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Two Firms Race to the Top of the Texas Legal Market

Vinson & Elkins vs. Kirkland & Ellis. One is a storied Houston-based firm with deep connections in the Oil Patch that has been a powerhouse in law, energy and politics for more than a century. The other is a Chicago-founded firm that came to Texas just eight years ago with deep pockets, high profits and an aggressive strategic growth plan. Lawyers for the two corporate law giants often sit across the table on some of the biggest mergers and acquisitions involving energy companies and private equity firms. Both firms are always in the top three of The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker scorecard of corporate transactions.

Exclusive new Texas Lawbook 50 data shows that Kirkland and V&E lawyers in Texas achieved record highs in revenues and profits in 2021. The runner up in their battle for No. 1 in Texas has to settle for having their best year ever.

April 25, 2022 Mark Curriden & Richard Alm

American Airlines Flight Attendant Gets Day in Court

A jury trial that began Monday in Fort Worth state court will determine whether American Airlines will be held liable for an alleged sexual assault that one of its longtime flight attendants said was encouraged by airline executives. The night in question involves British celebrity chef Mark Sargeant. Natalie Posgate has the details.

April 25, 2022 Natalie Posgate

Unparalleled Growth, Revenues, Profits – The State of Corporate Law in Texas in 2021

The Texas Lawbook 50 ranking by firm revenues in Texas is out. The financial numbers are staggering. For corporate law firms operating in Texas, 2021 wasn’t just a great year – it was almost certainly the best year ever. Thirty-eight of the 50 law firms achieved record revenues. Seventeen law firms grew Texas revenues by 20 percent or more. Six law firms grew Texas revenues by 40 percent or more.

No law firm had ever come close to generating $600 million in revenue from their Texas operations. In 2021, two surpassed that mark. One skipped right over it and went straight to $725 million. This Texas Lawbook exclusive shows, 2021 will go down in corporate legal history as one for the ages.

April 25, 2022 Richard Alm & Mark Curriden

Capital Markets Pro Michelle Earley Moves to O’Melveny

With the move, Michelle Earley is rejoining former Locke Lord colleagues who joined O’Melveny in January. Earley was on the executive committee and was a diversity and inclusion leader at Locke Lord.

April 25, 2022 Brooks Igo

Former Texas SG Kyle Hawkins Exits Gibson Dunn for Lehotsky Keller Litigation Boutique

Former Texas solicitor general Kyle Hawkins is joining the litigation boutique Lehotsky Keller as head of its Texas appellate practice group. As Texas SG Hawkins argued four times before the U.S. Supreme Court. Hawkins had been with Gibson Dunn since he left as solicitor general last year.

April 25, 2022 Tony Mauro

Corporate Deal Tracker: 2022 M&A Transactions

Below is a list of qualified M&A transactions reported to The Texas Lawbook for 2022. The list is organic, designed to grow as needed. So if you have deals that qualify

April 24, 2022 Allen Pusey

Baker Botts Fights ‘Tampon Tax’ Imposed by Texas Comptroller

Lending pro bono assistance, Baker Botts is teeing up a constitutional challenge to the Texas comptroller’s decision that sales tax must be collected on feminine-hygiene products when the agency concludes Band-Aids and gauze – and even libido boosters for men – should not. This policy, argues the energy partner who is tackling the challenge, Meghan Dawson McElvy, “favors the male sex drive and organs over the management of female menstruation.”

April 21, 2022 Osler McCarthy

‘Feeding Frenzy’ – Texas Corporate Law’s Great Game of Musical Chairs Hits New Heights

Corporate law firms operating in Texas went on a hiring spree in 2021, using six-digit signing bonuses, promises of faster promotions to partner and two hikes in base pay in a high-stakes race to build the staffs needed to meet rising client demand for legal work. The result was the largest – and most expensive – game of musical chairs ever witnessed among the biggest corporate firms in Texas.

Correction: The previous version of this article reported the wrong lawyer count numbers for Kirkland & Ellis. The firm actually grew from 290 Texas lawyers in 2020 to 371 last year. The Lawbook apologizes for this error.

April 21, 2022 Mark Curriden & Richard Alm

Feds Are 11 for 11 in Guilty Pleas in $300M Medical-Lab Kickback Scheme

Less than three months after their indictment, 11 Texans, including two doctors, have pleaded guilty in a payoff scheme involving needless lab tests billed to Medicare and other federal programs by three Dallas-area labs.

April 20, 2022 Bruce Tomaso

Lessons from the DaVita Win

The antitrust matter was the first criminal case alleging an illegal conspiracy involving a “non-solicitation” or “no-poach” agreement. This article shows why it is an issue of serious importance to GCs around the state.

April 20, 2022 Tom Melsheimer