A Norton Rose Fulbright study shows state in-house lawyers see less risk ahead in workplace, other dispute areas.
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CDT Roundup: 20 Deals, 18 Firms, 196 Lawyers, $3.3B
While the economy is encountering stress in some areas, some firms are reporting high levels of activity for their Texas corporate lawyers during the first months of 2023. One of them is Dykema, and the Corporate Deal Tracker Roundup this week peeks at what their five Texas locations have been up to. Of course, it wouldn’t be a roundup without rounding up the names of lawyers and firms that reported 20 deals worth $3.3 billion last week. There was even an IPO sighting — and a standard IPO at that.
Big Winners 2023 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards: BMC Software, Brookfield, Sitio Royalties, Cactus, Ocean Point Terminals
The two finalists for the 2023 Houston General Counsel of the Year Award for Large, Small and Solo Legal Departments were each separated by one point in their respective categories. The finalists for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department were separated by a mere two points. On Thursday night, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced the winners at the 2023 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards ceremony.
The names included Dionne Hamilton, Fred Day, Carolyn Benton Aiman, Amy Blumrosen, Raymond Chang, Rishi Varma, Jude Andre, Brett Riesenfeld, Mark Chavez, Pat Tagtow, Sarah Menendez, William Marsh, Averill Conn, Hakim Effiom-Dauw, Rob Ellis and Joe Davidson.
Litigation Roundup: SEC Calls Out $155M ‘Ponzi Scheme,’ Air Force Contract Fraudsters Owe $70M in Restitution
In this week’s edition of Litigation Roundup, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed suit against a Texas company it accuses of perpetrating a $155 million Ponzi scheme affecting more than 500 investors, a fracking project funder alleges fraud in a $1.8 million deal, and the Texas Supreme Court clarifies the requirements to bring a Texas Whistleblower Act claim.
Business Court Proposal Focused on Areas with Elected Democrats
House Bill 19 was amended during floor debate to target the new system for complex business cases towards urban areas where the courts have shifted in recent election cycles from Republicans to Democrats. The House rejected a proposed amendment to have the specialty court judges elected rather than appointed by the governor.
P.S. — HBA’s Annual Dinner, Central TX Nonprofit’s Grant, Lawbook Foundation Donation Shoutouts
In this edition of P.S., Natalie Posgate highlights several lawyers in the Houston legal community receiving awards by the Houston Bar Association, a grant awarded to a Central Texas nonprofit supporting low-income domestic violence survivors and a special thanks to a recent string of contributors to the Texas Lawbook Foundation.
Texas Justices OK State’s Emissions Scandal Suit Against VW, Audi
The case went through two rounds of oral arguments at the state’s high court, saw the voluntary recusal of two justices and the appointment by the governor of two intermediate appellate justices to the case. The ruling will allow Texas to bring its lawsuit against the German automakers alleging they violated state environmental laws via the emissions-cheating software scandal perpetrated by the companies.
Baker Hughes’ Amy Blumrosen Fights For ‘Equity, Equality and Inclusion for All’
Amy Blumrosen is a jack of all trades, both in her litigation work in Baker Hughes’ legal department and in her work to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal industry. She chairs the legal and compliance department’s DEI council at the company and outside of work has advocated for the LGBTQ community through her work with Lambda Legal, the Texas Minority Council Forum and more. She also fights inequities through volunteer work at the Houston Food Bank, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and more. All her efforts have landed her recognition by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook as a finalist for the 2023 Houston Corporate Counsel Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion award.
“When she can’t get in through the door, she’s coming in through the window,” said Travis Torrence, a previous ACC winner and friend of Blumrosen. “If the window is closed, she’s going to break through the ceiling. Amy gets things done and achieves meaningful change.”
Blumrosen’s steadfast commitment to fight inequities comes from deep personal experience. This is her story.
Q&A: Amy Blumrosen, GLC of Baker Hughes
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston chapter and The Texas Lawbook recently named Baker Hughes global litigation counsel Amy Blumrosen a finalist for the 2023 Houston Corporate Counsel Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion award.
In this Q&A, Blumrosen discusses with The Lawbook’s pro bono, public service and diversity writer Natalie Posgate how she approaches female attorney mentorship, why community and pro bono work is important in addition to DEI work and her views on where DEI is headed in the Texas corporate world.
Mark Chavez, GC of Ocean Point Terminals, Creates Success from an Environmental Mess in a Caribbean Paradise
When Mark Chavez was brought on board as general counsel at Ocean Point Terminals in June 2021, he knew he had his work cut out for him. Its major client, a refinery on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, had been shut down by the EPA after a series of environmental incidents and was barreling towards bankruptcy. With the two companies bound together in service agreements that threatened both, all he had to do was negotiate a divorce with the other company, fend off four class-action lawsuits, defend dozens of other lawsuits, arrange more than $100 million in bridge financing and new capital, help re-permit the refinery and salvage the company’s relationship with its island neighbors.
He did it; pretty much all of it. And as a result, Mark Chavez is a finalist for GC of the Year for a Small Legal Department (five or less lawyers) in the 2023 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards.