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P.S. — DFW Corporate Counsel Awards for Pro Bono and Diversity Announced

At a time when many law firms and legal organizations have suddenly gone quiet related to their pro bono and diversity efforts, a handful of leaders at DFW corporate legal departments are following the advice of the great legal philosopher Bob Seger by going “against the wind.”

The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announce that senior counsel at Phillips Enterprises, Toyota North America, 7-Eleven and Jacobs International will be honored for their extraordinary work and successes involving pro bono and public service and diversity and inclusion.

How Dallas’s Three New Stock Exchanges May Reshape Securities Fraud Enforcement

In a development that could fundamentally reshape the landscape of federal securities enforcement, three major stock exchanges are establishing operations in Dallas within the Northern District of Texas. This geographic diversification of America’s securities exchange infrastructure represents more than mere business expansion — it signals a potential seismic shift in federal criminal and civil securities enforcement. Cases that historically could only be prosecuted in Manhattan may soon find their way to Dallas courtrooms, bringing with them the possibility of different judicial approaches, jury pools and enforcement priorities.

2025 DFW Award Finalists: Senior In-house Counsel at Match, Michaels, Children’s Health, Dropbox and Caris Life Sciences 

Six lawyers at North Texas companies have been named finalists for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards for Senior Counsel of the Year. During the past week, ACC-DFW and The Texas Lawbook have announced the finalists for Business Litigation of the Year, M&A Transaction of the Year, General Counsel of the Year and Corporate Legal Department of the Year. The finalists for Rookie of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service and Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion will be announced later this week. The Lawbook has all the details.

Xcel Energy Accused of Causing Deadly Smokehouse Creek Fire

Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday announced he was suing Southwestern Public Service Company, which does business as Xcel Energy, for allegedly causing 2024’s Smokehouse Creek Fire. The fire, which killed three and caused more than $1 billion in damages, was the largest wildfire in recorded Texas history. (File photo by Julio Cortez/The Associated Press)

Susman Godfrey Associate Bonuses Skyrocket

Lawyers at Susman Godfrey have had an extraordinary year — the “second-most successful year in the firm’s history,” according to Susman Godfrey leaders.

During 2025, Susman attorneys achieved a $1.5 billion copyright infringement settlement against Anthropic over its AI scraping of content. They defeated the Trump administration’s executive orders that targeted the Houston litigation powerhouse.

On Tuesday, firm leaders announced record high year-end bonuses for its associates and elected six new lawyers to its equity partnership, including one in Houston.

Luminar Technologies Files Bankruptcy in SDTX

A Florida company that makes laser sensors for vehicles filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday in Houston, citing $508 million in liabilities owed to more than 200 creditors but only $189 million in assets.

Luminar Technologies hired Weil Gotshal as its lead outside legal advisor, with Houston partner Stephanie Morrison and New York partner Ronit Berkovich leading the way. The case has been assigned to Houston Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez.

Winston & Strawn to Merge with Taylor Wessing UK to Form Global Business Firm

Winston & Strawn announced Monday that it has agreed to a trans-Atlantic merger with Taylor Wessing, the global business law firm ranked among the top 20 law firms in the United Kingdom.

Winston & Strawn’s Dallas and Houston offices ranked 18th in combined Texas lawyer headcount and 15th in Texas-based revenue with $215 million for 2024.

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