For more than five decades, Douglas Lang has been a staple of the Texas appellate law community, including 16 years as a justice on the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas. Last week, Lang joined Dallas-based Carrington Coleman as senior counsel after more than four years at Thompson Coburn.
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CDT Roundup: No Summer Slowdown for Deals
For the week ended June 20, the CDT Roundup reported on 11 deals with a disclosed value of $68.1 billion. Those are numbers that come naturally when SpaceX is involved.
Aside from a $60 billion SPCX stock swap for a San Francisco AI startup, there was an abundance of other billion-dollar deals. Pizza Hut had two of them, in fact.
That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup.
EDTX Jury Slaps Verizon with $190M Infringement Verdict
An Eastern District of Texas jury in Marshall swatted Verizon Wireless with a $190 million verdict for infringement of a patent owned by Aspen Networks, a California technology company. The case is one of three such cases alleging the unauthorized use of Aspen’s system to connect cellular phone calls in-progress between cell and Wi-Fi systems. The other two cases involving AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA are still pending.
Houston Energy M&A Partner Moves from Bracewell to Paul Weiss
Veteran energy transactions lawyer Austin Lee has joined Paul, Weiss, Rivkind, Wharton & Garrison in Houston, the firm has announced. Lee is leaving Bracewell after nearly 11 years.
From Risk to Reckoning: How a Dallas Lawyer’s Long Fight Delivered Vindication
Dallas attorney Laura Benitez Geisler agreed to represent former police captain Terry Bevill after hearing his story. He had been fired, arrested and charged with a felony for signing an affidavit questioning whether a coworker could receive a fair trial in Wood County, putting him at odds with powerful rural officials.
Despite losing his job, health insurance and facing legal uncertainty for 16 months, Bevill said he would act the same way again because it was his duty to uphold the Constitution.
Moved by his conviction, Geisler felt a responsibility to take his case.
Small East Texas Town Honors Police Officer It Once Fired and Prosecuted
QUITMAN — After a nine-year legal battle, the city of Quitman has acknowledged the hardships faced by Terry Bevill, a former police captain who was fired and later arrested for aggravated perjury after signing a 2017 affidavit stating he didn’t believe a coworker could receive a fair trial in Wood County.
Maritime Litigation Partner Returns to SBSB
Stacey Norstrud, a veteran maritime litigation partner, has rejoined Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea & BenMaier in Houston. She returns to SBSB after more than four years at Kean Miller. With more than 25 years’ experience in maritime practice, she plans focus her skills on Jones Act defense and maritime litigation.
Austin Energy Regulatory Partner Moves to Balch & Bingham
Former administrative judge Casey Bell has joined Balch & Bingham. Bell specializes in the nexus between electrical utilities and Texas regulatory authorities. Bell joins after a little more than a year at Troutman Pepper.
Houston Energy Partner Moves to Simpson Thacher
Denny Lee, an energy and infrastructure transactions partner, has joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett in Houston from Latham & Watkins. He will focus his practice on advising public and private companies, private equity sponsors, financial advisors and boards on complex US and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, carve-outs, joint ventures, take-private transactions and corporate finance matters across the energy and infrastructure sectors.
P.S. — The Texas Lawbook Foundation Needs Your Help — Please
For more than three years, The Texas Lawbook‘s readers have enjoyed the benefits of having the only full-time journalist who covers pro bono, public service and diversity in Texas.
The position is funded entirely by donations made to the Texas Lawbook Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
But those tax-deductible donations have declined significantly as pro bono, public service and diversity initiatives have become politically unpopular.