Patel, who spent 13 years at the Texas State Securities Board, will focus his practice on government investigations and white-collar defense.
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Survey: Texas Biz Predict More Litigation, but Facts Don’t Support View
Corporate general counsel in Texas and across the U.S. predict they will hire more lawyers who specialize in civil litigation and governmental regulatory matters during the next year to help meet increased demand, according to a new survey conducted by Texas-based Norton Rose Fulbright. One big culprit? Businesses suing other businesses over contract disagreements. The Texas Lawbook has exclusive details.
Woodlands Fracking Sand Producer Files for IPO
Houston lawyers from Latham & Watkins and Vinson & Elkins filed an S-1 late last week for The Woodlands-based Smart Sand, Inc., which provides sand for hydraulic fracturing to exploration & production and oilfield service companies such as EOG Resources and Weatherford.
Texas Jury Orders Apple to Pay $22M for Patent Infringement
A federal jury in Tyler ruled Thursday that Apple illegally used source code owned by a Plano-based patent holding company on several models of its iPhones and iPads. Fort Worth IP lawyer Ed Nelson convinced an eight-person jury to award $22.1 million in damages to Cellular Communications Equipment, which the jury said owns a valid patent on unique source code that combines hardware components and specifically designed software instructions to allow advanced buffering technology on smart phones and handheld devices.
Chase bank says employees must arbitrate off-the-clock complaints
JP Morgan Chase Bank is trying to stop seven former employees from going forward with a nationwide collective action lawsuit that alleges bank employees are forced to work off the clock. The employees signed arbitration agreements as part of their jobs, which included a promise not to join any collective action lawsuits, according to a petition that JP Morgan Chase filed this week in federal court in Houston.
The employees agreed to settle individual claims through arbitration, a confidential and increasingly common process that keeps employees from spilling corporate secrets in a public courtroom. The employees asked the arbitration service to allow them to participate in the collective action, citing their rights under a federal labor relations law that allows employees to join together to improve their wages and working conditions, according to the bank’s petition to the court. The Houston Chronicle has full details.
The Cowboys’ Legal Star: Meet Jason Cohen
Dallas Cowboys General Counsel Jason Cohen helped negotiate eight-digit stadium naming rights with AT&T his first week on the job. The second week, he led legal talks for the Jones family on the development of the practice facilities and headquarters in Frisco. He has written contracts for Cowboys’ players and coaches, negotiated multimillion-dollar media and sponsorship deals, sued to enforce Cowboys intellectual property and represented the owners in discussions with the NFL over league policies and procedures. Did I mention he’s only 36?
Updated – Greenberg Traurig Expands Litigation Practice in Houston
David Oliver and Paul Kerlin lateraled over from Vorys.
Legal Pioneer and Texas Justice Barbara Culver Clack Died Sunday
Barbara Culver Clack, the first woman to practice law in Midland and the second woman to serve full time on the Texas Supreme Court, died Sunday in Midland. She was 90. Born in Dallas and a 1951 graduate of the SMU Dedman School of Law, Clack was appointed to the state’s highest court in 1988 by Gov. Bill Clements.
BNSF Railway GC Jumps to Thompson & Knight
Thompson & Knight said Thursday that it has snagged BNSF Railway Corp. General Counsel Charles Shewmake as a new partner in the firm’s trial practice.
BNSF Railway GC Jumps to Thompson & Knight
Thompson & Knight said Thursday that it has snagged BNSF Railway Corp. General Counsel Charles Shewmake as a new partner in the firm’s trial practice.