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.
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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.
After the Storm: PUC Adopts New Winter Weatherization Rules for Generators and TSPs
In the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, the Texas Legislature passed SB 3, which among other things required the PUC to adopt certain market-related rules. A key component of the law required the commission to adopt weatherization rules no later than Dec. 1. This new rule will require both power generation companies and transmission service providers to quickly assess a company’s ability to comply with the new rule or navigate the potentially treacherous waters of a good cause exception for noncompliance. But it also means GCs at Texas energy companies have some decisions to make.
DBJ: Trial Postponed in Vast Conspiracy, Fraud Case Against UDF Execs
According to court filings, the case against the Dallas-Fort Worth-area firm involves “hundreds of residential developments across North Texas and Austin,” millions of pages of documents and real estate investment funds involving billions of dollars.
CDT Roundup: 21 Deals, 12 Firms, 178 Lawyers, $26.7B
Big and bad is not always good, as evidenced by some of the recent down-sizing, realigning and unloading taking place among the elite corporations: think GE, AT&T, etc. So, who’s next in Texas? Meanwhile, a new Haynes and Boone survey suggests that increased oil patch optimism has bankers likely to increase borrowing bases. All that and $26.7 billion in deals are part of this week’s Roundup.
Defamation Feud Begins Between Home Sales-Leaseback Firm and Houston Law Firm
A residential sales leaseback firm with a significant presence in Texas is seeking a temporary injunction against Feldman & Feldman that would force the Houston plaintiff’s law firm to remove allegedly defamatory statements from its website. The litigation also includes allegations of barratry, is connected to nine federal lawsuits across Texas and pits Dallas lawyers against Houston lawyers.
2021 Corporate Deal Tracker: Ranking for All The Deals
Last week the Corporate Deal Tracker posted 2021 M&A law firm rankings for Texas-led deals through Sept. 30. This week CDT ranks firms for their participation in deals whether or not their deals were Texas-led.
Kirkland Advises Consortium in $15B Acquisition of CyrusOne
A Dallas REIT specializing in data centers announced that it is being acquired by a consortium led by KKR and Global Infrastructure Partners. Kirkland’s Texas offices were in the thick of the deal.
Legal, Financial Advisor Fees in Brazos Electric Ch. 11 Hit $33.6M
As the first Chapter 11 filing by a utility co-op in the wake of Winter Storm Uri rolls on, the billable hours by lawyers for both sides are piling up – with no end in immediate sight. More than 30 lawyers in the bankruptcy case are billing at more than $1,000 an hour.
What Do a Bank and Four Energy Companies Have in Common? Their Top Lawyers are Finalists for Houston GC of the Year
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are pleased to announce finalists for the 2021 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards who have done some amazing legal work and demonstrated extraordinary leadership during some definitely unordinary times. Today, we reveal General Counsel of the Year finalists.