Judges who have implemented the practice of allowing jurors to ask questions of witnesses via written submission say it makes deliberations more efficient and allows jurors to reach the correct result. But the majority of judges don’t allow it, and Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap said that’s for good reason.
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GT Recruits Gruber-led Litigation Team
Mike Gruber and two young shareholders have left Dorsey for Greenberg Traurig. The Texas Lawbook spoke with the lawyers on Day One at GT.
Staying Busy: Baker Botts, Five Other Firms Top H1 CapM Rankings
During a down year for the capital markets practice in Texas, a handful of law firms stayed busy. None were busier than the lawyers at Baker Botts. Latham, V&E, Gibson Dunn, Hunton AK and Bracewell also had impressive showings for the first six months of 2022, according to The Texas Lawbook’s exclusive Corporate Deal Tracker, which tracks securities offerings handled by lawyers in Texas.Updated
Appellate Partners Preview Texas Supreme Court Cases To Watch This Term
Appellate partners with Alexander Dubose Jefferson, Beck Redden and Haynes and Boone told 180 attendees during a continuing legal education webcast Wednesday about four cases the Texas Supreme Court will hear this term and why they’re important.
CDT Roundup: 16 Deals, 10 Firms, 135 Lawyers, $30.9B
In a market when billion-dollar deals seem as elusive as $3 gasoline, a $30 billion deal would seem a game-changer. There was such a deal this week, but not in the way you might expect. The CDT Roundup explains, along with the usual list of Texas lawyers who made things happen.
5th Circuit Weighing Appeals in Forest Park Medical Fraud Convictions
Seven imprisoned defendants, including four physicians, make their case for reversal before appellate court.
Litigation Roundup: SCOTUS Cert Petition Filed in Williamson Co. Wrongful Conviction Case, Antero Secures $11.9M Final Judgment, ITC Gets Oil Pollution Act Claims Tossed
This week’s Litigation Roundup features a fight between the Houston Astros and Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar over about $462,000 in taxes assessed against the ball club, a $3.3 million jury win for the buyers of a North Dallas office complex and a second bite at the apple for a Louisiana federal judge who enjoined a Biden administration order pausing oil and gas lease sales.
Hurricane Harvey Litigation Still Winding Through Courts Five Years Later
In the five years since Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston region, courts have been wrangling the massive amount of litigation spawned by the storm, brought by property owners seeking damages for the flooding that in many instances took everything they had. Storm cleanup and later the COVID-19 pandemic caused some roadblocks to resolution, but time hasn’t run out for those still waiting to make a claim.
Jury Says No Damages In Citgo Desalination Plant Suit
A major point of contention in the case was whether Rothwell Energy Services’ president and director, Juan Hurtado, was the actual nephew of the former head of Citgo, Nelson Martinez, who later served as Venezuela’s oil minister and died in prison after being swept up in the PDVSA corruption probe. Rothwell’s attorneys argued Hurtado referred to him as “uncle” but had no blood relation with the close family friend, while Citgo’s attorneys argued that relationship was proof of impropriety in the deal.
Deconstructing Texas’ Covenants Not to Compete Act
There remains a minefield of issues that can drastically impact the enforcement of noncompete covenants. This article highlights several key issues that practitioners should be mindful of under Texas’ Covenants Not to Compete Act.