For the week ended Feb. 21, the CDT Roundup saw 10 deals reported with a total value of about $7.1 billion. That’s down from both the prior week’s 14 for $20.5 billion and the 17 deals this time last year for $12.1 billion. That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup.
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Texas Business Court’s First Jury Trial Ends with Late-Night Win for Plaintiff
Marking a milestone for the state judiciary, a Harris County jury late Friday night delivered the historic inaugural verdict in the Texas Business Court.
NDTX Judge Rules Eyecare Communication Bill Violates First Amendment
U.S. District Judge Wes Hendrix granted summary judgment and found House Bill 1696 violates the First Amendment. The court found little had changed since the Fifth Circuit’s November ruling.
P.S. — From the Courtroom to the Ballroom and Awards Celebrate Excellence in Public Service
In this edition of P.S., several attorneys are among the competitors in this year’s Dancing with the Ellis County Stars benefitting TBHC Foster Care and Adoption, which places children who are removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect.
Readers may remember The Texas Lawbook’s feature last year on Matt Maupin, an associate in Dykema’s San Antonio office, who rushed to join the frontline recovery efforts in the Texas Hill Country following the deadly July Fourth weekend flooding. This month, The Baylor Line is honoring Maupin with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award at its 61st Annual Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony.
And the Houston Bar Foundation recognized law firms, legal departments and individual attorneys for their pro bono and community service during the organization’s annual luncheon, where a new chair stepped into the helm.
The Corner Office: Q&A with Holt Foster
In this Q&A, Foster discusses the challenges of talent attraction and integration in the super competitive Texas legal market, offers a glimpse into what he is seeing in his private equity practice, and shares career advice for young lawyers.
Chambers County Jury Clears Brown & Root in $258M Trade Secrets Case
CAM Industrial Solutions failed to convince the jury in its trade secrets lawsuit against Brown & Root. The Chambers County jury trial lasted three weeks with the jury deliberating for nearly two days.
Wilson Elser to Pay $102K in Sanctions for Conduct in Toyota Center Personal Injury Case
Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker has been ordered to pay sanctions for failing to comply with court orders. While the firm is ordered to pay over $102,000 to compensate the plaintiffs for their attorney fees, the Harris County District Court warned further violations will result in more severe sanctions.
Fifth Circuit Sanctions Opinion Gives Practical Advice for AI Use
In an opinion released Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit sanctioned a lawyer $2,500 for filing a reply brief with several “hallucinated” case citations and then providing evasive responses to the court when it asked the lawyer about those references. Chief Judge Jennifer Elrod wrote the opinion and was joined by Judges Jerry Smith and Cory Wilson. The opinion provides a strong statement about the Fifth Circuit’s view of this highly relevant topic, as well as practical pointers to avoid this kind of problem going forward.
Kornbacher Moving To Austin Tech-Focused Boutique Firm as Name Partner
Veteran tech dealmaker Devika Kornbacher Kornbacher comes from Clifford Chance, where she helped launch the Houston office in 2023 as managing partner and served as co-chair of the firm’s Global Tech Group. Prior to that, she was a partner at Vinson & Elkins in Houston for nearly 16 years.
Ex-Prosecutor, Defense Attorney Get Probation for Deleting Messages
A former federal prosecutor and a Dallas-based criminal defense attorney received misdemeanor probation after pleading guilty to a scheme involving deleting text messages they were ordered to produce to the court.