Texas Lawbook: What do you look for in hiring outside counsel? Rachel Donnelly: I look for outside counsel that is an expert in their field, incredibly responsive and with a
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KKR’s Arctos Acquires 7.5% of Atlanta Falcons
Kirkland & Ellis advised Dallas-based Arctos in the addition of the Falcons to its portfolio of NFL-approved minority investments. In addition to Atlanta, the KKR-backed sports investor now has ownership positions in Cleveland, Los Angeles and Buffalo. League rules limit private equity ownership to 10 percent or less.
Affinius Capital’s Rachel Donnelly is the ‘Simone Biles of the Texas Legal Community’
Rachel Donnelly once planned to become a forensic psychologist before a law degree changed her path. Now she’s chief compliance officer and deputy general counsel at Affinius Capital, where she’s helped steer the firm through SEC exams, a corporate rebrand and its expansion into AI-driven data centers. Association of Corporate Counsel’s San Antonio Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have named her the winner of the 2026 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Award for Chief Corporate Compliance Officer of the Year.
Contractor, Employee or Something New? The Classification Questions Facing College Athletic NIL Collectives
With booster-funded collectives accounting for the vast majority of college athletic NIL compensation, universities and third-party collectives face mounting legal exposure over whether student-athletes are independent contractors, common-law employees or an entirely new legal hybrid. In Part 2 of a series for The Texas Lawbook, this article examines how clearinghouse scrutiny, performance benchmarks and IRS control tests could trigger joint-employer liability under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
12th COA Chief Justice Jim Worthen Hears Final Oral Arguments in 28-Year Tenure
After 28 years as an appellate justice on the Twelfth Court of Appeals, Chief Justice James “Jim” Worthen heard oral arguments in his final case Tuesday morning.
Active Panel Questions Parties During East Texas Water Dispute Oral Argument
The Texas 12th Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in hedge fund executive Kyle Bass’ effort to revive an ultra vires lawsuit against the Neches and Trinity Valleys Groundwater Conservation District over halted water well permits, which the district argues is barred by a prior settlement.
CirclesX Gets Chilly Reception at Houston Appeals Court
Houston’s First Court of Appeals voiced skepticism Tuesday toward CirclesX Recovery’s bid to revive its Winter Storm Uri tortious interference and market manipulation claims against 43 natural gas companies. The three-justice panel questioned whether gas producers intended to disrupt consumer contracts rather than simply pursue profit during the historic 2021 freeze.
Texas A&M Dean Named President of Pace University
Texas A&M University School of Law Dean Robert B. Ahdieh has been named president of Pace University in New York. Since taking the helm in 2018, Ahdieh has guided the law school from 83rd to 22nd in national rankings, expanded total enrollment to more than 2,000 and led the school’s expansion in Fort Worth.
Brenna Nava’s Hard Work, Leadership ‘Literally Saving Lives’
The 2017 class of Leadership San Antonio was touring the nonprofit healthcare organizations BioBridge Global and helping assemble packets used to match marrow donors with patients. One class member — Rackspace Technology Senior Counsel Brenna Nava, a former high school dance teacher turned corporate in-house counsel — was fascinated.
Seven years later, Preferred Legal Counsel President Morgan Matson called Nava with an interesting opportunity: the deputy general counsel position at BioBridge. Nava is the 2026 San Antonio Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department.
Winter Storm Uri Litigators’ Last Stand
In one of the last remaining legal battles stemming from the February 2021 winter freeze, the First Court of Appeals in Houston will hear oral arguments Tuesday over whether to revive market manipulation and price-gouging claims against 43 major natural gas companies. Plaintiff CirclesX Recovery argues that energy producers and pipeline operators intentionally restricted fuel supplies during Winter Storm Uri to starve power generators and extract billions in windfall profits.