Four of the Texas Business Court’s September opinions asked a threshold question: Can the court hear this case at all? The answers show a court leaning on its own growing body of precedent and a strictly textual reading of its jurisdiction statute. September also brought a Rule 91a fight over an expelled LLC member and a venture capitalist’s claim to a share of a multibillion-dollar sale that ran into his own release.
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Dallas Federal Judge’s Entire Docket Transferred to Other Judges
The chief judge of the Northern District of Texas has issued two separate “special orders” that remove all civil and criminal cases from the docket of U.S. District Judge Ada Brown, who is a highly respected jurist and believed to be the only Native American woman federal judge in Texas. Neither of the special orders provides an explanation.
Yes, Virginia, You Can Review an Arbitration Award: Is Arbitration an Option for Your Case?
For Texas litigators and corporate counsel, overcoming hesitation toward mandatory arbitration requires leveraging contractual design — either by expanding judicial review under the Texas Arbitration Act or using private appellate panels to eliminate unreviewable legal error.
Norton Rose Fulbright in Dallas: Measuring Retention by the Decade
In an era when lawyers are changing teams with the frequency of SEC linebackers, a large contingent of Dallas-based lawyers at Norton Rose Fulbright have been staying put for decades. Like lawyers on-the-move, they cite ‘culture’ as their reason for staying; but offering the credibility of decades in the same office of the same firm, these lawyers may actually mean it.
CDT Roundup: A Return to Business As Usual?
The 11 deals valued at $16.4 billion reported last week amounted to an average week on the year. But as the second highest value since early August, it may be a signal that uncertain deal markets are returning to ‘normal’ — whatever that is in a topsy-turvy year.
SpaceX Enters D2D Services with $8B Spectrum License Buy
The acquisition — advised by Gibson Dunn, Milbank and Latham & Watkins — opens the door for the company’s Starlink network to connect directly with cellular customers. And compete directly with cellular providers like Verizon and AT&T.
Trustee or Fiduciary? Judge Takes Camp Mystic Governance Fight Under Advisement
So many people showed up to the Camp Mystic bankruptcy hearing Friday morning that extra chairs were brought in and the courtroom doors were propped open to let the overflow hear. Opening statements, and much of the testimony, focused on the acrimony and distrust the creditor families say has infected the case.
‘Staggering’ M&A Deals Remain for Q4 2026
Texas lawyers expect a busy final three months of 2026, according to panelists at the UT Law M&A Institute on Thursday.
ACC San Antonio Honors USAA’s Michael Danforth and H-E-B’s Abel Martinez
In an era when corporate lawyers frequently change jobs, Abel Martinez and Michael Danforth have been rocks for their employers. The two San Antonio in-house counsel have been with their respective legal departments for a combined 45 years.
Danforth, a principal lawyer at USAA for more than 18 years, and Martinez, group vice president at H-E-B, are also widely respected for giving back to the legal profession and their local community.
The Heavyweight Litigator Quietly Behind Halperin Park and Other Major Civic Projects in Dallas
Mike Gruber is the litigator people and businesses call when the stakes are high. But for much of his life and career, he has also worked quietly behind the scenes of some of Dallas’ biggest civic projects.
He almost missed his chance. A teenage car mechanic who seemed destined for vocational work, Gruber saw a different future only after a high school civics teacher took an interest in him and mapped out an alternative path.
In the decades since, Gruber has quietly paid that opportunity forward, leveraging his bar card, relationships and resources to help shape Dallas beyond the courtroom.