Houston trial lawyers say Judge Sylvia A. Matthews is smart, fair, well-prepared, smart, organized, hard-working, smart, efficient, decisive … and smart. Those traits well serve Matthews, an experienced commercial litigator and trial judge, as she presides over pretrial matters in more than 150 (and counting) lawsuits stemming from one of the deadliest, costliest disasters in Texas history – Winter Storm Uri, the icy blizzard that paralyzed Texas and its electric grid last February.
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TX GC Forum Honors Lawyers Dawud Crooms, Farah Bhayani, Rishi Varma, Robert Bell and Others with Magna Stella Awards
The Texas General Counsel Forum honored seven top in-house counsel and the corporate legal departments at CenterPoint Energy and Toyota Motor North America on Thursday night with the 2021 Magna Stella Awards. Lone Star Circle of Care GC Tillery Stout received the award for GC of the Year for a Non-Profit. And legal leaders at Diamondback Energy, Enterprise Products, G6 Hospitality, SAExploration and Intercontinental Terminals were honored for their accomplishments.
The Texas Lawbook attended the Texas Forum annual meeting in Austin and has these exclusive details.
EasyKnock v. Feldman & Feldman: To TRO or not to TRO?
A Houston federal judge is mulling over whether he will issue a temporary injunction that would order Houston plaintiff’s firm Feldman & Feldman to take down statements from its website that its courtroom opponent, residential sales leaseback firm EasyKnock, alleges are false and defamatory. EasyKnock alleges not doing so would cause irreparable harm, while Feldman & Feldman argues doing so would amount to prior restraint — a strict standard in First Amendment law.
Updated — Expert to TX GCs on Cyber Attacks: ‘Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail’
General counsel at Texas companies are critical for preparing corporate executives and board members about cyberattacks and ransomware demands, Erin Nealy Cox, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, told members of the Texas General Counsel Forum Thursday.
O’Melveny Jolts Texas Growth with LNG Expert from K&S
Monica Hwang, an LNG expert, has practiced for the last 14-plus years in King & Spalding’s Houston office.
Silicon Valley Partner Returns Home to Austin via Perkins Coie
Corporate lawyer Valeska Pederson Hintz is heading home to Texas and joining Perkins Coie’s ECVC practice after spending the first chapter of her legal career in Palo Alto.
King & Spalding Adds Energy Dealmaker from Norton Rose Fulbright
Trevor Pinkerton heads to a firm he has great familiarity with from his time at Emory University in Atlanta.
Astroworld Lawsuits Now Number 100+ with 250 Alleged Victims
The number of lawsuits filed in the wake of the Nov. 5th Astroworld tragedy that killed 10 people has surpassed 100, including the first wrongful death case to be officially filed. The complaints – all filed in Harris County District Court – include about 250 plaintiffs and a dozen defendants, including Live Nation, rapper Travis Scott, the operator of NRG Stadium and some newly identified defendants.
Behind the Scenes of Winston’s Recent Mask Mandate Win
The Texas Lawbook caught up with Tom Melsheimer, who led the team that successfully challenged Gov. Abbott’s mask mandate ban in Texas schools, on how his firm got involved, how the case differed from other matters and what the biggest surprises in the litigation were.
Joel Mack’s Long Flight at Latham
Joel Mack is a rare find in Big Law. He started at Latham & Watkins 35 years ago, and 35 years later, he’s still there. His LinkedIn job list is as short as a 24-year-old associate: college, law school, Latham. But his client list reads like a stock exchange, and his deal résumé like a history of environmental law. Nushin Huq tells his story and reveals the quiet passion for service that keeps him flying high.