Hugo Teste is the general counsel and vice president of legal of Vopak. In this Q&A, Teste discusses the factors he uses when hiring outside counsel and specific items outside lawyers need to know about him.
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GC Hugo Testé is ‘an Indispensable, Hands-on Resource’ for Vopak
As a first-year lawyer at Mayer Brown in Houston, Hugo Testé was given a case that his partner told him he was “going to lose.” His new client was a 19-year-old Honduran mom and her three-year-old daughter seeking asylum. The son of Cuban immigrants, Testé said the case hit home right away. “After one meeting with my clients I knew that I couldn’t afford to lose,” he said.
Nineteen years later, Testé is the general counsel of Vopak, where he has guided the chemical, oil and gas and biofuels storage corporation through numerous transformation transactions. Testé’s 2023 successes are the reason that the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are honoring him with the 2024 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department (less than five lawyers).
Is it Time to File More Motions to Dismiss in Criminal Cases?
Dismissals by district courts in federal criminal cases are rare — even more so in white collar criminal matters. That is why the recent dismissal in a securities fraud case in the Southern District of Texas is quite notable.
Texas Lawbook 50 Report: Lateral Partner Moves Cooled in 2023
Some big names in Texas corporate law changed addresses in 2023. Sean Gorman, Mary-Olga Lovett, Rakhee Patel, David Sweeney, Greg Nelson and Paul Genender, to name a few. In all, 229 partners jumped to new firms — down 13 percent from 2022. Even so, Lotus Legal Search founder Kate Cassidy said the “Texas lateral market is strong compared to other markets.” The Texas Lawbook breaks down Texas lateral partner moves by law firm, practice area, metro and gender.
P.S. — Houston Lawyers Rock Out for Charity, May Pro Bono Clinics, UNT Law Celebrates 10 Years
This edition of P.S. features May dates for pro bono legal clinics in Dallas, fundraising goals for a public service and a diversity-oriented law school’s upcoming 10th anniversary, and the fundraising outcome of a recent Houston concert that featured a battle of lawyer-formed bands.
Firms mentioned in this week’s P.S. include Goldman Sachs, Prudential, Cooper & Scully, Hunton Andrews Kurth, Bradley, Weil, Haynes Boone, Akin, Godzina Law, Greenberg Traurig, Latham, Sidley, Baker O’Brien, Gibbs & Bruns, IST Management, Vinson & Elkins, Consilio, Jones Walker, Powerhouse Copy, Walker Eisenbraun, Weaver, Secretariat, Shell, Enterprise Products, the Harris County Law Library, Sommerman McCaffity, Carter Arnett, Stewart Law Group, Susman Godfrey, Locke Lord and Toyota.
From Lawyer to Counselor: Building Trust with Credibility, Reliability and Connection
Of the many qualities that help young lawyers build a productive, fulfilling career, self-awareness ranks among the most important.
The Corner Office: Q&A with Nicole Williams
In this Q&A, Williams discusses Thompson Coburn’s record year in 2023, litigation trends, career advice for young attorneys, and the firm’s local pro bono and public service efforts.
Dallas Jury Awards Nearly $72M in Wrongful Death Suit Against Walker Engineering
Charla Aldous and co-counsel won the verdict in a three-week trial over the 2019 death of Hernan Murillo at a Frito-Lay Inc. construction site in Irving.
Mary Flood: ‘Dean of the Houston Legal Scene’
For more than three decades, reporter and lawyer Mary Flood walked the halls of state and federal courthouses in Houston, chronicling the victories and defeats of the city’s colorful legal lions. She used her quick wit and persistence to win sources, from those who cleaned the building to the powerful who sat high on the bench. Her investigative reporting forced the Hermann Hospital board to provide more charitable care and offered leads to federal agents investigating Enron’s implosion. Flood went from college dropout to Harvard-educated lawyer. When she reinvented herself as a media consultant for law firms, she became a rainmaker.
Wrongful Death Case Against Walker Engineering Goes to Dallas Jury
Charla Aldous and other lawyers for the family of an electrician killed in a construction accident at a Frito-Lay facility in Irving are asking for more than $100 million. Defense lawyers say $6 million is more appropriate.