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London-based Willis Group Holdings and Arlington, Virginia-based Towers Watson announced Tuesday that they have agreed to join forces through an all-stock, $18 billion merger.

London-based Willis Group Holdings and Arlington, Virginia-based Towers Watson announced Tuesday that they have agreed to join forces through an all-stock, $18 billion merger.

Minutes after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage Friday, lawyers across Texas say their phones starting ringing with business clients asking a simple question: What do they need to do now? The unanimous answer, according to legal experts, is they need to do a lot and they need to do it fast or possibly pay the consequences. The good news for Texas businesses is that the changes they need to make are neither complicated nor expensive.

Attorneys representing royalty owners in the explosion of litigation against energy companies are encouraged by a recent Texas Supreme Court ruling that interpreted a drilling lease as clearly excluding post-production costs from royalties. In a closely watched lease dispute, a sharply divided court agreed with the family that Chesapeake entities had improperly deducted post-production costs from royalties paid on gas wells located on 948 mineral acres in the Barnett Shale.

Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1455 which significantly affects construction defect or design claims by requiring condominium associations to fulfill certain preconditions prior to initiating a lawsuit. This article discusses this new law’s technical provisions of the pre-suit procedures, including the requirement for a third-party inspection and written report, opportunity for construction professionals to address potential defect or design claims and the requirements of notice to and approval of the unit owners prior to commencing litigation.