Hooman Yazhari has an amazing story to tell. His family was forced to flee their native Iran in the revolution of 1979 or face imprisonment by the Revolutionary Guard. He’s guided three billion-dollar businesses through bankruptcy and restructuring, including one where he discovered the CEO was stealing from the company. But Yazhari’s amazing legal work in the CHC Helicopter restructuring earned him a spot as a finalist for the the Outstanding Corporate Counsel Award for GC of the Year for a Small Legal dept.
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Vistra’s Ashlie Alaman & Dan Kelly Lead by Example on Pro Bono
One could have forgiven the lawyers at Vistra Energy if they didn’t go overboard on their pro bono requirements. With the the $45 billion bankruptcy, the spin-offs of Luminant and TXU Energy and the move from Downtown Dallas to Irving, it’s not like there wasn’t enough to do. But Dan Kelly, Ashlie Alaman and the rest of the Vistra legal department did far more than enough. They’re now finalists in the 2017 Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards. The Texas Lawbook shows how they give their volunteer work a personal touch.
Corp. Deal Tracker Weekly Round-Up: 15 Firms and 129 Texas Lawyers Toil on 19 Transactions Worth $9.4B
A surge in deal-making over the last few weeks has observers believing that 2018 may be a strong one. Tax reform and a rise in oil prices fueled a week that saw 129 Texas lawyers from 15 different firms and in-house teams working on 19 transactions worth $9.4 billion. That was up considerably from the previous week when 49 Texas lawyers worked on 10 transactions worth $6.28 billion. Claire Poole has her weekly update in The Texas Lawbook. and the news is good.
Trump Nominates Four to Federal Judgeships in Texas
President Donald Trump has nominated three lawyers to serve as U.S. district judges in the Eastern District and one to serve in the Western District, his office announced Tuesday. Three are currently in private practice and one works in the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Locke Lord Provides Insight on Combating Workplace Sexual Harassment
With new sexual harassment scandals surfacing nearly every week, companies are increasingly reevaluating whether they have the proper protocols to handle any incidents that occur in the workplace. A group of labor & employment experts from Locke Lord are here to help. The Lawbook tuned into the firm’s comprehensive webinar and laid out the takeaways that every in-house legal department and their HR teams should consider.
Locke Lord Chooses Laura Edrington to Lead Houston Office
Edrington, who succeeds David Taylor, will lead an office of more than 130 attorneys. She is the first woman to head the Houston office.
DVAP Endowment Ensures the Future of Access to Justice in Dallas
Last year, Dallas Bar Association President Michael K. Hurst grew concerned about the stability of funding for legal aid to the poor in Dallas County. In response, he led the charge to create the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program Endowment to help fund the DVAP’s services should state or federal funding streams dry up. Though Hurst was only officially inaugurated as the DBA’s 109th president over the weekend, he and others have already pledged nearly $500,000.
Yetter Coleman Boosts IP Litigation Prowess with Two New Partners
Bob McAughan and Jeff Andrews were previously at the IP litigation boutique Sutton McAughan Deaver, where McAughan was a named partner.
David Monk is a ‘Great Boardroom and CEO Counselor’
Summary: Dave Monk’s first work experiences included landscaping and roof maintenance for a multi-family housing complex in Louisiana. The experience caused him to value the benefits of an air-conditioned office job. Now, as General Counsel of Richardson-based RealPage, a global software provider, Monk not only enjoys air-conditioning, he is also a finalist in the 2017 Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards. Read about Monk in The Texas Lawbook. Bonus: the story includes a rock band.
Juanita Harris is a ‘Force of Nature’ for Diversity
Her passion was evident years ago, when she mentored high school students while working as an accountant. None of that changed when she moved on to become a trial lawyer. Now, as senior legal counsel at AT&T, Juanita Harris heads all diversity and inclusion efforts for the communications giant. Harris is a finalist in the 2017 Outstanding Legal Counsel Awards, and in this Texas Lawbook profile, she describes how companies and law firms can make the legal profession truly diverse.