According to the American Bar Association, there are more than 1.3 million lawyers in the United States. From 2014 to 2024, the legal profession grew by over 41,000 lawyers. However, while the number of lawyers steadily increased, the representation of Black lawyers has remained stagnant, holding firm at just 5 percent of the legal population, the same as it was a decade ago. This disparity becomes even more glaring when we focus on Black women.
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Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock Gives His First State of the Judiciary Address
Speaking to members of both chambers at the Texas Capitol Wednesday morning, Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock launched his speech by asking that lawmakers approve an across-the-board 30 percent increase in pay for judges at all levels. That increase would take Texas from having the 48th lowest paid judiciary to the 31st out of 50 states, he said.
Carter Arnett Adds Former Dallas Appellate Justice Pedersen
Bill Pedersen III joins Carter Arnett after serving one term as a justice on the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas. In an interview with The Texas Lawbook, Pedersen called the firm a “go-to litigation boutique” and said he couldn’t pass up the chance to join its ranks.
Former U.S. Attorney Damien Diggs Joins Winston & Strawn in Dallas
Damien Diggs, the newly departed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, joins Winston’s government investigations, enforcement and compliance practice. Before he was named the Eastern District’s top prosecutor in 2023, he was an assistant U.S. attorney in Dallas and Washington, D.C.
CDT Exclusive Data: 2024 Top M&A Dealmakers in Texas
There are some new leaders atop the 2024 M&A scoreboard. Most of the regulars are there, as well as some fresh faces, according to The Texas Lawbook’s exclusive Corporate Deal Tracker. The CDT has two separate rankings for Texas-led transactions — deal count and deal value. Lawyers on both lists had an extraordinary 2024.
Perkins Coie Adds a Trio of M&A and PE-Focused Partners From Greenberg Traurig
Perkins Coie announced Tuesday that it is adding a group of three Texas-based partners, Kyle Fox, Richard Dusenbury and John-Paul Haskins, to its M&A and PE practice. The trio joins Perkins Coie from Greenberg Traurig, where each group member worked for at least five years, primarily serving clients within its M&A and PE practice group.
Litigation Roundup: ‘Aspiring Texas Lawyer’ Strikes Out in Fifth Circuit Appeal of ABA Lawsuit
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, we bring details of a defense win for Cisco in a jury trial in the Western District of Texas, Greyhound escapes a $15 million damages request in a wrongful death trial in Dallas County and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a pro se lawsuit against the American Bar Association.
SBSB Eastham Expands Admiralty and Maritime Practice with New Galveston Office
In the last six months, Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea, BenMaier & Eastham has opened offices in two Texas port cities, Corpus Christi and now Galveston.
CDT Roundup: 12 Deals, 7 Firms, 149 Lawyers, $16.5B
In the doubtful case that dealmakers were getting too giddy for their own good, the folks at the London Stock Exchange (LSEG) have published their latest global scorecard on YTD deals in M&A and the capital markets. They should come with a warning: “Keep antacids close.” They are presented without comment or explanation, so the CDT Roundup is serving them pretty much raw — but with a generous side-order of last weeks deals and the names of the lawyers who handled them.
How it Started, Where it’s Going: A Look at the Litigation Tying Together Tony Buzbee, Quinn Emanuel, Jay Z and Sean Combs
Among the law firms involved in the litigation sprawling across state and federal courtrooms in California, Texas, Louisiana and New York are Gibson Dunn, Holland & Knight, Sheppard Mullin, Quinn Emanuel and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings. It all began in December with the filing of a since-dismissed Jane Doe lawsuit in the Southern District of New York that accused Jay-Z and Sean Combs of “drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl” in 2000.