“Meet me at the mall, it’s goin’ down,” has a whole new meaning beyond the lyrics in a 2006 hip-hop single after a jury found a real estate developer defrauded an investor in order to buy a Houston mall. Natalie Posgate details the story, which actually involved them meeting at the mall.
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McGinnis Lochridge Continues Recent Growth, Adds Five Environmental Lawyers
The Austin law firm picked up a team of five environmental lawyers from Winstead. It is the latest move aiding a two-year growth spurt where the firm has seen its headcount jump by more than 40 percent.
Polsinelli Picks New Leader of Dallas Office
The firm has announced Jon Henderson’s successor. Henderson has steered the office since it opened in 2011.
A Texas Battle Over Trademarks Reveals A Buddhist Schism
It took a Houston jury only 30 minutes to decide last month that the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam hadn’t defrauded a member of its own church. But not even a quick verdict can resolve the ongoing dispute over what happened to $2.3 million and who gets to call itself “UBCV.” Natalie Posgate sorts it out.
SCOTX: Emails ≠ Contract (at least not here)
In some cases, emails can spell out the terms of a contract. But the Texas Supreme Court ruled last week that landowners seeking compensation for a pipeline never constructed couldn’t make that case. Janet Elliott explains.
Mergermarket: Kirkland No. 1 in Deal Count, V&E No. 1 in Deal Value
Kirkland & Ellis, Vinson & Elkins and Latham & Watkins continue to top the Texas M&A charts, according to new data from Mergermarket. Despite a decline in dealmaking in 2019, a few firms showed a jump in the number of transactions they handled last year, including DLA Piper, Willkie Farr, Hunton AK and Holland & Knight.
State Bar Discipline
Clearing out their report on disciplinary actions for 2019, the State Bar of Texas reported one disbarment, one resignation, nine suspensions and three public reprimands, including one for a South Texas county judge.
T&K Adds Veteran Real Estate Partner in Houston
The firm also picked up a real estate partner in New York.
SCOTX Puts Contract Over Conduct, Ending $500M ETP-Enterprise Partnership Dispute – Updated
The Texas Supreme Court Friday ended an eight-year legal battle between Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners and Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners over a proposed partnership in a pipeline project. In a unanimous opinion, the court effectively wiped out a $535 million judgment, saying the two companies never fully executed their partnership agreement in the first place.
Two More Deal Lawyers Leaving Locke Lord
The moves – one to another law firm and the other in-house – follow the firm’s global capital markets co-chairs departing for Winston & Strawn. Claire Poole has the story.