A team of Porter Hedges attorneys secured over a $57 million jury verdict for their client, Shintech Incorporated, earlier this week. The manufacturing company accused Olin Corporation of breaching its contract by refusing to provide the agreed-upon amount of vinyl chloride monomer.
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After the Claude Crash — What Agentic Tools Mean for Legal Research Vendors and Texas Lawyers
On Feb. 3, a lot of legal and data folks discovered they suddenly cared about stock tickers. Anthropic announced legal plug-ins for its agentic platform, Claude Cowork, and within 48 hours investors shaved tens of billions off the market caps of Thomson Reuters (Westlaw/CoCounsel), RELX (LexisNexis) and Wolters Kluwer. Headlines framed it as AI killing legal software. Social channels called it the “Claude Crash” and the “SaaSpocalypse.” If you work in a Texas law firm or legal department, it felt like watching a tornado touch down a few miles over — not on your roof yet, but close enough to change your weekend plans.
Let’s separate the market drama from the operating reality.
Asked & Answered with Mo Lovett: Expanding & Expectations
In this edition of Asked & Answered, Mo Lovett Law’s founder discusses opening a new office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and growing her law firm a year into opening. She also talked about mentorship and the state of the profession.
Tariff to Trillion: Texas Deal Lawyers Had a Blockbuster Year (and Hardly Saw It Coming)
It didn’t feel like it at the time, but 2025 turned out to be a blockbuster year for M&A lawyers in Texas. The Lone Star State may no longer be matching national trends in M&A; it could be surpassing them. A good year elsewhere was a great year in Texas, regardless of the small print. Put simply, there were more deals made for more money (lots more) than we anticipated, and The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker has the exclusive details.
Saltchuk Takes Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Private for $1.2B Cash
Privately held Seattle freight transportation, marine service and energy distribution conglomerate Saltchuk said Wednesday that it has agreed to acquire Houston-based Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. for about $1.2 billion cash. Sidley Austin advised Great Lakes and its CLO Vivienne Schiffer, while Fried Frank represented Saltchuk.
Houston Trial Boutique Sorrels Law Adds Experienced Trial Lawyers
Jim Martin and Sam Kinne have joined Sorrels Law in Houston, continuing the plaintiff-side litigation firm’s expansion.
Texas Business Court First: Jury Trial Underway in Houston in $200M Crude Terminal Dispute
The dispute pits the lawyer Albert Theodore “Ted” Powers against three members of the Berry family, who, through their businesses, is one of the largest private employers in Corpus Christi. Its origins can be traced back to an idea Lawrence Berry had in 2018 to build a world-class crude export terminal outside of Corpus Christi that could receive oil from the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford Shale. The product could be stored in Aransas Pass and then loaded onto tanker ships from Harbor Island before being shipped anywhere in the world.
Latham Hires Trial Superstars Expected to Eventually Launch Dallas Office
Latham & Watkins has hired prominent litigators Taj Clayton and Scott Thomas as partners, the firm announced Tuesday. The move, first reported by The Texas Lawbook on Feb. 6, significantly strengthens Latham’s trial team in Texas and across the country, adding two nationally recognized litigators with deep experience in high-stakes commercial, securities and white-collar disputes. The two litigators are expected to eventually play a key role in launching the firm’s Dallas office, as both are North Texas residents.
Business Court: January 2026 Decisions
If January is any indication, it’s going to be another blockbuster year for the Court. The Court penned three opinions and gave us an early contender for quote of the year.
Austin Energy Projects Partner Moves from Greenberg Traurig to Baker Botts
Regina A. Pearson will focus her practice on energy project development and construction matters across sectors such as liquefied natural gas, power, hydrogen and renewables. The move strengthens Baker Botts’ energy project development and construction capabilities in Austin.