Judge Leslie Southwick, an 18-year veteran of the Fifth Circuit, has announced he is taking senior status, opening a seat on the bench for President Donald Trump to make an appointment. Texas lawyers who’ve appeared before Judge Southwick, including Dykema’s Chris Kratovil, Norton Rose Fulbright’s Anne Johnson and Lynn Pinker’s David Coale, praised his fairness and civility on a bench often defined by sharp ideological divides.
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Dallas Jury Hits Expro Holdings with $7.7M Verdict for Breach of Contract
A Dallas County jury deliberated for about two and a half hours before unanimously awarding more than $7.7 million to Arlington-based MCR Oil Tools last week, finding its longtime business partner Expro Holdings had breached a contract. The 20-year business relationship between the companies came to an end in 2023 when Expro chose not to renew its licensing agreement.
Munsch Hardt Adds Austin Bankruptcy Shareholder
Previously at Husch Blackwell, Tara LeDay has handled significant Chapter 11 proceedings involving major companies across the real estate, retail, financial services and energy sectors.
Holland & Knight Adds Houston Energy Litigation Partner
John Meadows was previously at Steptoe & Johnson, where he was representing coal, oil, natural gas and renewable energy companies.
2026 San Antonio Corporate Counsel of the Year Award Recipients Announced
Howard Energy Partners, BioBridge Global, and Valero are repeat winners. Lawyers at Frost Bank claimed two honors. In-house counsel at Affinius Capital, Alterman, CPS Energy, and Lewis Energy also scored gold. ACC San Antonio and The Texas Lawbook Monday announced the recipients of the 2026 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Awards.
Frisco Clinic Owner Convicted in $17M TRICARE Fraud Scheme that Funded Gold-Plated Cybertruck
A Fort Worth federal jury convicted Kevin Curry on all nine counts of a healthcare fraud and kickback scheme that bilked TRICARE out of more than $17 million, with prosecutors saying he used stolen doctors’ identities and fabricated records to bill for unnecessary treatments. Curry’s case was one of seven North Texas prosecutions tied to a recent DOJ healthcare fraud takedown that charged 455 defendants in schemes exceeding $6.5 billion nationwide.
CDT Roundup: What Happened to the Q3 Bump?
For the week ended Sept. 26, the CDT Roundup saw just seven deals reported with a combined value of just over $6.3 billion. There were no billion-dollar M&A transactions and more than half the deal value resided in CapM debt issues.
Given that summer is over and the close of Q3 is just days away, we were expecting more traffic.
P.S. — Lawyers Observe Sept. 11 With Acts of Service
In this edition of P.S., we highlight the volunteer work of Holland & Knight, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Haynes Boone and Bank of America in observance of Sept. 11, 2001. Holland & Knight’s efforts also honor the legacy of Glenn Winuk, a partner in the Manhattan office who was also a volunteer firefighter and EMT who died helping others at the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks.
Asked & Answered with Gibbs & Bruns’ Caitlin Halpern: A 48-Hour Trial Prep and a Hurricane-Day Release
In this edition of Asked & Answered, Gibbs & Bruns partner Caitlin Halpern recalls a first trial that came together in 48 hours and a parole win that ended in a hurricane. She also talks about the rise of the Texas Business Court and the pop playlist that gets her ready for the trial.
Akerman Adds Former Texas Securities Regulator to Austin Litigation Team
Ronak Patel spent 14 years at the Texas State Securities Board, where he helped lead auction-rate securities investigations and took part in global settlement talks that Akerman says delivered about $50 billion in relief for investors. Now a litigation partner in Austin, he says he brings a regulator’s view of enforcement to his work with financial services clients.