worries about the future. That pessimism seems to have passed, according to Texas dealmakers consulted by the CDT Roundup. We have their forecasts for the coming months, as well as the usual listing of deals and dealmakers reporting last week.
Abutbul Leaves Paul Hastings for Allen & Overy
The deal lawyer’s departure follows that of tax expert Greg Nelson, who left last month as 11-year chair of Paul Hastings’ Houston office for Gibson Dunn.
Litigation Roundup: Fifth Circ. Clears Way for 5G Rollout, Impeachment Gag Order Draws Suit
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, mootness ends Surfside Beach property owners’ dispute with the Texas General Land Office in a 2-1 ruling from the Fifth Circuit, a challenge to the Inflation Recovery Act’s medication pricing controls keeps rolling and a conservative activist sues Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick over an impeachment-related gag order.
Campbell Soup Company Agrees to Acquire Sovos Brands Inc.
Weil partner James Griffin co-led a team from Weil representing Sovos Brands investor Advent International. The Lawbook has the details.
The Five Most Important Deals of 2023 — So Far
There were 395 Texas-related M&A deals during the first six months of the year. The biggest aren’t always the most consequential; context matters. The Lawbook’s Claire Poole asked a few Texas M&A experts to choose five from among them the 395 that seem most important to the current market.
A Question on Certified Questions: Analyzing the Recent Increase in Queries from the Fifth Circuit
Over the last three years the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has sent more certified questions annually to the Texas Supreme Court than it has in decades. The recent increase — five in 2021, six in 2022 and four so far this year — is notable when compared to the average of 1.8 a year the Fifth Circuit had sent for the 24 years prior. Does accepting the questions — a discretionary decision by SCOTX — strain the court’s ability to decide disputes percolating through Texas’ 14 intermediate appellate courts?