In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a Dallas law firm gets another favorable verdict in a mesothelioma trial against Johnson & Johnson, a federal judge in McAllen hands out prison sentences for participants in a $110 million kickback scheme, and the Texas Supreme Court clarifies the limitations of a state law that prohibits the unlawful solicitation of legal clients.
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NRG to Acquire 18 Gas-Fired Power Plants for $12B
The transaction doubles energy generation for the Houston-based company at a time when demand for dependable grid power for data centers is accelerating. The deal also includes NRG’s acquisition of CPower, a major grid provider of distributed energy resources.
Cheniere AGC Latest In-House Lawyer Going Back to Practice
Victoria Salem left her liquified natural gas law practice at Latham & Watkins in London in June 2015 to join the corporate legal department at Occidental Petroleum handling major transactions. Today, Salem joins a growing number of in-house lawyers rejoining law firms by becoming the newest partner in the Houston office of the Magic Circle firm Clifford Chance.
Premium Subscriber Q&A: Cheryl-Lynne Davis and Teresa Jones
In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Cheryl-Lynne Davis and Teresa Jones share about Black Women in Energy and Environmental Law’s big successes and opportunities for growth. Texas Lawbook: What
BWEL — A Creative Partnership that Enhances the Entire Legal Community
Chevron Phillips Assistant GC Cheryl-Lynne Davis and Baker Botts associate Teresa Jones — both women of color and lawyers who specialize in environmental law — shared Thanksgiving dinner in 2023. Over turkey and all the fixings, Davis and Jones discussed professional struggles they faced and together started working on a solution that now benefits some of the largest corporations in South Texas.
“What started as a casual conversation quickly became a shared mission: to create space for people like us to build community, exchange knowledge and uplift one another,” Jones said.
The seeds Davis and Jones sowed that day led to the creation of Black Women in Energy and Environmental Law, an organization that focuses on their professional purpose as lawyers and personal mission to support and ensure the wellness of Black women engaged in energy and environmental law. BWEL has witnessed tremendous success in the 16 months since it was founded. ACC Houston and The Texas Lawbook are honoring Davis, Jones and the members of BWEL with the 2025 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Creative Partnership.
CDT Roundup: Energy Sector Leads the Charge
The week ending May 10 was, to say the least, brisk. Depending on how you count, there were 21 transactions valued at $21.5 billion or 24 valued at just over $30 billion. Either way, that’s pretty fair traffic compared to last week’s 11 deals for $4.2 billion. But it seems in keeping with last year’s 22 deals for $14 billion at about this time. Maybe deals just wanted to close themselves for Mothers’ Day.
Trump’s First 100 Days Marked by Record Number of Executive Orders
In his second term, President Donald Trump has issued more executive orders in the first 100 days — 35 of them focusing on energy, environmental and infrastructure efforts and law firms — than any other president in history, creating a flurry of governmental actions, broad economic implications and legal challenges, according to a panel of legal experts hosted by The Texas Lawbook.
Texas Reaches $1.375B Settlement with Google in Data Privacy Suits
A little more than a week after Google and Texas told the state’s supreme court they were in settlement negotiations that could end litigation in a consumer protection lawsuit, Texas on Friday afternoon announced a $1.375 billion settlement with the tech giant. Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a statement calling the settlement of the state Deceptive Trade Practices Act claims “a major win for Texans’ privacy” and said it “tells companies that they will pay for abusing our trust.”
KBR Gets Complete Defense Win in Houston Trial Over $18B Mexican Refinery Job
It took a jury in Harris County about seven hours of deliberations over Thursday and Friday to determine Houston-based Kellogg Brown & Root owed nothing to a Mexican construction company that had been seeking more than $100 million in damages over losing a bid to build a refinery in southern Mexico.
P.S. — Hispanic Law Foundation’s ‘Thank You’ is ‘Deeper Than It’s Ever Been,’ President Says at Scholarship Luncheon
The Dallas Hispanic Law Foundation celebrated its annual Amanecer luncheon, awarding scholarships, internships, and bar study grants to 14 Hispanic law students amid new fundraising challenges resulting from President Trump’s scrutiny of diversity initiatives. Foundation President Andrés Correa expressed deep gratitude to sponsors for their continued support despite donor hesitations. In related legal community news, the San Antonio Legal Services Association recently honored Haynes Boone lawyers for pro bono work supporting a child in a bankruptcy case; former U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton joined the Texas Council on Family Violence board; and the Houston Bar Association named award winners ahead of its annual dinner, marking leadership transitions and community service achievements.