In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Victoria Nwankwo discusses the traits she seeks in outside counsel, what outside counsel need to know when working with her and more.
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Talen Energy Acquires Three Midwestern Power Plants for $3.5B
Houston energy infrastructure company Talen Energy said Thursday that it has acquired two power generating plants in the PJM market from New Jersey-based investment firm Energy Capital Partners for $2.55 billion cash and about $900 million in stock. Talen General Counsel John Wander worked with Kirkland & Ellis and White & Case on the deal.
The Texas Supreme Court’s Revamped Review Process
The Texas Supreme Court recently adopted extensive amendments to the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure that will have a dramatic effect on litigation before the Court.
Most notably, the Court all but eliminated its practice of requesting merits briefs before deciding whether to grant review of a case. Going forward, the Court will ordinarily decide whether to grant review, request merits briefs and schedule oral argument based on the petition-stage briefing alone. This combined decision now requires a minimum of four votes, whereas requesting merits briefing previously required only three.
Senior Counsel Jane Ann Neiswender Helps Michaels Defend IP and Navigate Tariffs
For the past three years, Jane Ann Neiswender has been the deputy general counsel at Irving-based Michaels Stores, where she has helped guide the national specialty craft store chain through a digital transformation, helped purchase intellectual property of failed retail competitors and guided the business through significant supply chain issues related to recent tariffs placed on other countries.
“It is no secret that the retail industry has faced unchartered waters over the past 18 months, including consumer concern over the economy, an increasingly complex regulatory environment and new challenges stemming from tariffs,” she told The Texas Lawbook. “As a department, we work closely with the business to navigate these issues in a way that is compliant and provides our customers with the goods and value that they expect.”
Citing her extraordinary work and achievements during the past 18 months, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Lawbook have named Neiswender as a finalist for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department (six to 20 attorneys).
Premium Subscriber Q&A: Jane Ann Neiswender
In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Jane Ann Neiswender discusses the traits she seeks in outside counsel, what outside counsel need to know when working with her and more.
The Billion-Dollar Texas Lawyers
Only two women Texas deal lawyers led billion-dollar mergers and acquisitions in 2016. That same year, five Texas lawyers for Kirkland & Ellis were among the 43 attorneys who were the lead legal advisors on transactions that topped $1 billion and only one Kirkland partner ranked among The Texas Lawbook‘s Corporate Deal Tracker’s Top 10 Texas dealmakers. What a difference a decade has made. New Corporate Deal Tracker data shows that, in 2025, 135 lawyers in Texas led or co-led billion-dollar deals for buyers, sellers or targets and the top three are women partners. And Kirkland’s representation in the CDT billion-dollar lawyer rankings have skyrocketed, too.
Saks Files Bankruptcy in Houston
Luxury retailer Saks Global Holdings, the parent company of Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday in the Southern District of Texas. The retailer selected Willkie Farr, Haynes Boone and Bradley Arant as its lead legal advisors to guide the bankruptcy.
‘What Could Be Better?’: The Scratch-Golfer PGA Deputy GC Who Turned Passion into Profession
Ted Koehler has his dream job. And maybe yours.
He’s a near-scratch golfer (a 0.90 handicap at the moment), a game he learned from his father. He makes his living advising the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, the premier organization for more than 30,000 PGA professionals nationwide.
He gets to attend events like the PGA Championship and Ryder Cup. And because he’s involved in their planning, it could be regarded as a job requirement. He gets to play some of the best golf courses in the world.
If dream jobs were golf balls, Koehler’s has the feel of a 375-yard tee shot airmailed from a titanium driver, fairway-flush on the Par Five of Life.
As deputy general counsel in the PGA’s three-attorney legal department, Koehler has been nominated by The Texas Lawbook and the DFW Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel as 2025 Senior Counsel of the Year for a Small Practice.
Premium Subscriber Q&A: Ted Koehler
In this Q&A with The Texas Lawbook, Ted Koehler discusses the traits he seeks in outside counsel, what outside counsel need to know when working with him and more.
Siblings in Law: How Dallas-based Khirallah Trial Attorneys Came to Be
A trio of siblings who initially forged their own independent legal careers have recently united and launched their own personal injury firm. They spoke to The Texas Lawbook about navigating the interesting dynamics that come with working together and why they wouldn’t have it any other way.