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The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

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  • Firm Management
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In Camp Mystic Bankruptcy Hearing Friday, Judge Lopez Will Hear Arguments for Chapter 7 Conversion, Trustee Appointment - In the Camp Mystic Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which involves 725 acres along the Guadalupe River that represent a family’s longtime ministry and its generational wealth, things have gotten, perhaps predictably, personal. Words such as “intense acrimony,” “distrust,” “incompetence and gross mismanagement,” “self-dealing” and “lack of candor,” dot the pleading filed by the official committee of unsecured creditors (13 families whose daughters died in the flood) who have asked the court to appoint a trustee to oversee the proceedings. October 8, 2026Michelle Casady

Top Stories

Top Stories

Texas Lawbook Issues Correction, Apologizes to Justice Lehrmann - The Texas Lawbook published an article Wednesday about a Texas Supreme Court case involving Exxon Mobil that wrongly included a sentence that Justice Debra Lehrmann “owns shares” of Exxon Mobil stock and that she “was present” for the oral arguments. The Lawbook pointed to 2025 financial disclosure forms.

But The Lawbook has learned that the sentence was incorrect and that Justice Lehrmann sold her Exxon Mobil stock. The Lawbook failed to do the additional reporting and editing required and The Lawbook team apologizes to Justice Lehrmann for our error.
October 8, 2026Mark Curriden
Devon Energy Exits Eagle Ford in $4.2B Asset Sale to Crescent - The deal signals Devon’s effective exit from the Eagle Ford to focus on the Permian Basin. Latham & Watkins and Vinson & Elkins served as outside legal advisors for Crescent, while Kirkland & Ellis represented Devon. October 8, 2026Allen Pusey
SCOTX Hears Arguments in $25M Dispute Between Exxon and Lexington Insurance - The Texas Supreme Court justices heard arguments from counsel Wednesday morning over whether an insurance policy covers personal-injury claims made by parties injured in a fatal 2013 ExxonMobil refinery explosion in Beaumont. October 7, 2026Alexa Shrake
Energy Transfer Buys Vaquero Midstream for $2.6B - Energy Transfer said Vaquero has enough acreage to support another two trains that could boost capacity to about 1.2 billion cubic feet a day. Sidley repped ET and Willkie guided Vaquero on the deal. October 6, 2026Jason Philyaw
Jury Trial to Begin in Multimillion Dollar Dispute in Dallas Business Court - Texas Business Court Judge Bill Whitehill will preside over his first jury trial starting Tuesdaymorning with jury selection in a $100 million breach-of-contract case between two oil and gas companies. The case, in which Synergy Thermogen is accusing Blackbrush Oil & Gas of breach of contractby using its access to the company to delay progress and defraud investors, will take place inthe Merrill Hartman Courtroom of the George Allen Courts Building in Dallas since the business court has no courtroom space of its own. October 5, 2026Alexa Shrake
Litigation Roundup: Uber Settles Sex Assault Bellwether on Eve of Austin Trial  - In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a lawyer who filed an AI-generated brief "littered with errors” is sanctioned by the Dallas Court of Appeals, a Stephenville businessman agrees to forfeit more than 90 exotic cars after admitting to running a scam loan program and Vinson & Elkins and Hunton Andrews Kurth gear up to defend data center clients against an environmental suit in San Antonio.  October 5, 2026Michelle Casady
Exxon, Suncor Seek Protection from Climate Change Lawsuits - On Monday, the two energy companies are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to put a stop to one specific case brought by the city and county of Boulder, Colorado, with hopes that a favorable ruling will kill off similar lawsuits before they go to trial. October 4, 2026Mark Curriden

Centerpiece

Asked & Answered with Texas Business Court Judge Andrea Bouressa: On Joining a New Court - In this edition of Asked & Answered, Texas Business Court Judge Andrea Bouressa discusses her favorite day on the bench and what has surprised her about serving. She also shares what she hopes will come next for the court as it continues to grow. October 7, 2026Alexa Shrake
Texas Lawyers Foresee AI Litigation Boom, Debate if the Legal System is Ready - An avalanche of high-stakes litigation related to rogue artificial intelligence activity is just around the corner, but there is a significant split in the Texas legal community about whether the courts and existing tort law can handle such sophisticated and large-dollar disputes. Trial lawyers who both sue and defend large technology companies predict state courts from Texas to California are about to see their dockets swell with lawsuits that accuse AI developers of knowingly making and marketing dangerous and defective products when their AI agents — software that can take action autonomously — cause harm, whether by mistake or intentionally. October 6, 2026Mark Curriden

Expert Voices

Abbott Orders Statewide Pause on Texas Data Center Permits - Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the TCEQ to stop issuing permits for data center projects statewide — including those not connected to the ERCOT grid — until ERCOT finishes a broader audit expected to wrap up in mid-December. The order may reach beyond data center developers themselves to affiliated power-generation projects, and attorneys say its scope leaves open questions about how it applies to lower-tier permitting processes. October 7, 2026Daniel J. Pope, Jared Berg & Matt Paulson
What Buyers Are Really Underwriting in Texas Healthcare Deals: Regulatory History - Buy-side diligence in healthcare deals can no longer stop at current earnings. Past coding irregularities, noncompliant leases and unaddressed HIPAA risk analyses travel with a target through closing, affecting purchase price, indemnities and exit valuations. October 2, 2026Megan Neel

More Stories

CDT Roundup: A Week Sans Shiny Objects
Lane Change: Bobby Tudor Shifts from Adviser to Investor
First Court of Appeals Justice Guiney Dies at 51
More Stories


Appellate

  • Litigation Roundup: Amici Flood Federal Circuit, Supporting Samsung in Injunction Fight
  • 5th Circuit Judge Southwick to Take Senior Status, Opening a Bush-Era Seat
  • SCOTX 2025–2026 Term by the Numbers: Petitioners Dominate as Reversal Rate Exceeds 75 Percent

Bankruptcy

  • Another Bankruptcy Case Draws Threat of Sanctions Against Jackson Walker 
  • Texas Bankruptcy Experts Give Thumbs Up to Increasing Small Business Debt Limits
  • In Jackson Walker Bankruptcy Fee Fight, Judge Takes Trustee’s Standing Argument Under Advisement

Commercial Litigation

  • Litigation Roundup: Kelley Drye Scores $590M PFAS Settlement; SCOTX Calls for Bond Cap Reform
  • Litigation Roundup: X Corp. Settles Apple Antitrust Suit in Texas
  • Aging Infrastructure, New Risks: Who Bears the Legal Risk When Texas Energy Systems Fail?

Corp. Deal Tracker/M&A

  • Energy Transfer Buys Vaquero Midstream for $2.6B
  • Lane Change: Bobby Tudor Shifts from Adviser to Investor
  • Energy Boom to Space Race: The Stellar Career of Hillary Holmes

GCs/Corp. Legal Depts.

  • 2026 San Antonio Corporate Counsel of the Year Award Recipients Announced
  • Vericast Deputy GC, Jackson Walker Partner Honored for Ethical Life, Leadership
  • GCs: AI Having ‘Profound Impact’ Despite Being ‘Early Days’

White-Collar/Regulatory

  • White-Collar & Regulatory Roundup: Attorney Charged in $1.45M Tax-Lien Ponzi Scheme
  • Frisco Clinic Owner Convicted in $17M TRICARE Fraud Scheme that Funded Gold-Plated Cybertruck
  • Road to Ruin: Subprime Lender’s Troubles Include Many Turns

Firm Management

  • Pillsbury Adds Austin Emerging Companies and VC Partner
  • Law Firms in Texas ‘Off to a Very Strong Start’ in H1 2026
  • LA Litigation Firm Launches Dallas Office

Stories You Might’ve Missed

  • Energy Boom to Space Race: The Stellar Career of Hillary Holmes - In a wide-ranging interview, Gibson Dunn capital-markets leader Hillary Holmes takes Texas Lawbook subscribers inside a career that placed her at the center of SpaceX’s historic public offering this year. But that is only the latest chapter in a much deeper Texas story that charts her rise from the Houston “deal room” of her childhood to one of the country’s top corporate lawyers, known for her instinct to see beyond the transactions themselves. September 24, 2026Allen Pusey

Primary Sidebar

Features

  • P.S. — Law Firms, Corporate Counsel Link Arms to Help Families Plan Ahead, A&M Law Professor Wins Back-to-Back Honors - In this edition of P.S., we report on law firms and corporate counsel who recently teamed up to staff clinics helping families in Houston and San Antonio prepare essential legal documents. And we spotlight Texas A&M Law Professor Luz Herrera, who received two prestigious honors recognizing her contributions to the Latino community. October 2, 2026Krista Torralva & Elle Grinnell

GCs, Lawyers & Firms

  • FBT Gibbons Adds Labor and Employment Partner in Houston - Teresa Hudson joins from Munck Wilson.
  • Gibbs & Bruns Promotes Two to Partner
  • Buchalter Expands Texas Presence, Combines with Griffith Davison
  • Veteran IP Litigator Joins Jackson Walker
  • Gibson Dunn Powers Up IP Practice, Adds Mathews and Fountain
  • Catching Up with Hope Shimabuku
  • Brown Fox Taps Chief Judge O’Connor Clerk to Lead Fort Worth Expansion
  • Austin Litigator Moves to Husch Blackwell
  • Munsch Hardt Adds Austin Bankruptcy Shareholder
  • Holland & Knight Adds Houston Energy Litigation Partner
More GCs, Lawyers & Firms

Lawyers in the News

Hover right to see full list

Chip Babcock
Chris Bankler
Jamie B. Beaber
David J. Beck
Bill Benitez
Jessica Berkowitz
Brent Bernell
Tyler Bexley
Shawn Blackburn
Michael Blankenship
Jeffrey Brill
Anita Brown
Ian Brown
Stuart Campbell
Jack Chadderdon
Paul Clement
Erin Nealy Cox
Scott Craig
Kevin Crews
Shamus Crosby
Hannah M. Crowe
Geoffrey Culbertson
Sean Cunningham
John Daywalt
Rajiv Dharnidharka
James Ducayet
Brian K. Erickson
Scott Everett
Weiru Fang
Elizabeth Freeman
Tad Freese
Melanie Fry
Geoff Gannaway
Paul Genender
John J. Gilluly III
Rodney Gilstrap
Andrew Gorham
John Greer
Joseph Grinstein
Matthew Haddad
Colleen Haile
Breen Haire
Shahmeer Halepota
Dionne Hamilton
Troy Harder
Rusty Hardin
Michael Hawes
Nathan Hecht
Stephen Hessler
Hillary Holmes
Marc Jaffe
Lauren Jenkins
David Jones
Atma Kabad
Susan Kennedy
David Kinder
Justin King
Allan Kirk
Melanie Koltermann
Doug Kubehl
Joe Laurel
Sang Lee
Steven Lockhart
Arthur Lotz
Barbara Lynn
Mike Lynn
Nora McGuffey
Stephanie McPhail
Mark Melton
Jeri Leigh Miller
Kimberly A. Moore
Mark Moore
Shelby Morgan
Alia Moses
Davis Mosmeyer III
Darren Nicholson
Eamon Nolan
Ivy Nowinski
Holland O’Neil
George Padis
Ian Peck
Jonathan Platt
Chase Proctor
Doug Rayburn
Joel Reese
Kevin Richardson
Andrew Rodheim
Seth Rubinson
Mazin Sbaiti
Ana Sanchez
Vincenzo Santini
Jeffrey Scharfstein
Robert Schroeder III
Scott Seidel
Steven Sexton
Ahmed Sidik
Robert Slovak
Emily Smith
Melissa R. Smith
Jonathon Soler
Robert Soza
Lande Spottswood
Craig Stanfield
Justin Stolte
Josh Teahen
Kelly Tidwell
Linda Tieh
Rafael B. de Toledo
Monica Uddin
Rhett Van Syoc
Rahul Vashi
Gabe Vazquez
Patrick Venter
Sarah Walden
Kandace Walter
Kyle Watson
Mikell Alan West
Noël Wise
Meng Xi

Firms in the News

Hover right to show full list

AZA
Baker Botts
The Bandas Law Firm
Beck Redden
Boies Schiller Flexner
Bracewell
Bradley Arant
Burns Charest
Clement & Murphy
Condon & Forsyth
DLA Piper
Dykema
Foley & Lardner
Gibson Dunn
Gillam & Smith
Haynes Boone
Holland & Knight
Jackson Walker
King & Spalding
Kirkland & Ellis
Latham & Watkins
Lynn Pinker
Mayer Brown
MoloLamken
Pamela Welch PLLC
Patton Tidwell Culbertson
Paul Hastings
Porter Hedges
The Probus Law Firm
Reese Marketos
Rusty Hardin & Associates
Sbaiti & Company
Sidley Austin
Simpson Thacher
Skadden
Squire Patton Boggs
Sullivan & Cromwell
Susman Godfrey
Troutman Pepper Locke
Vinson & Elkins
Weil
Willkie
Winston & Strawn

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