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P.S. — 2024 DFW Pro Bono and Diversity Award Nominations Now Welcomed

The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are seeking nominations for the 2024 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards for Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service, Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion and Create Partnership. The awards recognizing pro bono and diversity celebrate the efforts and successes of corporate in-house counsel who use their positions to serve their communities and the legal profession.

This week, P.S. also highlights Texas Veterans Legal Aid Week and efforts by Texas Access to Justice, legal aid programs, local bar associations and law schools providing free legal services to qualified military veterans in Texas.

November 8, 2024 Mark Curriden

Fort Worth Jury Convicts E-Discovery Firm of Class B Misdemeanor

Consilio, which claims to be the largest e-discovery firm in the world, committed a Class B misdemeanor offense when it accessed a woman’s computer without consent, a jury recently determined. Rob Miller of Miller Copeland, who represented the plaintiff, told The Texas Lawbook he believes this is the first lawsuit of its kind to be decided by a jury.

November 7, 2024 Michelle Casady

Paul Hastings Adds Environmental Litigation Pro Stephen Fitzgerald

The latest move in Paul Hasting’s Texas growth spree builds on another recent prominent addition to its environmental litigation practice.

November 7, 2024 Brooks Igo

Appellate Lawyers Talk About Impact of Judicial Elections

An Election Day “red wave” has left the Texas legal world scrutinizing incoming justices and trying to determine what changes may be coming to the intermediate appellate courts in the state’s most urban areas.

November 7, 2024 Krista Torralva

David Aaronson Moves to O’Melveny

Aaronson, a veteran of O&G transactions in the upstream and midstream sectors, departs Orrick where he landed in 2022.

November 6, 2024 Allen Pusey

Update: Republicans Sweep Dallas, Houston Court of Appeals Elections, Get Wins in SA

In a stunning political reversal from six years ago, Republican candidates for the Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas ran the table in Tuesday’s elections. Republican judges made significant gains on the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals as well.

November 6, 2024 Mark Curriden

East Texas Jury Clears Nokia In Patent Case

A federal jury in Marshall deliberated about an hour and a half Wednesday before returning its verdict for Nokia. Correct Transmission had sought to prove Nokia infringed on three of its patents and should pay about $35 million.

November 5, 2024 Krista Torralva

Litigation Roundup: PEMEX, Shell Sued Over Fatal Gas Leak, Frost Bank Gets Arbitration Win

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, we offer details on a recent $1.3 million arbitration win a team from Greenberg Traurig secured for Frost Bank, identify the law firm pursuing litigation in the wake of a fatal helicopter crash in Houston and explain a ruling from U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman that will likely change who can build transmission lines in Texas.

November 5, 2024 Michelle Casady

Foley Advises TGI Friday’s in Bankruptcy Filing

TGI Friday’s Inc. and 23 of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Northern District of Texas over the weekend. In its bankruptcy petition, TGI Friday’s claims $100 million to $500 million in debts and the same range for assets. The Dallas-based company owns 39 actual bar-and-grill restaurants across the U.S. None of the TGI Friday’s franchised operations are part of the Chapter 11.

November 4, 2024 Mark Curriden

Joint Ventures Demystified — A Practitioner’s Guide to Structuring Successful Partnerships

In today’s global business environment, market participants continuously seek innovative ways to grow their businesses, obtain capital to execute their business plans and leverage shared resources. One popular strategy is forming a joint venture, which is a business arrangement where two or more parties pool resources to achieve a common commercial goal. Structuring a JV is complex, and success hinges on careful planning, negotiation and management, as poorly structured JVs can lead to conflicts, inefficiencies and ultimately failed outcomes.

This article explores several key issues to be addressed when forming a joint venture and provides a roadmap for avoiding some common pitfalls that derail many partnerships. By carefully defining a JV’s scope, negotiating for appropriate consent rights, protecting against leakage from affiliate agreements, addressing fiduciary duties and establishing clear transfer provisions, parties can create a JV structure that helps to ensure alignment and maximizes the likelihood of success for all involved.

November 4, 2024 Robert Little & Jonathan Sapp