A timeline of litigation arising from abuse allegations involving church leadership, with the organization facing claims tied to misconduct and institutional accountability.
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O’Melveny Snags Doug Lionberger from Holland & Knight
O’Melveny & Myers announced this week that veteran capital markets advisor Doug Lionberger has joined the firm from Holland & Knight — the sixth partner to lateral to the firm’s Houston office in the last two years.
The Texas Reincorporation Trap — What the ExxonMobil Vote Reveals About Board Power
ExxonMobil’s shareholders are being asked to cast a vote this May that they may not fully understand. The company’s board has unanimously recommended moving its state of incorporation from New Jersey to Texas, framing the change as a step toward “maximizing shareholder value.”
That framing is misleading. What the reincorporation actually does is place ExxonMobil under a body of Texas corporate law that gives the board sweeping authority to restrict shareholder rights at any time, through a simple bylaw amendment, without asking shareholders for permission. Shareholders are being invited to approve a transaction that hands the board the keys to a governance regime that those same shareholders may one day wish they had never unlocked.
Litigation Roundup: Fifth Circuit Revives Megatel’s Water Fight with Mansfield
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a recent ruling from a federal judge in Texas gives more clarity to oil and gas operators regarding the application of old contracts to modern drilling practices, and former Fifth Circuit Judge Gregg Costa gets a win in a gun rights case where he was appointed as amicus counsel to defend the Texas Penal Code.
The Bassett Firm Joins Chartwell Law Platform
Pennsylvania law firm Chartwell Law continued its Texas expansion efforts by bolting on The Bassett Firm, known for transportation and trucking litigation. Mike Bassett said the move was not a decision made lightly.
Business Court Bench Trial Begins in Houston at Embassy Suites
In an oil and gas delivery contract dispute where Energy Transfer is seeking $432.7 million in damages, the parties gathered at the Embassy Suites in downtown Houston Monday for a bench trial that will take place before Business Court Judge Grant Dorfman over the next few weeks.
Sysco Acquires Jetro Restaurant Depot for $29.1B
Houston food distribution giant Sysco said Monday that it agreed to acquire Jetro Restaurant Depot for $21.6 billion cash and 91.5 million common shares, representing a total enterprise value of about $29.1 billion.
Jennifer Kaplan Schott is Sysco’s Chief Legal Officer and Eve McFadden is General Counsel.
Paul Weiss, Jones Day, Wachtell and Latham & Watkins advised on the deal.
Leading With Purpose: Lessons from the Frontlines
In the legal profession, we’re trained to argue, advise and analyze. But leading is often left to chance.
This series explores what it really means to lead with clarity, courage and purpose — especially in high-stakes environments.
Drawing from her experiences as a law firm associate, in-house legal executive, board leader and mentor, Jacobs General Counsel Chasity Henry shares lessons that go beyond titles and job descriptions. Whether you’re a junior attorney, law firm partner or general counsel, Henry invites you to reflect on how your values, choices and actions shape the culture you create and the legacy you build.
CDT Roundup: Stable, Not Sluggish as Dealmakers Find Their March Rhythm
The week ended March 28 saw 13 deals with a total reported value of $10.7 billion. The week prior boasted 11 deals valued at $7.5 billion. This time a year ago, there were 21 deals valued at nearly $8.2 billion. We’ll choose to reckon stability in those numbers.
Last week’s deals had Texas companies in transactions for increased investment in healthcare-related AI platforms, more data centers, and geothermal power development. While Texas lawyers advised on deals for a gas-fired power plant in the West Texas town of Pecos, a mining outfit in Greenland, and a Canadian provider of liquid cooling technologies for AI development.
Susman Godfrey: Trump EO ‘Constitutes Grave Abuse of Presidential Power’
President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Susman Godfrey “violates the First Amendment many times over,” is “odious viewpoint discrimination” and should be declared unconstitutional and illegally unenforceable.
With that opening argument, lawyers for Susman Godfrey filed a new brief Friday asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to uphold a lower court ruling permanently restraining President Trump’s executive order issued last spring targeting the Houston litigation powerhouse from being enforced. Two other corporate law firms that were the targets of President Trump’s EOs — WilmerHale and Jenner & Block — also filed briefs in their respective cases, which have been consolidated before the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.