During a hearing Tuesday Chief U.S. bankruptcy Judge Eduardo Rodriguez brushed aside scheduling concerns the parties raised and ordered that Albert Alonzo, who served as case manager to former Judge David Jones for more than a decade, be deposed on Sept. 18. Jones, who resigned his office after public revelations that he had a secret romantic relationship with a Jackson Walker bankruptcy partner, will be deposed in the same courtroom, under the supervision of Chief Judge Rodriguez, the following day.
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CDT Roundup: 19 Deals, 22 Firms, 325 Lawyers, $8.5B
This week we honor a retiring colleague. She created the Corporate Deal Tracker Roundup seven years ago and has been the pulse of it since. But rest assured, the CDT Roundup has the usual rundown of the deals reported to us last week, along with names of the firms and lawyers behind them.
Q&A With Latham & Watkins’ Raghav Bajaj
Austin patent litigator Raghav Bajaj leaped from Haynes Boone to Latham & Watkins earlier this month. In a Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Bajaj shared why he made the move and recent trends in the world of patent law and litigation.
Kirkland Snags Key Energy Partner from V&E
Damien Lyster has been hired as a partner in the Energy Regulatory Practice Group for Kirkland & Ellis, the firm announced Monday in a news release.
Lyster comes to Kirkland after 16 years at Vinson & Elkins, where he was a partner since January 2022.
Litigation Roundup: Delta Passengers Target CrowdStrike in Proposed Class Action
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, we share the announcement that a new magistrate judge will be serving in the Northern District of Texas, and share details about both the federal government’s antitrust lawsuit against Richardson-based RealPage and the punishment doled out to a former controller for Simon Greenstone Panatier who bilked the plaintiff’s firm out of nearly $1.5 million.
Court: U.S. Trustee May Depose Former Bankruptcy Judge on Secret Romantic Relationship
Former Houston Bankruptcy Judge David Jones, who oversaw significant corporate bankruptcies over the past decade, can now be questioned under oath about his undisclosed personal relationship with Elizabeth Freeman, then a partner at Jackson Walker, which earned millions in legal fees from cases the judge presided over.
The ruling, made by U.S. Chief Bankruptcy Judge Eduardo Rodriguez over the weekend, allows the U.S. Trustee to depose both Jones and his former case manager, Albert Alonzo, regarding the details of this secret relationship. Additionally, they may be compelled to provide personal documents related to the relationship, but this process will occur under the direct supervision of the chief judge.
FTC Noncompete Ban Invalidated Until Further Notice
Judge Ada Brown’s opinion is both well-reasoned and well-written, but it is not surprising. In light of the invalidation of the FTC’s rule, employers can breathe easy. Of course, the FTC can, and likely will, appeal the decision.
Texas Supreme Court Rejects Constitutional Challenge to Fifteenth Court of Appeals
With about a week to go before the state’s new Fifteenth Court of Appeals goes live, the Texas Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday morning, unanimously rejecting a constitutional challenge to the creation of the court.
P.S. — Greedy, Money-Grubbing, Good-For-Nothing Corporate Lawyers: This Column Is Not For You
During the dozen years since I launched The Texas Lawbook, hundreds of lawyers have told me that we never publish articles about the good deeds that lawyers do. The Lawbook fixed that by assigning a full-time reporter to cover pro bono, public service and diversity in the Texas legal profession. We recognize the charitable and community work of lawyers every Friday in a column called P.S.
Now we need your help. Please send us news of your monetary donations to charitable causes, your service for community organizations and your non-profit fundraising efforts.
Claire Poole, the Doyenne of Texas Deal Journalism, is Retiring
Claire Poole, one of the brightest lights in business journalism, is retiring. Her last day is today. For decades, she has written about dealmaking in Texas and beyond with integrity, talent and grit. But the biggest story she’s been involved with may well be her own.