A Los Angeles jury hit Johnson & Johnson with a $32 million verdict in favor of the family of a woman who used the company’s baby powder for years and died of mesothelioma. Johnson & Johnson has vowed to “immediately appeal.”
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Austin Commercial Litigation Partner Moves from Kirkland to Latham
Shayne Henry, a commercial litigation partner, has joined Latham & Watkins in Austin after six years at Kirkland & Ellis across town. He will focus his practice on commercial and intellectual property disputes in state and federal courts, as well as domestic and international arbitration.
AZA, Vartabedian Join National Law Firms in Raising Associate Pay
Two Texas law firms this week have joined a half-dozen national law firms in announcing associate compensation increases of $10,000 for new and more junior lawyers and $20,000 salary jumps for more senior associates.
The pay hikes will raise compensation for first-year associates to $235,000, fourth-year lawyers to $320,000, and the base salary for eighth-year associates — the year before being up for partnership — to $445,000. With annual bonuses, many corporate law firms will pay their most senior and successful associates nearly $600,000 annually.
What the Feds Took, Texas May Protect
Earlier this year, a financial executive opened an AI chatbot to think through his legal exposure before calling his lawyers, then watched a federal judge hand all 31 of those documents to prosecutors.
The lesson looked clear. A Texas court has now complicated that lesson. Same conduct, two courts, opposite results. For Texas litigators, the gap between the two is worth understanding.
Litigation Roundup: SCOTUS Reverses Fifth Circuit in AT&T Case
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a Houston appellate court parses who owes a duty of care in a wrongful death lawsuit involving a crash allegedly caused by a driver who was engaging in phone sex, and investigators with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Fort Worth regional office reach a deal to end claims a Dallas-based real estate investment company president was lying to investors.
AI as a Force Multiplier for Appellate Practice: A Step-by-Step Guide
Careful AI use enhances both written and oral advocacy while creating opportunities for meaningful, impressive efficiency gains. The technology was breathtaking when I ran my first AI query and has rapidly improved since. Here are some practical lessons I have learned that are aimed at appellate practitioners but applicable to any litigation practice.
Sarah Ridel Returning to Skadden
After more than three years on the client-side with Pattern Energy, a Houston alternative energy provider, Sarah Ridel has agreed to join Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, the firm with where she began her career.
CDT Roundup: Late Arrivals Steal the Show
For the week ended June 6, there were 14 deals reported to CDT Roundup with a combined disclosed value of about $9.5 billion.
That said, you might take note of the overabundance of material covered in our Late Arrivals and Other Matters section, as well as other deals in this week’s edition.
P.S. — Former Reed Smith Counsel Efrain Vera Named Director of Brewer Storefront
In this edition of P.S., Kirkland & Ellis partner Michael Considine is calling on the legal community to give blood at the second annual Knock Out the Need Blood Drive taking place June 15-16. We also feature Efrain Vera, who recently jumped from Reed Smith to become the director of the pro bono affiliate of Brewer Attorneys & Counselors.
Houston Corporate Counsel Awards Recap
The May 28 awards ceremony took on an extra energy because two of the award recipients — Fertitta Entertainment General Counsel Steven Scheinthal and ExxonMobil Senior Counsel David Kern — were in the news that very day for two huge successes for their clients.
“What an extraordinary event this is every year,” said Travis Torrence, who is U.S. head of legal for global energy giant Shell. “The Texas Lawbook and ACC Houston make this one of the must-attend events for the legal industry in Texas.”