There will be no restructuring of the Texas appellate courts this year. The state senator who introduced legislation that would dramatically reduce the number of appellate courts has agreed to allow the bill to die in committee… for now.
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High-Dollar Trade Secrets Jury Trial Begins in Houston — Updated
TechnipFMC lawyers told jurors Thursday that a former chief engineer, Rick Murphy, went to work for competitor Dril-Quip and stole valuable trade secrets for cutting-edge, ocean floor oil extraction equipment. But defense lawyers challenged that narrative and argued that the trial is just a way for FMC to compete in the courtroom instead of the free market. Natalie Posgate has details from day one of the trial in state Judge R.K. Sandill’s court.
Energy Reports: Producers to Eye More Debt; Hedging, Optimism Increase
Things may be looking up – if only slightly – as producers, lenders, private equity firms and others chime in on the state of borrowing bases and more as part of Haynes and Boone’s semi-annual energy reports.
McKool Smith, Norton Rose Fulbright Join the Associate Special Bonus Parade
Dallas-based litigation firm McKool Smith and global legal giant Norton Rose Fulbright have joined an extended list of corporate law firms operating in Texas to pay its associates and counsel five-digit special bonuses. For senior associates, this will push their 2021 compensation above $500,000. The Texas Lawbook has the details.
CDT: 18 Deals, 10 Firms, 151 Lawyers, $19.5B
Consolidation is taking over legacy energy transactions. That’s not only expected, but maybe necessary given the restructuring that’s taking place in the industry itself. But however inevitable, it also has to be profitable; stockholders demand it. And that’s becoming the crux of the problem in energy deals. The CDT explains the dilemma, along with the usual inventory of last week’s deals.
Energy Transaction Lawyers Shift to Akin Gump
Akin Gump has added two transaction lawyers that previously held leadership roles at Thompson & Knight and have deep ties to North Texas’ energy community.
TX House Committee Hears Business Courts Proposal
Advocates and opponents of the plan to create a separate civil court system for business versus business disputes made their arguments to the Texas House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee Tuesday. No vote was taken and very few questions were asked.
Wilson Sonsini’s New Austin Partner Bolsters Emerging Growth Companies Offering
The Palo Alto firm’s new Texas teammate previously helped lead Shearman & Sterling’s entrance into the market in 2018.
Dallas Firm Taps Former Dallas COA Justice to Lead Appellate Practice
Justice Bill Whitehill has returned to private practice after losing his reelection bid for a seat on the Dallas Court of Appeals in November.
Brittany Scheier – Dealmaker, Stroke Survivor and ‘A Real Woman’
Brittany Scheier was weeks away from graduating from UT Law and starting a career in Big Law three years ago when she suffered two severe strokes, causing brutal pain, a 30% loss of vision and paralysis on her right side. Quit? Scheier worked on last month’s Noble Corp.’s acquisition of Pacific Drilling and five other M&A deals valued $1 billion or more. The story of what happened between March 4, 2018 and today is extraordinary. The American Heart Association thinks so, too.