Issam Abdallah and Abderraouf Alkhawaldeh recently reached a confidential settlement with Mesa Airlines. The two men filed suit after their flight was delayed and subsequently canceled because of what they allege was racial profiling by a flight attendant and pilot. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor had tossed the claims against Mesa on summary judgment. The Fifth Circuit revived the lawsuit in October.
More Stories
Senate Confirms Judge John Kazen to SDTX District Bench
The U.S. Senate Tuesday confirmed the first U.S. district court judge in Texas in nearly four years when it voted to approve U.S. Magistrate Judge John Kazen for an open seat on the federal bench in the Southern District of Texas. President Biden nominated Judge Kazen for the position last year after Houston federal judge Vanessa Gilmore retired. Judge Kazen’s chambers in Laredo, once he is sworn in, will be in the federal building named after his father, former U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen.
2023 DFW GCs of the Year: GameStop, Avantax and Hunt Realty
Corporate general counsel faced a year of business and governmental turmoil, higher interest rates, tightened capital markets and dramatic changes in state and federal regulatory schemes throughout 2023. But three GCs did it exceptionally well. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced the 2023 DFW General Counsel of the Year awards Tuesday for three categories. The winners are GameStop General Counsel Mark Robinson, Hunt Realty Investments General Counsel Diane Hornquist, and former Avantax Chief Legal Officer Tabitha Bailey. A panel of independent judges reviewed more than 60 nominations in 13 different categories submitted by corporate legal departments and law firms. The DFW Corporate Counsel Awards recognize the successes and leadership demonstrated by in-house counsel in North Texas.
CDT Roundup: 8 Deals, 8 Firms, 84 Lawyers, $7.9B
Worldwide M&A values in 2023 reached $2.9 trillion, down 17 percent from 2022. U.S. M&A values were $1.4 trillion in 2023, down about 5 percent compared to the prior year — the slowest (and lowest) annual number in six years. According to a study by LSEG, a data and information firm, private equity-backed M&A fared even worse: a decline of 30 percent in value from 2022. Mega deals ($10 billion+) were down in value and volume. So, what went right? Maybe more than it seems. A closer look at the numbers reveal something far less grim; maybe even optimistic. Perhaps needless to say, CDT Roundup takes that closer look — along with the usual “roundup” of lawyers and firms who reported their deals last week.
FBFK CEO on Merger with OC Litigation Firm: ‘You Can’t Ignore California’
The 55-lawyer Dallas-based law firm announced a combination with three-lawyer Orange County firm Stephens Friedland on Monday. FBFK CEO Kyle Ferguson said the firm has been eyeing expansion efforts in the region for several years. It is the firm’s first office outside of Texas.
Founding Partner Joe W. Redden Jr. Retires from Beck Redden After ‘Great Ride’
Joe Redden rang in the new year as a retiree, marking the end of a 48-year legal career. In 1992, Redden cofounded the boutique trial and appellate law firm in Houston.
Litigation Roundup: Neora Wants $6M in Fees from FTC, Cokinos Draws Client Suit over Land Deal
In this edition of litigation roundup, Cokinos Young draws a legal malpractice lawsuit over a land deal, an aviation fueling company is facing a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit over an incident at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport and more than a dozen Texas-based bus companies are sued over the transporting of migrants from the border to New York.
The Corner Office: Q&A with Luke Weedon
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.
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.