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.
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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.
Dress Rehearsal: Business Court Case Settles Before Heading to Jury
What would have been the first jury trial for the Texas Business Court became a dress rehearsal instead. Counsel met for a pretrial hearing Friday, planning to begin the jury trial on Monday. They reached a settlement Saturday night.
Holland & Knight hires DOJ Crypto-Fraud Expert
Camelia Lopez Shoemaker, who led numerous white-collar investigations for the federal government, joins the Dallas office of Holland & Knight.
Longtime Plaintiff Lawyer Joins Hamilton Wingo
After spending years as a trial lawyer for hire, Mike Kaeske has joined Hamilton Wingo. Together, the firm’s founder, Chris Hamilton, and Kaeske have helped clients secure more than $10 billion in verdicts and settlements as lead counsel in cases involving serious personal injuries, wrongful deaths and business disputes.
Litigation Roundup: Acer Hits AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile with Infringement Claims
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, an East Texas scammer who prosecutors said lied about representing the late Major League Baseball player Pete Rose and about owning cannabis dispensaries in Las Vegas is sentenced to prison, and the decision of a Collin County jury in a dispute between a landlord and a tenant over a rat infestation is undone by a Dallas appellate court.
Another Billion-Dollar Win for Keurig Dr Pepper, Another Nomination for Business Litigation of the Year
Two years ago, Stephen Cole reflected on his career as the vice president and assistant general counsel of Keurig Dr Pepper and was confident his best day at the company came after a summary judgment ruling resulted in a $925 million win against competitors Coca-Cola and BodyArmor.
But Cole, now a five-year veteran of KDP, has stayed busy ever since.
In July, the company’s legal team, along with outside counsel at Kirkland & Ellis, defeated a lawsuit from Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling that had been seeking more than $1 billion in damages over the ending of an agreement that had allowed Reyes to distribute Dr Pepper/Seven Up in California and Nevada.
Because of this work, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have named Cole a finalist for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year.