Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
For the week ended Sept. 26, the CDT Roundup saw just seven deals reported with a combined value of just over $6.3 billion. There were no billion-dollar M&A transactions and more than half the deal value resided in CapM debt issues.
Given that summer is over and the close of Q3 is just days away, we were expecting more traffic.
In this edition of P.S., we highlight the volunteer work of Holland & Knight, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Haynes Boone and Bank of America in observance of Sept. 11, 2001. Holland & Knight’s efforts also honor the legacy of Glenn Winuk, a partner in the Manhattan office who was also a volunteer firefighter and EMT who died helping others at the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks.
In this edition of Asked & Answered, Gibbs & Bruns partner Caitlin Halpern recalls a first trial that came together in 48 hours and a parole win that ended in a hurricane. She also talks about the rise of the Texas Business Court and the pop playlist that gets her ready for the trial.
Ronak Patel spent 14 years at the Texas State Securities Board, where he helped lead auction-rate securities investigations and took part in global settlement talks that Akerman says delivered about $50 billion in relief for investors. Now a litigation partner in Austin, he says he brings a regulator’s view of enforcement to his work with financial services clients.
In a wide-ranging interview, Gibson Dunn capital-markets leader Hillary Holmes takes Texas Lawbook subscribers inside a career that placed her at the center of SpaceX’s historic public offering this year. But that is only the latest chapter in a much deeper Texas story that charts her rise from the Houston “deal room” of her childhood to one of the country’s top corporate lawyers, known for her instinct to see beyond the transactions themselves.
Looking to address increased client demand in state attorney general enforcement and energy infrastructure development, Kelley Drye bolstered its Texas ranks this week with the addition of Steven Robinson, a veteran of the Texas Attorney General’s Office, and corporate partner Christina Hightower.
The firm says Tim Ribelin adds “meaningful depth” to its managed care litigation practice as providers are under increased pressure.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Angela Colmenero as federal judge for the Southern District of Texas Wednesday with a 50-47 vote, succeeding Judge Lee H. Rosenthal. The Senate also confirmed Kasdin Mitchell as federal judge for the Northern District of Texas Friday with a 49-45 vote. She is succeeding Judge Barbara Lynn.
A Tarrant County jury unanimously awarded the state of Washington $24 million in damages in a fraudulent transfer and veil piercing case against two affiliated Frisco-based wealth advisory businesses.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s San Antonio Chapter and The Texas Lawbook announced Wednesday that Vericast Deputy General Counsel Shelayne Clemmer and Jackson Walker partner Robert Soza, Jr. are the recipients of the prestigious 2026 C. Lee Cusenbary Ethical Life and Leadership Award, one of the most coveted honors in the San Antonio legal community.
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