Hackathons are a powerful crowdsourcing concept that will not only lead to the creation and implementation of innovative programming, but can help foster a more inclusive corporate culture. At Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, the firm has successfully implemented this concept during the summer associate program since 2020. One of the fruits has been the creation of a new scholarship program for first-generation law students.
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Haynes and Boone Opens Virginia Outpost
The Dallas-based firm expanded to Northern Virginia by adding 19 lawyers with expertise in government contracts, construction and white-collar law.
CDT Roundup: 7 Deals, 7 Firms, 75 Lawyers, $2.2B
At best, 2022 was a mixed year for upstream M&A across the U.S., according to Enverus Intelligence Research. The numbers looked big, $58 billion across 160 deals. But the reality is that they were down, particularly in deal count, even when compared to pre-pandemic averages. The CDT Roundup takes a look at a few companies whose deals defined and, in some ways, defied the market, as well as the law firms that are advising them. Of course, there is the usual roundup of last week’s transactions.
Q&A: Vaishali Bhatia of HF Sinclair
For Premium Subscribers In this Q&A HF Sinclair GC Vaishali Bhatia discusses how she selects outside counsel, her thoughts on $2,000 hourly rates and diversity, and advice to young lawyers.
HF Sinclair’s Vaishali Bhatia Balances Concerns of Business and Law, and Wins a Green Apatosaurus
Vaishali Bhatia experienced five crazy months in 2022. As HollyFrontier’s GC, she and her team closed the $400 million acquisition of the Puget Sound Refinery, negotiated and closed the $2.7 billion acquisition of Sinclair Oil Corporation and Sinclair Transportation, which required multiple regulatory approvals and the creation of an entirely new publicly-traded entity. That was immediately followed by a $400 million senior notes offering and a new credit facility.
Citing those extraordinary successes, the ACC DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook named Bhatia as the 2022 DFW General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department.
Hogan Lovells Files Pro Bono Lawsuit on Behalf of TX Death Row Inmates
Solitary confinement nearly 24 hours a day without adequate recreational time is violating the federal and state constitutional rights of 185 male Texas inmates on death row, according to a new lawsuit in Houston federal court. The suit also says current prison conditions don’t allow for adequate medical attention or legal assistance. Natalie Posgate has the details.
Litigation Roundup: A $52M Insurance Settlement, FAA Rule Knocked Down at 5th Circ., SCOTX Grants More Cases for Arguments
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a bankruptcy judge in Houston approves a $52 million insurance settlement for victims of factory explosion, the Texas Supreme Court adds several cases to its oral argument calendar and a Jackson Walker nets a win against the Federal Aviation Administration.
ChatGPT as a Pocket B.S. Detector
ChatGPT can be a valuable tool to avoid the constant occupational hazard for litigators of “groupthink.” All of you have to do is ask it some simple questions and you’ve got the opposing point of view, well-explained. Here’s why I think of it as my “Pocket B.S. Detector.”
Legislative Debate Coming Over Need for Business Specialty Courts
Business groups plan a renewed push to create a separate system of trial and appeals courts to handle complex commercial litigation. A Texas House committee that studied the issue says the Texas Supreme Court first should follow through on a pandemic-delayed pilot program. The Texas Lawbook previews the coming battle and other judiciary and civil justice issues expected to be discussed during the 2023 legislative session.
Keurig Dr Pepper, MB2 Dental, Black Mountain Sand, OpTic Gaming Winners at 2022 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced the winners in four competitive categories – Business Litigation of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department and General Counsel of the Year for a Solo Legal Department – and presented awards to in-house counsel in a dozen different categories.