A Dallas jury deliberated for more than three hours after a 14-day trial in U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade’s courtroom before finding ExxonMobil did not have any intent to commit the fraud it was accused of. The lawsuit was filed nearly a decade ago.
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P.S. — Gray Reed Managing Partner Shares Cancer Survival Story in Fundraising Campaign
In this edition of P.S., Gray Reed Managing Partner Kyle Sanders opens up about his three bouts with blood cancer in an effort to fundraise for blood cancer research, patient services and advocacy. The nonprofit Blood Cancer United has named Sanders a candidate for its Visionary of the Year.
Courts in Texas, California, Separately Reject Houston Lawyer’s Claim to Stake in Napa Winery
In March, Harris County District Judge Tanya Garrison entered final judgment, in accordance with a jury’s verdict, in favor of Frederick Schrader. And on April 30, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sallie Kim in California entered findings of fact siding with Schrader Cellars, too. Lawyer Robert Roach has already filed notice he’d be appealing the Harris County judgment.
Plains All American GC Richard McGee — Pole Vaulting into a Lifetime of Achievements
In the world of oil and gas, Richard McGee has seen it all — and he’s done most of it. As a corporate transactional lawyer for Vinson & Elkins, he represented some of the biggest players in the oil patch, including Enron. In 2001, he joined Duke Energy, first as a lawyer and then as president of its international operations. Houston-based Plains All American hired McGee in 2009 and became its general counsel in 2012. Along the way, he led or was heavily involved in more than 100 M&A transactions totaling in the tens of billions of dollars. This month, he is working to close the $3.8 billion sale of Plains’ natural gas liquids business to Canadian-based Keyera.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have named McGee as the recipient of the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Premium Subscriber Q&A: Richard McGee
In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Richard McGee discusses the traits he seeks in outside counsel, what outside counsel need to know when working with him and more.
GC Will Marsh Helps Cactus ‘Transform into a Truly Multinational Business’
As general counsel of Cactus Inc., Will Marsh is experiencing a second (or third) career, depending on how you count. Wherever it fits in his 37-year legal career, Marsh is making the most of it, and so is Cactus, the Houston-based designer and manufacturer of oilfield equipment.
In 2023, Cactus expanded its offerings with the $621 million acquisition of FlexSteel Technology Holdings, a deal led by Marsh that earned him and Cactus the 2023 M&A Transaction of the Year from The Texas Lawbook and ACC Houston. Now they’ve done it again, winning the 2026 award for their $344.5 million purchase of a controlling interest in the surface pressure control business formerly owned by Baker Hughes.
Premium Subscriber Q&A: Will Marsh
In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Will Marsh discusses the traits he seeks in outside counsel, what outside counsel need to know when working with him and more.
In Trial Between Brothers, Travis County Jury Awards $116M for Breach of Fiduciary Duty
Following a two-week trial, a Travis County jury unanimously found a brother had breached his fiduciary duty to the business he and his sibling cofounded. Texas Disposal Systems CEO Bob Gregory and his brother Jimmy Gregory started the company in 1977 with split ownership.
The Rise of ‘DEXIT’: Why Corporations are Swapping Delaware for Texas
The corporate landscape in the United States is shifting as a growing number of companies are making the choice to “DEXIT.” This article looks at reasons shareholders are citing in SEC filings for making the decision to redomicile in Texas.
DOJ, Four Law Firms Clash at D.C. Court of Appeals
Federal courts cannot review President Donald Trump’s executive orders denying security clearance to anyone or any group of people, even if those orders target all Asians or Hispanics, Catholics or Jews, a lawyer for the Trump administration told a federal appeals court Thursday.
“It is not reviewable,” Abhishek Kambli, a lawyer with the U.S. Justice Department, told a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
But the attorney for the four law firms argued that President Trump’s EOs targeting them last year had nothing to do with national security, but instead were motivated by viewpoint discrimination.