Shell’s Hector Pineda discusses what he considers when hiring outside counsel, diversity and inclusion efforts and more.
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SilverBow Resources’ Asst. GC Jennifer Cadena Knows How to Win ‘The Litigation Chess Game’
One month before the Texas Supreme Court revived a novel lawsuit SilverBow Resources Operating lodged against Energy Transfer alleging it had interfered with its drilling rights via underground contamination linked to an injection well, Jennifer Cadena was promoted to become the company’s assistant general counsel and senior land manager after three years as senior exploration and production counsel.
She worked alongside outside counsel at Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing to ensure when the McMullen County jury finally got to hear the case, they would agree SilverBow was entitled to damages from Energy Transfer.
When the jury awarded SilverBow $24.5 million in damages in February 2023, it was a hard-fought result eight years in the making.
Dallas Trial Begins for Physician Indicted in $39M Medicare Fraud
Dr. David M. Young of Fredericksburg, Texas, is accused of electronically prescribing orthotic devices and genetic tests for thousands of patients he never met. U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr told the 14 jurors and alternates chosen Tuesday that the trial is expected to take about two weeks.
Virage Capital Asst. GC Leslie Hillendahl is ‘Leading an Industry Constantly In Flux’
Leslie Hillendahl wanted to be a lawyer since the fifth grade, but she faced an obstacle. Her father, a Houston police officer, “was quite adamant about steering me away from a legal career. He insisted that if I were to pursue law, I needed to first obtain what he called a ‘solid’ degree in accounting or finance.”
“While I initially resisted, I now appreciate his guidance, as it ultimately led me to a fulfilling career path that I love,” Hillendahl told The Texas Lawbook. Hillendahl earned degrees in accounting and law and is now the assistant general counsel at Virage Capital Management, a Houston-based litigation funding operation with an estimated $1 billion in assets. During the past two years, she and outside counsel have scored several multimillion-dollar courtroom victories and she currently manages more than $350 million invested in disputes spanning several states. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Lawbook have named Hillendahl the winner of the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department.
Q&A: Leslie Hillendahl
Leslie Hillendahl shares what outside counsel needs to know about her and more.
Kristina McQuaid of Phillips 66: A Reluctant Lawyer in a Purposeful Career
In her role as senior counsel at Phillips 66, Kristina McQuaid is asked to do more than M&A. Much more.
“At first, I did not want to be a lawyer. I really enjoyed math and wanted to be a stockbroker,” she says.
Now she finds herself nominated as a 2024 finalist for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook.
Q&A: Kristina McQuaid
In her role as senior counsel at Phillips 66, Kristina McQuaid is asked to do more than M&A. Much more. The Lawbook had the chance to ask a few questions about her work and her expectations of outside counsel. We jumped on it.
CDT Roundup: 22 Deals, 14 Firms, 227 Lawyers, $14.9B
The $6.2 billion take-private sale of Minnesota utility Allete to a joint venture of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Global Infrastructure Partners would be noteworthy if just for the price tag alone. But a closer look reveals a common bond among the lawyers involved that graduates from noteworthy to extraordinary. The Roundup’s Claire Poole takes that closer look, along with her usual list of Texas-related transactions reported last week.
Litigation Roundup: American Airlines Sued Over In-Flight Death of Teen
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a mother from the Bronx sues American Airlines in federal court in Fort Worth over the in-flight death of her 14-year-old son, USAA is accused in a proposed class action lawsuit of covertly operating a two-tier benefits system and a divided ruling from the state’s court of last resort for criminal cases makes a surprise appearance in this civil courts-focused article.
Texas GCs: Litigation Spend Soars in Post-Covid Era
Litigation spend by Texas companies with revenues of $1 billion or more reached an average of $3.9 million, according to Norton Rose Fulbright’s 19th annual trends survey of corporate general counsel. Two top lawyers from the firm discussed with The Texas Lawbook what is driving up the costs.