Market demand for law firm partners with books of business continues to be hot. Sheppard Mullin announced Monday that it has added five Texas corporate real estate transactional lawyers — four partners and a special counsel — from rival Jones Day. The group has worked together for more than a decade and represents public and private equity companies and developers of multifamily and other commercial real estate in real estate finance matters, M&A transactions and joint venture formations.
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Energy Transfer buys EnCap’s Lotus for $1.45B
Vinson & Elkins, Sidley Austin and Shearman & Sterling advised on the cash and stock acquisition, which includes about 3,000 miles of pipeline through major areas of the Permian. After closing, Dallas-based Energy Transfer plans a new 30-mile connection with the Cushing hub in Oklahoma. Claire Poole details the deal and the names of the lawyers involved.
Pro Bono Opportunities Abound in Guardianship Cases
Legal guardianships in Texas pose high stakes for the families seeking them. If not obtained, parents may lose their ability to make important medical decisions and obtain critical care for their disabled children after they turn 18. One Houston lawyer, Audrey Momanaee, has devoted eight years and hundreds of pro bono hours to this work. Natalie Posgate recently talked with Momanaee, one of her clients and another expert in the field who makes the case for why more attorneys are needed to step up.
P.S. — AZA Iftar Dinner to Raise Funds for Earthquake Victims; DBA Offers Free Legal Clinics
In this week’s edition of P.S., one Houston firm prepares for a fourth-annual dinner that celebrates Muslim culture and, this year, raises funds for earthquake victims in the Middle East. Plus, details on multiple legal clinics conducted by Dallas lawyers throughout the month of April. Natalie Posgate reports.
These Four Women Helped Shape My Legal Career
I was recently asked about which women in my life helped to shape my career. It was an idea I was drawn to because it is something naturally prevalent in most women lawyers’ lives, but it really doesn’t come to mind until someone sits down to take note of it. From these four women I learned resiliency, how to balance relationships in the workplace and politics, client service and the power of your personal brand.
‘So You’re Telling Me There’s a Chance!’
At a Texas Lawbook-SMU Forum, white-collar defense lawyers David Gerger and Tom Melsheimer reveal how they overcame big problems to win big cases.
Texas Justices Mull TCPA’s Reach in Winstead Malpractice Suit
The state’s high court will have to decide if the filing of an allegedly deficient motion for default judgment is a “communication” as Winstead argues, which would end USA Lending’s lawsuit, or if USA Lending is correct that the basis of its suit is the failure to communicate. The case implicates the Texas Citizens Participation Act and asks whether it applies in legal malpractice suits.
San Antonio City Attorney Andrew Segovia Aims to be ‘Client-Driven’
When Andy Segovia was voted to be San Antonio’s chief legal officer in 2016, Councilman Joe Krier told him he was about to “take up the business of professional cat herding.” The Lawbook interviewed Segovia, a former in-house lawyer for GM, about how it’s going, the current Texas legislative session and his establishment of the city’s department of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Photo credit: John Davenport /San Antonio Express-News
Austin Startup Battles Toy Giant Hasbro Over Water Guns
In late August 2021, several top executives for toy giant Hasbro flew from the company’s headquarters in Rhode Island to Austin to attend a backyard party that erupted into a water-gun battle. The weapons involved would become one of the hottest new toys to hit the market since the Super Soaker. The good times, however, didn’t last. A year later, the backyard fun had become a full-fledged David-versus-Goliath legal battle.
OAG Says Whistleblowers Knew $3.3M Settlement OK Could Take Years
In a nine-page response to a request from the whistleblowers to lift an abatement in the case after they alleged a bait-and-switch on the $3.3 million settlement deal, the Office of the Attorney General told the Texas Supreme Court the case should stay paused while the Legislature considers approval.