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Derek Lipscombe, Alex Pratt Join Haynes Boone’s Labor & Employment Practice

Derek Lipscombe was managing counsel at Toyota North America for nearly 11 years, and before that he spent four years as senior managing counsel at J.C. Penney. Alex Pratt practiced law at Perkins Coie for nine years. This week, both lawyers joined the Dallas office of Haynes Boone as partners in its expanding labor and employment practice.

Legal industry analysts say the lateral hires give the Dallas-based corporate firm a distinct advantage in the labor side of the employment law practice — an expertise that they describe as often overlooked yet in demand.

SCOTX 2025–2026 Term by the Numbers: Petitioners Dominate as Reversal Rate Exceeds 75 Percent

The bottom line for this term: The odds continue to favor the petitioner once the Court grants review and sets argument. We dig into the numbers, looking at how many cases came from each Texas court of appeals, explaining how we calculated the Court’s overall affirmance and reversal rates, and examining which courts of appeals saw the most—and least—success on review.  

August Business Court Docket Anchored by Mavs Ownership Fight, 70-Page Trust Ruling

The Texas Business Court stayed hot throughout August, issuing six opinions as the Court’s docket continued to mature with procedural and doctrinal opinions. Evident in several opinions is the familiar theme that has characterized the Court’s growing resolution of complex commercial disputes: Documents mean what they say, and parties are held to the bargains they struck.

Four Former McKool Smith Principals Open High-Stakes IP Firm

Intellectual property lawyers Joshua Budwin, Richard Kamprath, Kevin Burgess, and John Campbell are bringing a new boutique powered by Big Law veterans to the market. “I tell my kids if you want to be truly successful you’ve got to work for yourself,” Budwin said.

Flex Acquires EPC Power for $4.4B

Freshfields and Vinson & Elkins advised on the transaction that Flex says will allow its data center development unit to capitalize on the next generation of power architectures required for artificial intelligence. An IPO is likely to follow in Q1 2027, following the deal’s close.

New Courthouse Coming to College Station

Congress passed the Local Access to Courts Act this week, creating a new federal courthouse in College Station as part of the Houston Division in the Southern District of Texas. U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane will select temporary quarters and then look at a location likely around Texas A&M to construct a new courthouse, which can take two years.

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