A long-time energy industry lawyer with extensive experience practicing before the Texas Public Utility Commission and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has been named the new general counsel at Johnson City-based Pedernales Electric Cooperative.
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P.S. — Bankruptcy Judge Harlin Hale, Craig Glidden, Martha Hofmeister Honored, DFW Corporate Counsel Award Nominations Open
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are now accepting nominations for the 2024 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards, including nominations for Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service and Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion. In the news this week, the American Bar Association honors former LyondellBasell GC Craig Glidden, and the Federal Bar Association recognizes Dallas lawyer Martha Hardwick Hofmeister for outstanding leadership. On Thursday, the Dallas Bar Foundation presented retired NDTX Bankruptcy Judge Harlin Hale with the Justinian Award.
Plus, The Lawbook thanks Sempra Energy Chief Risk Management and Compliance Officer Carolyn Aiman and Shell USA Head of Legal Travis Torrence for donations to the Texas Lawbook Foundation to support our coverage of pro bono, public service and diversity in the legal profession.
Editor’s note: The Lawbook misspelled Judge Hale’s first name in earlier editions. We apologize for the error.
Of 3,299 State Bar Examinees, Here’s the Top 3
Scores on the state’s bar exam are confidential. Statistics are not. This much we know from the Board of Law Examiners: of 3,299 individuals who took the latest exam back in July, 74.5 percent of them passed. But courtesy of Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby, the court’s liaison to the BLE, we do know the names of the top three examinees.
‘Full Speed Ahead’: Business Courts, Fifteenth Court of Appeals Hold First Hearing, Oral Arguments
Texas’ new Fifteenth Court of Appeals is set to hear its first oral arguments at the end of the month, but it will borrow space from the Court of Criminal Appeals to do so. Earlier this month, the first-ever business court hearing took place — a video conference in the Houston-based Eleventh Division.
SCOTUS Vacates Fifth Circuit Opinion in Citizen Journalist Case
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s win-loss record in cases reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court is already in the red and it is only mid-October. The Supreme Court has vacated the Fifth Circuit opinion written by appellate Judge Edith Jones earlier this year that held that Laredo law enforcement officers who arrested a citizen-journalist in 2017 for asking for information deemed non-public cannot be sued for violating the First Amendment rights of the reporter because the officers have qualified immunity.
Phillips 66 Sells Stake in Swiss Venture for $1.24B
As part of a promised $3 billion in divestitures, P66 is selling off its minority share in Coop Pronto, an operator of food-and-gas locations across Switzerland.
Insurance Litigation Duo Leaves Husch Blackwell for Spencer Fane in Dallas
Spencer Fane is bolstering its national insurance litigation practice with partners Scott L. Davis and David H. Timmins. The firm has been markedly expanding the practice group since 2021. The growth caught the attention of Davis and Timmins from where they worked at Husch Blackwell.
Pharmacy CEO Convicted on All Counts in $160M Medicare Fraud Trial
Mohamed Mokbel was convicted on 15 charges for his role in what prosecutors said was a multipart scheme to defraud the government that involved deceiving doctors and patients, too. Mokbel, former CEO of 4M Pharmacies, argued all he was guilty of was trying to compete with the powerful pharmacy benefit managers, entities that manage prescription drug programs for health plans and control 80 percent of the market. The panel of 12 deliberated for about five hours Tuesday before returning the unanimous verdict.
Fort Worth Jury Awards American Airlines $9.4M in Suit Against Bargain-Fare Site Skiplagged
After deliberating for parts of two days, jurors in the court of U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman ordered Skiplagged Inc. to pay American Airlines $4.7 million in damages for copyright infringement, and another $4.7 million in disgorged profits.
Litigation Roundup: A $2.2B Zantac Settlement and More
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Big Oil is denied its request to bring an early end to a climate suit in California, Marriott reaches a data breach settlement with all 50 states, and we bring you details of the $2.2 billion settlement GlaxoSmithKline reached to bring an end to thousands of Zantac lawsuits.