Joseph T. Walsh will work in Duane Morris’ Houston and New York offices and will focus on environmental litigation, products liability, commercial disputes, emergency response and counseling clients on risk management. In between stints at Exxon, Walsh represented Fortune 500 companies at a New Jersey-based law firm where he was a name partner.
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Paul Hastings Adds Tax Partner in Dallas
Paul Hastings announced Tuesday that corporate tax law expert Alex Farr has joined the firm’s Dallas office as a partner.
SDTX Chief Bankruptcy Judge Considering Contempt Proceedings, Sanctions Against Judge Jones, Jackson Walker
Chief Bankruptcy Judge Eduardo Rodriguez of Houston has ordered his former colleague, ex-bankruptcy Judge David Jones, and law firm Jackson Walker to appear in his court this Wednesday to explain why they apparently went behind his back and against his prior order to conduct a private interview regarding facts involving the judge’s secret romantic relationship with former Jackson Walker partner Elizabeth Freeman.
Chief Judge Rodriguez issued a show-case order Monday stating that the U.S. Trustee’s Office has informed the court that such an interview recently took place and demanded that Judge Jones and lawyers for Jackson Walker appear Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. to explain their reasons and face possible sanctions.
“Jackson Walker, its counsel and David R. Jones and his counsel must be prepared to explain to this court whether in fact the allegations raised in the U.S. Trustee’s notice regarding Jones’s interview by Jackson Walker’s counsel did in fact occur and if so explain to this court the details of such interview,” the chief judge wrote in a blistering three-page order.
At the same time, the plan administrator in the JC Penney bankruptcy is seeking to subpoena cell phone records of Judge Jones to see if he was secretly sending text messages to Freeman during court proceedings.
Quantum Capital to Acquire Cogentrix for $3B; King & Spalding, V&E, Latham Advise
Based in Charlotte, N.C., Cogentrix operates natural gas power plants throughout the Eastern Seaboard, New England and Texas. The acquisition, says Quantum’s CEO, is driven by the power needs for data centers and AI.
Emera Sells New Mexico Gas to Bernhard Capital for $1.2B
Davis Polk & Wardwell represented the Canadian seller and Kirkland counseled the Louisiana private equity firm, having advised it on several investments and purchases over the last year.
Litigation Roundup: Fifth Circuit Sends Another Certified Question to SCOTX
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, individuals accused of bilking the government out of millions via Covid-19 testing and dental scams are sentenced to prison, Austin-based CrowdStrike gears up to fight litigation related to a global software outage and the Fifth Circuit seeks the Texas Supreme Court’s input in a lawsuit brought by a former Southern Methodist University law professor who was denied tenure.
OCI Sells Texas Ammonia Project to Woodside for $2.35B
Latham advised Woodside while Vinson & Elkins counseled OCI, having advised it on the Beaumont project since inception. It’s being billed as the world’s first large-scale, low-carbon intensity hydrogen-based greenfield ammonia facility.
P.S. — A Fundraiser for Sick Children, A Changing of the Guard, Another Award for Rusty Hardin
This week’s edition of P.S. features two law firms’ school supply giveaways; August dates for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program’s legal clinics (plus sponsor info); a new award for Rusty Hardin presented by a foundation; a Weil associate’s remarkable track record for pro bono work, which recently resulted in an award; fundraising results for a recent Dallas Association of Young Lawyers event; new leadership at Hispanic bar associations in Houston and Austin; and awards recently presented to law firms and individuals by a Houston nonprofit dedicated to combatting gender-based violence.
Firms and organizations mentioned in this week’s P.S. include Winston & Strawn, Witherite Law Group, Jackson Walker, Goldman Sachs, AT&T, Nexstar Media Group, Bradley, Cisco, DLA Piper, Haynes Boone, Fish & Richardson, Beck Redden, Weil, Children’s Health, Innocence Project of Texas, Latham, Skadden, Texas Council on Family Violence, King & Spalding, Baker Botts, Targa Resources and Tahirih Justice Center.
Appellate Panel Says Houston Rodeo Can Keep Payments to Concert Performers Secret
Dolcefino Communications, a for-hire investigative firm run by former longtime Houston television news reporter Wayne Dolcefino, had argued the specific dollar amounts the nonprofit paid to each performer during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo had to be disclosed in response to his open records request. The First Court of Appeals panel determined otherwise in this case of first impression.
Arcosa Expands into NY-NJ with $1.2B Acquisition
Kirkland advised Arcosa on their purchase of the aggregates and building materials businesses of Stavola Holding Corp. The transaction, largest in the company’s history, was paired with the divestiture of a steel components business.