Debbie Bartlett discusses challenges facing future GCs, advice for young lawyers seeking to go in-house, the changing relationships between in-house counsel and outside lawyers and law firm rate increases.
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TI’s Debbie Bartlett: A Lifetime of Achievements
Debbie Bartlett’s college psychological profile gave her two career options: Be a lawyer or a movie director. Texas Instruments has been the beneficiary of Bartlett deciding to go to law school. For the past 27 years, she led or played a critical role in 208 domestic and international transactions, including 54 acquisitions at TI with a combined deal value of more than $15 billion.
In January, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook honored Bartlett with the 2022 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement. This is her story.
Taking Depositions for Effective Use at Trial
Depositions should never be treated as simply “the next step” in litigation. Instead, there should be a plan as to whether depositions will be used to explore unknown facts or at trial. Too often, lawyers default into a fact-finding mission at a deposition and neglect to solidify the deponent’s sworn testimony in a way that can be used during a cross-examination at trial. This article focuses on key issues attorneys should consider when taking depositions for effective use at trial.
Litigation Roundup: $1.7B Spending Bill Draws Suit from Paxton, Texas Supreme Court Decides $50M Royalty Dispute
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the Texas Supreme Court revives a lawyer’s fight with a litigation funder and settles a “fuzzy math” problem in a $50 million royalty dispute.
Chron: Meet New SDTX U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani, Son of a Cab Driver
Alamdar Hamdani, who was recently sworn in as the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Southern District of Texas, provided free legal representation to members of the South Asian and Muslim community who were interviewed by the FBI after the Sept. 11 attacks. In an exclusive interview with the Houston Chronicle, Hamdani said he “realized people who looked like me or shared my parents’ faith would be looked at differently” and he will use that “valuable experience” as an immigrant and person of color to analyze cases during his tenure as a U.S. attorney. “I am thankful and I am humbled that I am the U.S. attorney and all I can do is make my mama proud,” Hamdani said.
Baylor Law Dean to Step Down After 31 Years
This summer, Bradley Toben will return to the faculty, where he first began teaching law courses in 1983, following his tenure as the longest-serving dean of any American Bar Association-accredited law school in the country.
P.S. — Nonprofit Spotlight: Genesis Women’s Shelter
For this week’s edition of P.S., Natalie Posgate talked with Genesis Women’s Shelter to discuss the nonprofit’s upcoming annual luncheon featuring Nicole Kidman, the expanded legal services available to domestic violence victims in Genesis’ brand new facility and how lawyers can help the organization carry out its mission to empower women and children affected by domestic abuse. Firms mentioned include Munck Wilson Mandala, Stinson and Cowles & Thompson.
Just Energy Seeks to Join Litigation Against PUC Over Winter Storm Uri Pricing
Retail electric provider Just Energy has asked the Austin Court of Appeals to allow it to join a lawsuit brought by a half-dozen other Texas power suppliers challenging the legality of Texas Public Utility Commission orders increasing the price of electricity during Winter Storm Uri in 2021 by 650 percent.
Pioneer Natural Resources Beats $9M Winter Storm Uri Contract Breach Claim
A Dallas federal judge granted summary judgment on Wednesday to Dallas-based Pioneer Natural Resources which had been sued by a California energy trader for breach of contract for failing to supply natural gas during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021.
Not Just Any Decision: The Ongoing Power Struggle Between Bankruptcy Courts and State Regulators
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision in ERCOT v. Just Energy Texas, L.P. is notable in its own right for addressing critical issues regarding who has authority to regulate a state’s electric utilities. But the case is even more interesting when considered in the broader mosaic of recent decisions by courts dealing with how and when state regulatory power may be circumscribed by federal bankruptcy courts.