Corporate lawyers in Texas were busier handling mergers, acquisitions and capital market transactions during the first half of 2026 than in any six-month period since 2021 and the tail end of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new Citi Global Wealth at Work Law Firm Group data released exclusively to The Texas Lawbook. The Citi data shows that Texas businesses’ demand for legal services and lawyer headcount were up slightly, while the legal fees charged by Texas lawyers were up an astonishing double digits.
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Gibson Dunn, Sidley, Mayer Brown, Baker Botts Add Dealmakers to Kick Off Week
Another day, another handful of comings and goings in the energy infrastructure practices of major law firms in Houston. Baker Botts loses one partner to Gibson Dunn but gains another from White & Case. Mayer Brown and Sidley Austin also added partners. All four have corporate transactional practices.
LA Litigation Firm Launches Dallas Office
Stris & Maher announced on Monday its expansion to Dallas with a team of intellectual property lawyers from Skiermont Derby.
Four Pitfalls European Companies Should Avoid When Transferring Senior Leaders to the U.S.
As European companies launch operations into Texas and across the United States, transferring senior leaders stateside is among the most consequential steps they’ll take during the expansion process. In the course of these cross-border moves, foreign companies frequently underestimate four pitfalls that can undermine even well-planned transfers.
Litigation Roundup: Texas Oil Co. Ordered to Comply with SEC Investigation
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Texas Instruments is dealt a blow by the Texas Business Court in its quest to get an injunction against a competitor and a half dozen amicus briefs have been filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by parties in favor of preserving a Texas gun restriction penal code.
A&O Shearman Adds Veteran Dealmaker in Austin
Steve Tyndall has joined A&O Shearman as a partner in the M&A and private equity practice in Austin. Tyndall, who spent the last four years at Morrison Foerster, said that the firm’s international footprint and expanding Texas offices were meaningful in his decision to join A&O Shearman.
CDT Roundup: No Blockbusters, but Some Big Moves Brewing
The CDT Roundup saw nine deals announced during the week ended Aug. 22, with a combined reported value of about $2.8 billion — the lightest dollar figure since late January. The week prior had 15 deals with a value of nearly $7 billion, and a year ago at this time, the Roundup was reporting 23 deals worth more than $15.2 billion.
The rare week ended without an M&A megadeal.
Dallas Firm Notches $1.2M Win Against J&J
After deliberating for four hours Friday evening, a New Orleans jury awarded $10 million in damages finding that talc powder manufactured and sold by Johnson & Johnson “was a substantial cause of Lynne Roy’s mesothelioma.” The jury set J&J’s share at $1.2 million. The jury, which issued its verdict Friday at 9:47 p.m. after a three-week trial, found that J&J and five other defendants made products, including talc powder, that led to the 2020 death of the prominent Louisiana real estate agent’s death at the age of 76.
Dallas Jury Awards $8M to AT&T in Breach of Contract Case with Former Sales Providers
A Texas Business Court jury in Dallas deliberated for just 90 minutes late Friday night before ordering FiberWave and one of its subcontractors to pay AT&T $8 million for breaching its contractual duty to indemnify the telecom giant. The litigation started when FiberWave, a former sales partner, sued AT&T for $50 million in unpaid commissions.
Trial Court’s Post-Verdict Error Triggers Major Reduction in Damages for Alex Jones
A Texas appellate court Friday slashed more than $43 million in exemplary damages awarded against Alex Jones, holding that the trial judge erred by letting the parents of a student murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting to amend their petition post-verdict in order to avoid the state’s cap on exemplary damages.