The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

More Stories

Todd Barton: A ‘Steady Hand’ at Fannie Mae

Imagine a law practice in which you serviced tens of thousands of real estate transactions annually and oversaw the litigation in thousands of cases a year. Welcome to the world of Fannie Mae Deputy GC Todd Barton and his team, who provide legal support for all properties in the U.S. that are acquired by Fannie Mae in foreclosure.

How does he do it? The answer rests in the fact that Barton is the recipient of the 2020 DFW Outstanding Corporate Counsel Award for Innovation. The Texas Lawbook has his story.

Q&A: Todd Barton

FOR PREMIUM SUBSCRIBERS

Todd Barton is Deputy GC of Fannie Mae. His legal department Fannie Mae handles thousands of real estate transactions annually. As a result, important decisions come fast and furious with consequences that extend far beyond the daily grind. How does he do it? How did he learn to do it? The Lawbook’s Mark Curriden had a chance to ask him.

CDT Roundup: 8 Deals, 9 Firms, 31 Lawyers, $20.2B

Private equity exits have been morphing in recent years, according to PitchBook. As sponsor-to-sponsor exits lagged, slack was gobbled up by corporate acquisitions and public listings; or rather, public listings by way of corporate acquisitions by SPACs. Texas, however, might just be bucking the national trend to some extent. The CDT Roundup explains, along with its usual review of last week’s transactions.

The Greenberg Traurig RV Tour Stops in Texas

The two top leaders at Miami-based Greenberg traveled 2,140 miles this month in a rented RV to visit the firm’s offices in Florida, Georgia and Texas. They listened to Jerry Jeff Walker and stopped often at Buc-ees and Love’s. All to visit the family and keep Austin weird.

‘The Most Heartbreaking Situation of My Life’

No corporate in-house counsel saw her or his world turned upside down any faster or more severely because of the Covid-19 pandemic than CEC Entertainment CLO Rudy Rodriguez. The 741 Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper restaurants in 47 states were shut down within days last March, thousands of workers were furloughed and then came bankruptcy.

The situation required extraordinary legal work, strong leadership and a tender heart. Rodriguez provided it. CEC survived and is poised to thrive. And Rodriguez, as a result, is a finalist for the 2020 DFW Outstanding Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department. This is his story.

Q&A: Rudy Rodriguez

For Premium Subscribers No corporate in-house counsel saw her or his world turned upside down any faster or more severely because of the Covid-19 pandemic than CEC Entertainment CLO Rudy Rodriguez. The 600 Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper restaurants in 47 states were shut down within days last March, thousands of workers were furloughed and then came bankruptcy.

APCON Scores Defense Patent Win in EDTX

A federal jury in East Texas has cleared patent infringement liability for APCON Inc., an Oregon-based network security company with significant operations in Plano. The jury also invalidated five patents owned by the plaintiff, Gigamon.

Latham Scoops up V&E PE Partner

The flurry to attract new partners with robust private equity practices continues as Latham & Watkins brings in a new corporate department member in Houston.

First Texan and First Latina to Take Global Law Firm Helm

For the first time in history, a Texan is set next year to become the top managing lawyer of a 2,000-attorney global law firm based outside of the Lone Star State.

And she’s a woman and Hispanic.

Dallas trial lawyer Yvette Ostolaza, a three-decade veteran of the Texas business law community, will become chair of Sidley Austin’s managing committee in 2022. The Texas Lawbook takes an in-depth look at Ostolaza’s path from a Cuban-immigrant neighborhood in Miami to almost deciding against going to college to leading a corporate law firm that made $2.4 billion in 2020.

© Copyright 2026 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.