In the wake of devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country that claimed more than 100 lives, lawyers stand at the ready to help. The State Bar of Texas and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid are assessing legal needs that will arise in the days following the floods, and they encourage lawyers to sign up to volunteer or donate financial aid to these trusted resources. Also on Tuesday, the Texas Supreme Court issued an emergency order stating that flooding may impact court proceedings and that delays or modifications should be made “where reasonably necessary.”
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Judge Moses Sets July 15 Deadline for Jackson Walker, U.S. Trustee to Wrap Up Mediation
This week, Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses of the Western District of Texas gave Jackson Walker and the U.S. Trustee’s office until July 15 to let her know how attempts to mediate the multimillion-dollar fee dispute are going.
Reed Smith Beefs Up Global Regulatory Enforcement Group, Hires V&E Partner
Rebecca Fike, formerly senior counsel with the SEC, officially made the move to Reed Smith July 1. In an interview with The Texas Lawbook after one week on the job, she said she knew joining Reed Smith was the right move for her after meeting lawyers in the firm’s Dallas office during the interview process.
Rey Anaya Valencia Begins Deanship at South Texas College of Law Houston
Valencia, who was selected earlier this year after a nationwide search, is the 13th president and dean of the 101-year-old law school. He said he has been “absolutely overwhelmed” by the welcome he has received from students, staff, administrators and faculty.
‘It Wasn’t My Day to Die. I Wish that It Hadn’t Been Hers’
Prominent Houston criminal defense attorney Randy Schaffer went to Facebook late Monday afternoon to write 637 heartbreaking words about the last few horrifying minutes that he spent with his wife Mollie on the banks of the Guadalupe River before she was swept away by “a river raging like Niagara Falls.” Schaffer, who has practiced criminal law for more than five decades and is a 1973 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, was staying at the River Inn Resort and Conference Center to celebrate his 46-year reunion when, in the pre-dawn hours Friday morning, a historic and deadly flash flood claimed the life of Mollie Schaffer and the lives of more than 100 other people.
California Private Company Investment Platform Files Bankruptcy in Texas
Facing investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, San Jose-based Linqto, Inc. and three of its affiliated companies, including Linqto Texas, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday in the Southern District of Texas, citing “potentially insurmountable operating challenges.” Linqto has hired a trio of law firms as its legal advisors, including Schwartz Law, Sullivan & Cromwell and Greenberg Traurig.
Litigation Roundup: Texas Attorneys Notch Wins in California, Utah
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, the Northern District of Texas sees a busy week prosecuting those who allegedly file false tax returns, a trade dress fight between competing carnicerias with ties to Texas moves forward in California, and the city of Dallas secures a favorable ruling at the Fifth Circuit in its fight to regulate short-term lenders like TitleMax.
‘Our Hearts Are Shattered’ — Texas Legal Community In Mourning Over Lives Lost in Kerr County Flood Tragedy
As the death toll climbed past 100 victims from the horrific weekend flooding in Central Texas, the tragedy hit home at multiple corporate law firms across the state.
CDT Roundup: Energy Sector’s High Stakes, Hurdles and Uncertain Outcomes
Chevron’s $53 billion acquisition of Hess remains in limbo despite FTC approval, which barred the son of Hess’ founder from a Chevron board seat due to antitrust concerns and alleged OPEC collusion. The merger’s fate hinges on an arbitration decision that could be announced soon with ExxonMobil over Hess’ stake in Guyana’s lucrative Stabroek Block. Meanwhile, CITGO, formerly Venezuelan-owned, saw a new winning bid in a Delaware court auction to settle expropriation claims.
P.S. — Pro Bono Work Honored at State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting
Advancing access to justice in rural Texas, advocating for domestic violence survivors and ensuring Spanish speakers aren’t left out are among the pro bono initiatives for which lawyers and a judge were honored during the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting in San Antonio.