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P.S. — From the Courtroom to the Ballroom and Awards Celebrate Excellence in Public Service

In this edition of P.S., several attorneys are among the competitors in this year’s Dancing with the Ellis County Stars benefitting TBHC Foster Care and Adoption, which places children who are removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect.

Readers may remember The Texas Lawbook’s feature last year on Matt Maupin, an associate in Dykema’s San Antonio office, who rushed to join the frontline recovery efforts in the Texas Hill Country following the deadly July Fourth weekend flooding. This month, The Baylor Line is honoring Maupin with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award at its 61st Annual Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony.

And the Houston Bar Foundation recognized law firms, legal departments and individual attorneys for their pro bono and community service during the organization’s annual luncheon, where a new chair stepped into the helm.

February 20, 2026 Krista Torralva

The Corner Office: Q&A with Holt Foster

In this Q&A, Foster discusses the challenges of talent attraction and integration in the super competitive Texas legal market, offers a glimpse into what he is seeing in his private equity practice, and shares career advice for young lawyers.

February 20, 2026 Kate Cassidy

Chambers County Jury Clears Brown & Root in $258M Trade Secrets Case

CAM Industrial Solutions failed to convince the jury in its trade secrets lawsuit against Brown & Root. The Chambers County jury trial lasted three weeks with the jury deliberating for nearly two days.

February 19, 2026 Alexa Shrake

Wilson Elser to Pay $102K in Sanctions for Conduct in Toyota Center Personal Injury Case

Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker has been ordered to pay sanctions for failing to comply with court orders. While the firm is ordered to pay over $102,000 to compensate the plaintiffs for their attorney fees, the Harris County District Court warned further violations will result in more severe sanctions.

February 19, 2026 Alexa Shrake

Fifth Circuit Sanctions Opinion Gives Practical Advice for AI Use

In an opinion released Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sanctioned a lawyer $2,500 for filing a reply brief with several “hallucinated” case citations and then providing evasive responses to the court when it asked the lawyer about those references. Chief Judge Jennifer Elrod wrote the opinion and was joined by Judges Jerry Smith and Cory Wilson. The opinion provides a strong statement about the Fifth Circuit’s view of this highly relevant topic, as well as practical pointers to avoid this kind of problem going forward.

February 19, 2026 David Coale

Kornbacher Moving To Austin Tech-Focused Boutique Firm as Name Partner

Veteran tech dealmaker Devika Kornbacher Kornbacher comes from Clifford Chance, where she helped launch the Houston office in 2023 as managing partner and served as co-chair of the firm’s Global Tech Group. Prior to that, she was a partner at Vinson & Elkins in Houston for nearly 16 years.

February 19, 2026 Jason Philyaw

Ex-Prosecutor, Defense Attorney Get Probation for Deleting Messages

A former federal prosecutor and a Dallas-based criminal defense attorney received misdemeanor probation after pleading guilty to a scheme involving deleting text messages they were ordered to produce to the court.

February 18, 2026 Mark Smith

Your Client’s ChatGPT Strategy Session Just Became Government Evidence

A Manhattan federal judge’s landmark ruling has direct consequences for Texas lawyers, corporate general counsel and every executive who has ever opened an AI chatbot to think through a legal problem — before calling their lawyer.

February 18, 2026 Chris Schwegmann

In Ex-VP’s Race Discrimination Case Against Exxon, Business Court’s Constitutionality Challenged

Echoing arguments made by opponents of the creation of the Texas Business Court, Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee has filed a motion arguing that the structure of the court is unconstitutional and that his client’s race discrimination case does not belong there. The Texas Supreme Court in August 2024 decided a similar challenge to the constitutionality of the Fifteenth Court of Appeals, finding the law that allowed for its creation was constitutional.

February 18, 2026 Michelle Casady

TI, Intel, AMD and Mouser Successfully Move Ukrainian Lawsuits to Federal Court

Lawyers for four U.S. technology companies, including Texas Instruments, won a preliminary battle Wednesday to move lawsuits brought by five Ukrainian citizens who claim that microchips, processors and programmable devices made by the four companies are being used by the Russian military in its war against Ukraine. But the victory for the technology companies could be a “be careful for what you ask” moment in the litigation.

February 18, 2026 Mark Curriden