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Chris Blevins: Navigating Solo Brands Through Crisis and Into Renewed Growth

As a teenager and college student, Chris Blevins watched his father — an accountant turned business entrepreneur — negotiate contracts, do deals with vendors and handle issues with clients and customers.

“I was taking a few business and law-related classes, and I started realizing that the things that frustrated him weren’t about the product or the customers, they were about navigating legal and contractual issues that felt foreign and risky,” Blevins said. “It clicked for me that I could be someone who helped businesses run better by removing the friction and risk around these issues, making things clearer and easier.”

For Blevins, the career strategy paid major dividends in 2025 when he scored some huge successes for Grapevine-based Solo Brands. As such, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Lawbook have named Blevins as a finalist for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department (two to five attorneys).

AI Wellness and Solar Shine in a Week Dominated by the ‘Private’ in PE

For the week ended Jan. 24, there were just eight deals reported to the CDT Roundup, with only three disclosed values totaling a little more than $1.3 billion. The week prior had 19 deals valued at nearly $18.4 billion, while the year-ago saw nine deals worth about $6.8 billion reported.

The Roundup hasn’t seen a cumulative weekly value that low since the week ended June 14 when the nine deals reported had a combined value of $478 million, and that figure is the lowest tallied by the CDT Roundup since May 2020.

As sometimes happens, the week was heavy on private equity deals that the players chose to keep … well, private. That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup.

To Launch New Dallas Office, Dechert Snags McDermott Duo Behind Tesla’s $1 Trillion Contract

Veteran corporate lawyers and dealmakers Wilson Chu and Joanna Lin have left McDermott to launch Dechert’s new Dallas office, following their high-profile work advising Tesla on Elon Musk’s $1 trillion employment contract. Their move was quietly noted in Dechert’s announcement of 20 partner hires for new offices in Dallas and Chicago, and existing ones in key U.S. markets, marking another shift amid McDermott’s ongoing post-merger reshuffling.

Dallas Judge Sues Commissioner Price for Defamation

Commissioner John Wiley Price is facing a lawsuit seeking up to $1 million in damages for alleged defamation of Dallas County District Judge Vonda Bailey. Judge Bailey’s lawsuit points to comments Price made during Commissioners Court meetings last year regarding her clearance rate and attendance as the basis of her claims.

EDTX Jury Hands Out $66.8M Damages Award in Patent Case

Earlier this month, a jury in East Texas determined that BOE Technology Group owes $66.8 million in damages for infringing three patents owned by Longitude Licensing that cover semiconductor devices and methods for configuring pixel electrode orientations in LCD displays that are used in computers, monitors and televisions.  

P.S. — DBA Honors Shonn Evans Brown with MLK Jr. Justice Award, SMU Law Secures Major First Amendment Clinic Funding, and More

In this edition of P.S., we spotlight the Dallas Bar Association’s Martin Luther King Jr. Justice Award Luncheon. During the event, Shonn Evans Brown of Heidelberg Materials North American was honored with the MLK Jr. Justice Award for her leadership, commitment to justice and service to the legal profession and broader community. We also share news that SMU Law donors met a fundraising goal set by the Stanton Foundation, which provided a $2 million endowment gift. There’re also some important dates you don’t want to miss: Attorneys Serving the Community has opened applications for its 2026–2027 beneficiary partnership, and the annual Champions of Justice Gala announced the date of its 2026 event. Last but not least, William Toles, a litigation shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, has been selected to receive the James H. “Blackie” Holmes Award from the Dallas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.

‘Put on this Earth to Serve:’ Award Honoree Shannon Cagnina Helped Pass Trey’s Law, Camp Safety Legislation

Shannon Cagnina, general counsel for Phillips Enterprises, is being honored with a 2025 Corporate Counsel Award for her pro bono and public service work on Trey’s Law and Texas camp safety legislation. Cagnina’s humility and faith-driven commitment to service have made her a quiet force behind reforms that are already reshaping protections for abuse survivors and camp goers.

‘Life is a Team Sport,’ Says Toyota’s Scott Young

Toyota Managing Counsel Scott Young is being honored with a 2025 Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service in recognition of his lifelong commitment to service, shaped by his upbringing and early humanitarian work. Alongside major legal leadership roles at Toyota, including transformative development and manufacturing projects, Young has led and expanded the company’s pro bono efforts, providing legal assistance to vulnerable communities. 

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