When it comes to DEI, Kelly Chen of Toyota is a person whose actions match her words. She says hiring diverse outside legal teams is important; she gives legal work
More Stories
Envoy Air’s Chris Pappaioanou — ‘Doing the Right Thing’ and Getting Results
Chris Pappaioanou was a customer service agent with Great Lakes Airlines at Telluride’s airport in 2001 when he handed his résumé to Mesa Airlines CEO Jonathan Ornstein, who was boarding a plane. Weeks later, Pappaioanou was hired to be Mesa’s vice president of legal affairs. Two decades later, he is one of the most influential and respected lawyers and executives at Irving-based Envoy Air. During the past two years, Pappaioanou negotiated a transformative, industry leading collective bargaining agreement that reversed attrition within Envoy Air’s pilot ranks and attracted hundreds of new pilots to the airline. He also led several legal victories, including the resolution of a biometrics privacy suit in Illinois and a successful resolution to a wage and hour class action suit in California. And he was instrumental in the restructuring of Envoy Air’s human resources and legal departments to better align with the airline’s current needs as it continues to experience growth. But it all points back to the cold Colorado day when Mesa’s CEO saw something special in the guy loading his luggage.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announce that Pappaioanou is one of two finalists for the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department, which is less than five attorneys. This is his story.
Q&A: Chris Pappaioanou of Envoy Air
For Premium Subscribers Chris Pappaioanou was a customer service agent with Great Lakes Airlines at Telluride’s airport in 2001 when he handed his resume to Mesa Airlines CEO Jonathan Ornstein,
One Guess on Which Firm Led the Most Billion-Dollar M&A Deals in Texas in 2023
Texas lawyers for 29 law firms worked on 130 M&A deals in 2023 that had deal values of $1 billion or more. Twenty-two of those firms were the lead legal advisors for the buyers, sellers or targets, according to new data from The Texas Lawbook’s exclusive Corporate Deal Tracker. A handful of Texas lawyers — Sean Wheeler, Debbie Yee, Ryan Maierson and Steve Gill — led or co-led more billion-dollar-plus transactions than any other lawyers. In fact, the four deal lawyers — all partners in Houston —led more transactions than 25 of the 29 firms on the list. But it was Dallas lawyer Jeff Chapman who landed the biggest deal of 2023. The Lawbook has the details.
Takings Fight Between Texas, Landowners Now in SCOTUS’ Hands
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week in a case where a group of about 75 Texas landowners are fighting to revive their lawsuit against the state seeking compensation for the repeated flooding of their property that they say is the result of a public highway project. The case came to the high court after a Fifth Circuit panel sided with the state and the court declined to rehear the case en banc over the dissent of five judges. The question the justices are tasked with answering in this case is:
“May a person whose property is taken without compensation seek redress under the self-executing Takings Clause even if the legislature has not affirmatively provided them with a cause of action?”
Prominent White-Collar Attorney Bill Mateja Takes Helm Of Dallas Bar Association
In a Q&A with The Lawbook, Bill Mateja shares what shakeups he’s got in store for the bar association and the advice he gave former DBA president Aaron Tobin. The DBA will host an inauguration ceremony Sunday for Mateja, a partner at Sheppard Mullin.
Carrington Coleman Gains Two Litigation Partners from McGuire Craddock
The new lateral additions include Jennifer Ryback, who was head of McGuire Craddock’s litigation practice. Carrington Coleman has also added a senior associate from Winstead.
Veteran Energy Attorney Dale Smith Joins Willkie’s Houston Office
Willkie Farr & Gallagher has added energy finance and transactions attorney Dale Smith as a partner in its Houston office.
Fifth Circuit Hands Book Stores, Haynes Boone’s Laura Prather Victory in Book Rating Law Case
The decision is a high-profile win for Prather, who represents several bookstores and publishers who challenged the law. The case was Prather’s first appearance before the New Orleans-based appeals court.
The Texas Lawbook profiled Prather, who leads Haynes Boone’s media law practice group, in an in-depth article last week. In the article, Prather discussed the bookstore law case and other First Amendment matters that she is championing.
Bechtel Energy Senior Counsel Moves to King & Spalding in Houston
Terra Cothran has spent the past 25 years working on energy and construction projects in-house. She has been across the table from King & Spalding on numerous projects.