The Texas Bar Association’s governing board has scheduled an emergency meeting for July 27 to discuss 2015 Facebook posts by the organization’s president calling Black Lives Matter a terrorist group. Some demand his ouster. Others are adamant defenders. The power of the board to take action, however, is in question. The Lawbook has details.
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Avalanche of Business Bankruptcies has Arrived in Texas
More Texas corporations filed for bankruptcy during the first six months of 2020 than in any period in the state’s history. New bankruptcy data provided exclusively to The Texas Lawbook by Androvett Legal Media research documents the extraordinary number of businesses that have filed to restructure so far this year and how the Southern District of Texas has the hottest corporate bankruptcy docket in the country.
Steve Susman, Pioneering Trial Attorney (1941-2020)
Steve Susman, 79, a fearless and possibly peerless trial attorney, died Tuesday from injuries suffered in an April bicycle accident.
He is remembered, not only as a pioneer, but as a bold character in a stodgy profession — and an inveterate prankster.
CDT Roundup: 11 Deals, 12 Firms, 75 Lawyers, $565.1M
With the transactional markets a mess, you might expect venture capital to be lagging. A new report by PitchBook suggests that your instincts are correct. This week’s CDT Roundup has the details.
Context Matters: Measuring the Validity of Blanket Conveyances
“Catch-all” or “blanket” conveyancing language oftentimes appears in conveyances where a lender wishes to capture property that is not or could not be described with specificity. Recent market shifts will precipitate scrutiny of mineral grants and parties must be prepared to assess their own claims. In this article, Akin Gump attorneys provide a summary of recent cases determining the validity of blanket grants and provide a framework for parties to assess their claims to minerals – before a court does.
Latham, Hunton AK on Hi-Crush Bankruptcy
Like many before it, the Houston-based fracking services company cited chronic hardships in the market combined with COVID-19 and the Saudi-Russian oil price war as factors for filing for Chapter 11. An oversupply of a certain premium fracking sand played a large role.
Dallas Lawyer Dan Geyser: From Solo Shop to SCOTUS Practice Leader
Dallas appellate specialist Dan Geyser has argued nine cases at the U.S. Supreme Court – almost certainly the most of any lawyer in private practice in Texas. He argued five Supreme Court cases in two years – a large number for even the most sought-after Supreme Court practitioners. But last month, Geyser left his solo practice to join the Texas-based appellate firm Alexander Dubose & Jefferson as its U.S. Supreme Court and federal appellate practice chair. Why? Texas Lawbook correspondent Tony Mauro has the exclusive details.
African American Lawyers Group Demands Action – or Resignation – by Texas Bar President
The leaders of the Texas Bar Association’s African American Law Section say that state bar president Larry McDougal needs to take a series of steps showing that he is truly sorry for his Facebook comments that Black Lives Matter is a terrorist group or he needs to resign. McDougal met with the AALS this weekend and said he would not resign but believed he could be a “change agent” for more diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. The Texas Lawbook has complete details.
Texas Bar in Turmoil, Leaders Denounce New President’s 2015 Facebook Post about BLM
A couple thousand lawyers, including leaders of the State Bar of Texas, used Facebook and other social media outlets this weekend to blast comments made by recently installed bar president Larry McDougal Sr. in a 2015 Facebook post calling the group Black Lives Matter “a terrorist group.” Scores of Texas lawyers demanded his resignation. But dozens and dozens of attorneys from across the state either applauded or defended McDougal’s comments about Black Lives Matter. McDougal has apologized. The Texas Lawbook has the details.
North Texas Bar Owners Sue Abbott for Closing TX Bars
A lawsuit filed Wednesday against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott by eight bar owners alleges that the governor prioritized politics over science when he issued an order that shut down standalone bars statewide but not “affiliated” bars — bars within restaurants, hotels and other businesses.