President Donald Trump announced on social media Thursday his plans to nominate Phelps Dunbar partner G. Todd Butler to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, filling a vacancy created by Judge Leslie Southwick’s move to senior status. Butler, who is currently the managing partner at Phelps Dunbar’s Jackson, Mississippi, office, is a former clerk for Judge Southwick.
More Stories
Dallas Attorneys Win Dismissal of Cryptocurrency Memecoin RICO Suit
Dallas trial lawyers from Sbaiti & Company secure the dismissal of a civil RICO punitive class action in the Southern District of New York involving cryptocurrency memecoins. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon granted the defenses’ motion to dismiss all claims with prejudice and denied leave for an amended complaint Wednesday.
Texas Bankruptcy Experts Give Thumbs Up to Increasing Small Business Debt Limits
Bankruptcy lawyers and judges have been pushing Congress for three years to raise the debt limit for Subchapter V bankruptcy reorganization from $3.4 million to $7.5 million. They argued such a move would help small business owners restructure their debt faster and cheaper than the standard Chapter 11 corporate bankruptcy filing.
The Texas Lawbook spoke with four business restructuring experts about the recent passage by Congress of the Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment Act.
Gibson Dunn Powers Up IP Practice, Adds Mathews and Fountain
Fresh off their third trial defense win in a row in the Eastern District of Texas, Nicholas Mathews and Erik Fountain are transferring their intellectual property litigation talents to Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. They are the latest in a string of partner losses at McKool Smith this summer.
White-Collar & Regulatory Roundup: Attorney Charged in $1.45M Tax-Lien Ponzi Scheme
In this September edition of White-Collar & Regulatory Roundup, federal prosecutors say David Gilchrist ran a property tax-lien investment scheme that collected $1.45 million from roughly 20 investors, then forged notary deeds to mislead SEC investigators and urged a potential witness to leave the country. Gilchrist, a licensed Texas attorney since 1983, faces wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and witness tampering charges, plus a parallel SEC civil suit.
Small Businesses to Get a ‘More Affordable, Efficient Way’ to Restructure Debt
Congress has passed legislation raising the debt limit for Subchapter V bankruptcy reorganization from $3.4 million to $7.5 million, offering small business owners a faster, more affordable alternative to standard Chapter 11. Co-sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn and praised by state bankruptcy judges, the Bankruptcy Threshold Adjustment Act awaits the president’s signature.
Catching Up with Mike McKool, 3 Years After Departing Firm He Founded
He still has an active law practice, but Mike McKool’s legal work doesn’t lend itself to spending time in the courtroom these days. When he’s not working, he told The Texas Lawbook in a recent interview, he’s spent his time visiting with friends and driving offroad motorcycles on 40 miles of trails around his ranch near Waxahachie.
Biz Court Significantly Trims Scope of Damages in Southwest Pilot’s 737 MAX Suit Against Boeing
A Texas Business Court judge has determined the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association failed to sufficiently connect the dots between The Boeing Company’s alleged misrepresentations about the airworthiness of the 737 MAX aircraft, the subsequent grounding of those planes following two fatal crashes, and the consequential damages the union alleged its members suffered as a result.
Catching Up with Hope Shimabuku
After a decade of serving her country as the first regional director of the Southwest Office for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Hope Shimabuku jumped at the opportunity to again create something new when she led the opening of Finnegan’s Dallas office this month. And the elite global IP firm would’ve been hard-pressed to find someone better to be boots on the ground. The Texas Lawbook visited with Shimabuku about her legacy at the USPTO and her aspirations for Finnegan in Texas.
The Taxing Challenge of Produced Water
As millions of barrels of oilfield wastewater flood into Texas from New Mexico daily, shrinking underground disposal capacity in the Permian Basin threatens to constrain future energy production. Levying a severance-style tax on out-of-state produced water would generate over $100 million annually, protect Texas operators and spur vital investment in water recycling infrastructure.