The first post COVID-19 federal jury trial in Texas ended yesterday afternoon with the defendant being acquitted and the jurors stating that they felt “very comfortable and safe.” Northern District Chief District Judge Barbara Lynn, in an exclusive Texas Lawbook interview, discusses all the preparations that went into making the trial a success.
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CDT Roundup: 8 Deals, 7 Firms, 48 Lawyers, $7.34B
In weeks when good news looks good by simply not being apocalyptic — slower coronavirus death rates, modest reopening of public spaces, oil prices above zero — you’re just going to have to lower your standards. Keep that in mind when you’re hunting for good news in this week’s CDT Roundup.
First Post-COVID-19 Shutdown Jury Trial Underway in Dallas Federal Court
Fourteen North Texans filed into the 15th floor courtroom of Judge Barbara Lynn this morning to begin the first jury trial to be conducted in Texas – and only the third federal jury trial in the entire U.S. – since courts shutdown at the end of March due to the COVID-19 crisis. But it is not like any jury trial Texas has ever seen before.
State Bar Discipline: 3 Disbarments, 8 Suspensions, 2 Public Reprimands
An Austin lawyer stole a client’s 401(K) funds. A lawyer from Tyler bounced checks from his IOLTA settlement account. A Waxahachie lawyer failed to fully account for funds from a family’s estate. In all, 13 lawyers were disciplined. Here are the details.
Chron: ITC Sued by Energy Companies
The three energy companies claim they sustained economic losses from the temporary shutdown of the Houston Ship Channel caused by last year’s chemical fire in Deer Park.
Bryan Garner: Spreading the Word about Words from Dallas
Legal wordsmith extraordinaire Bryan Garner hadn’t left his house in 69 days, but the creator of LawProse and editor of Black’s Law Dictionary was still finding extraordinary success online. Supreme Court journalist Tony Mauro takes an exclusive look at Garner’s career – from being rejected by 31 publishers to being inspired on Twitter by Ricky Gervais. He has 37,000 books in his home library and more than 4,000 dictionaries in his “scriptorium.” And don’t forget his close but sometimes stormy relationship with Justice Scalia.
Judge Dismisses Mandatory Dues Case Against State Bar
U.S. Judge Lee Yeakel has rejected a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of mandatory bar dues charged by the State Bar of Texas. The Austin jurist ruled that the mandatory dues and the activities they pay for are well within the official responsibilities authorized by the Texas Legislature and do not violate the First Amendment. Allen Pusey has the details.
Exec in Two Healthcare Fraud Cases Sentenced to 76 Months in Prison
Semyon Narasov, 55, pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiracy to commit money laundering at NextHealth and conspiracy to pay and receive bribes and kickbacks while at Forest Park Medical Center.
Revenues Per Lawyer Grew in Texas in 2019
More law firms in Texas scored revenues per lawyer of $1 million or more in 2019 than ever before. In fact, The Texas Lawbook 50 averaged seven-digits for the first time ever last year. Twenty-three law firms operating in Texas achieved the lofty standard demonstrating success. The Lawbook has the data and the details.
Dykema Employer Survey Examines Return-to-Work Issues
Much has been written about what steps employers can and should take in the face of the global pandemic. In an effort to better understand what employers actually are doing, Dykema recently sent a flash survey to employers. Here is an analysis of the results.