In this Q&A, the Baker Botts Dallas office and finance section leader discusses remote work, encouraging trends he is seeing in the legal profession, and the law firm management issue most relevant to him.
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DFW Business Litigation and Rookie of the Year
The legal department at Match Group is the recipient of the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year. Clinton Willett, corporate counsel at City Electric Supply, and Maria Alonso, trade and corporate counsel at Tokyo Electron U.S. Holdings, are the two finalists for the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Rookie of the Year, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced Monday.
Corporate legal departments and law firms submitted more than 60 nominations in 13 different categories for this year’s DFW Corporate Counsel Awards, which recognize the successes and leadership demonstrated by in-house counsel in North Texas. DFW General Counsel of the Year will be announced Tuesday.
New Law Governing Judicial Candidate Disclosures Spawns Legal Challenges
The Texas Supreme Court is awaiting responses to two petitions for writ of mandamus in cases challenging whether judicial candidates can remain on the March primary ballot or if their alleged failures to comply with a new law means they must be stricken from the ballot. Lawyers involved with the cases have indicated more challenges could be coming as a Jan. 20 deadline for sending mail-in ballots looms.
The Top 15 M&A Deals of 2023 (Because We Couldn’t Stop at 10)
The M&A market for 2023 was characterized by some familiar bedfellows: uncertainty and energy. Dealmakers had to run a gauntlet that included, at various moments, war, inflation, Federal Reserve intervention, price uncertainties and even scandal in tech-heavy business sectors like banking and blockchain. But despite all that, the year 2023 has ended in decent shape.
Kirkland Counsels Callon on $4.5B APA Purchase
Analysts say the deal helps boost both inventory and oil mix in APA’s unconventional portfolio but are less favorable on Callon’s asset quality.
DFW Senior Counsel of the Year Finalists: City Electric, Ecobat, Envoy Air, Jacobs
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announce two winners and two finalists for the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year. Corporate legal departments and law firms submitted more than 60 nominations in 13 different categories for this year’s DFW Corporate Counsel Awards, which recognize the successes and leadership demonstrated by in-house counsel in North Texas. During the past week, The Lawbook has announced finalists for M&A Deal of the Year, Corporate Secretary/Legal Counselor of the Year, Pro Bono and Public Service and Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion. The full details on the finalists are in The Lawbook.
Prominent PE Dealmaker Sarah McLean Leaves Shearman for Willkie
The attorney has more than 20 years of experience advising private equity funds and management teams on high profile deals across the energy sector. EnCap Flatrock Midstream is one of her regular clients.
Matador Resources, MoneyGram, Pioneer Natural Resources Finalists for DFW Corporate Counsel Awards
In a year of huge M&A deals, in-house lawyers at Pioneer Natural Resources, MoneyGram and Matador Resources stood out. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announce that the two finalists for the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for M&A Deal of the Year are Matador Resources and MoneyGram. ACC-DFW and The Lawbook also announce that Pioneer Natural Resources’s Akshar Patel is the sole finalist and recipient of the 2023 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Corporate Secretary/Legal Counselor of the Year.
CDT Roundup: 17 Deals, 12 Firms, 99 Lawyers, $14.6B
Energy transition is proving itself more complicated than expected, and legacy energy more durable. Whether upstream or midstream, energy M&A in 2023 managed to endure the diverse pressures of war, politics, inflation and price volatility to emerge, as TPH&Co., the energy business of boutique bankers Perella Weinberg, describes it: “more important and dynamic than ever.” This week’s CDT Roundup looks at their interesting year-end reflections, along with 17 deals reported during the final week of the year, as well as the firms and lawyers who worked on them.
Expert Voices: Fifth Circuit’s Proposed Generative AI Rule — A Rule Without a Cause?
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is considering a new certification requirement about the use of generative artificial intelligence. While the proposed rule is thoughtful and well-intentioned, it is largely redundant of existing rules and may invite satellite litigation that interferes with legitimate use of AI to provide quality client service.