Litigation finance firm Longford Capital announced Tuesday that it is opening an office in Dallas. The Chicago-based private investment company has hired John Garda, a commercial litigator who has been the managing partner of the Dallas office of K&L Gates, to lead its Texas operations. The Texas Lawbook has the insider details.
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Superior Energy’s Blaine Edwards – From Small Claims Court to a $70M Jury Victory
Blaine Edwards began his legal career as a teenager, filing in small claims court to collect unpaid bills for his parents’ petroleum wholesale business. Now he’s being honored as a finalist for Senior Counsel of the Year in the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards. Mark Curriden tells his story.
Mandamus in the Fifth Circuit: An Extraordinary Remedy, Except When It Isn’t
Mandamus petitioners are supposedly unwelcome visitors in the federal courts of appeal. Although the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has echoed that mantra, contemporary mandamus practice suggests a gap between the “law in the books” and the “law in action.”
CDT Roundup: 13 Deals, 10 Law Firms, 90 Texas Lawyers, $13.5B
As The Texas Lawbook has noted, capital markets activity – especially in the energy industry – has been moribund so far this year. Last week, the Austin analytics provider Drillinginfo confirmed that unsettling view. While the $22 billion worth of debt and equity raised in the first quarter was up 9% over the fourth, it was down a concerning 45% year-over-year. Drillinginfo says Wall Street is enforcing discipline in the energy sector, and in her weekly Roundup, Claire Poole describes exactly what that means.
Plains All American’s Lawrence Dreyfuss – A Legend in Texas Oil & Gas Law
In his decades in the legal department for Plains All American Pipeline, Lawrence Dreyfuss worked through 62 completed acquisitions and divestitures with an aggregate value of over $8 billion. He oversaw the legal work for Plains’ capital projects totaling more than $7 billion. He was directly involved or supervised the handling of more than 3,000 legal claims. And during his tenure, Plains’ EBITDA grew from $89.1 million in 1999 to $2.684 billion in 2018. So, it’s no surprise that he will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Corporate Counsel Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook. Mark Curriden has his story.
Fermeen Fazal of UniversalPegasus: ‘The Ferminator’
Fermeen Fazal is chief counsel and chief administrative officer for Houston-based UniversalPegasus International. She’s so nice, that colleagues say it’s easy to forget that she can be a very fierce advocate. The company president has nick-named her “The Ferminator.” But she’s approachable, team-oriented and has a history as a very fine litigator. She’s also a finalist for GC of the Year for a Small Legal Department in the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards.
Kraton’s Jennie Howard – A Rookie with Securities Experience and a Huge Heart
Jennie Howard’s first day in the legal department at Houston-based Kraton Corp. began with her assignment to a $1.7 billion acquisition. She had to hit the ground running. Three months later, the deal was closed and she got REALLY busy overseeing a wide variety of corporate responsibilities. As a result she’s a finalist for Rookie of the Year in the 2019 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards.
Two Dallas Strasburger Partners Leave to Open Data Privacy Law Boutique
Charles Hosch, who practiced at Strasburger for 35 years, and Kate Morris have launched Hosch & Morris PLLC.
Locke Lord Welcomes Back Ex-Dallas Court of Appeals Justice Elizabeth Lang-Miers
Lang-Miers practiced at the firm for nearly 30 decades before being appointed to the Dallas Court of Appeals in 2003.
Tim Johnson – A Plane Crash and a Painful Turnaround
When Tim Johnson’s friend and boss – the founder of the company he worked for – died tragically in a plane crash, it was a “punch in the gut.” But things were about to get worse. In the wake of his friend’s death, Johnson uncovered a massive fraud at his company. The skill and determination with which he approached that problem, as well as others that emerged at Peak Completion Technologies, has resulted in his nomination as GC of the Year for a Small Legal Department in Houston’s 2019 Corporate Counsel Awards.