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Texas Lawbook, ACC-DFW to Honor GCs at McAfee, Celanese, HF Sinclair, Keurig Dr Pepper, Ocwen Financial

The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced Tuesday the first round of finalists and a few winners for the 2022 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards. Each year, ACC DFW and The Lawbook honor leading lawyers within the corporate in-house community who scored extraordinary successes and had a substantive impact on the legal profession and the business community in North Texas.

The Lawbook announces the finalists and winners in four different categories: Business Litigation of the Year; M&A Deal of the Year; General Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department; and General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department.

December 20, 2022 Mark Curriden

CDT Roundup: 14 Deals, 13 Firms, 115 Lawyers, $7.9B

The Mergermarket year-end polling is out and the results are optimistic. More than 60 percent of decision-maker respondents from 300 corporate and PE firms predict overall increases in M&A, despite the ongoing threat of inflation and continued geopolitical challenges. The CDT Roundup has details of the survey, as well as which markets they are predicting will prosper. As always, there are the names of Texas lawyers who advised on 14 deals reported last week.

December 20, 2022 Claire Poole

Litigation Roundup: SCOTX Grants Highlighted, Poultry Prep Patent Invalidated and Panel Decides Astronaut Artifacts Spat

In this week’s edition of litigation roundup, appellate rulings take center stage. The Texas Supreme Court granted review in a tax dispute between Kinder Morgan and a school district and allowed a sex trafficking lawsuit against Salesforce to proceed. In the Fifth Circuit, a former general counsel and staff attorney at a Louisiana college appeal to revive their pay discrimination and retaliation suit.

December 19, 2022 Michelle Casady

What Private Equity and Family Office Groups Should Know About Purchasing a Company Owned by an Employee Stock Ownership Plan

There are several unique liability issues associated with the purchase of an employee stock ownership plan company which are often overlooked by the purchaser. This article discusses some of the unique liability issues in order to avoid any surprises post-transaction, as well as possible solutions to address these issues.

December 19, 2022 John A. Kober

Pros and Cons of Arbitration vs. Jury Trial for Employers

Should employers consider the inclusion of a mandatory arbitration clause in their employment agreements? This article addresses some of the pros and cons of an employer’s use of an arbitration clause rather than having its disputes litigated before a jury.

Publisher’s Note: This content is premium subscriber thought leadership and is published outside of our paywall.

December 16, 2022 John R.W. Fugitt

P.S. — More Holiday Giving, Access to Justice & Freedom of Speech

This week’s P.S. features holiday giving to families in need by Dallas and Houston lawyers at Stinson and Hogan Lovells, a special holiday event for fallen veterans, a Jackson Walker lawyer who has been appointed as chairman of the board to a freedom of speech/information nonprofit and the very first access to justice summit that took place in Houston, where two local reporters were recognized.

December 16, 2022 Natalie Posgate

Government Touts $38.5M Recovery in Case it Argued ‘Never Should Have Proceeded This Far’

Five years after first arguing that the False Claims Act Lawsuit against Academy Mortgage Corporation should be dismissed, the Department of Justice publicized the $38.5 million settlement on Wednesday. This lawsuit marked the first time a judge denied the government’s motion to dismiss an FCA suit, presenting an issue of first impression to the Ninth Circuit panel that heard the case. Earlier this month, a case that asks what authority and discretion the government should have to dismiss whistleblower actions was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

December 15, 2022 Michelle Casady

Texas Capital Bank’s Anna Alvarado: “Lawyers are expected to be strategic partners”

Last month Texas Capital Bank closed a $3.4 billion sale of its insurance premium finance unit, BankDirect Capital Finance. At the center of that transaction was Anna Alvarado, general counsel of TCB. In a Q&A with Claire Poole, Alvarado discusses that deal, her views on lawyers in the banking business and the steep trajectory of a work life that began picking grapes.

December 15, 2022 Claire Poole

Lessons for Lawyer Leaders from Henry Kissinger

“Study history. Study history. In history lie all secrets of statecraft.”

That was the response Henry Kissinger recalls Winston Churchill giving a student who asked how best to prepare for the challenges of leadership. This advice is especially useful for lawyers in the 21st century.

December 14, 2022 Talmage Boston

DFW & Houston Litigation Boutiques Having Record 2022, Paying Record Bonuses

Civil jury trials all but disappeared across Texas for 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the reopening of the courthouse in 2022 has meant a blockbuster year for most civil litigation-focused law firms. Boutiques specializing in complex commercial disputes report they are experiencing a record number of trials, depositions and courtroom battles in 2022. The result, according to legal industry insiders, is that Houston and Dallas litigation boutiques are projecting record revenues, profits and associate bonuses for 2022.

December 14, 2022 Mark Curriden