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News Analysis: Trump EOs v. Law Firms — All Eyes on Judge Neomi Rao - The court battle between the Trump administration and four corporate law firms, including Houston-based Susman Godfrey, is being argued Thursday at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
While many legal scholars agree that the likelihood of winning the appeal decisively favors the law firms, the focus will be on appellate Judge Neomi Rao, a conservative jurist, former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and champion of the Federalist Society. May 13, 2026
Chief Justice to Dallas Judge: Reconsider Mask Mandate - Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice James Blacklock has told a Dallas trial judge that she needs to reconsider her standing order requiring mask mandates and disclosure of personal health information before entering her courtroom. May 13, 2026
Justice Jackson Reflects on Her Early Years - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson shared stories from her early years at the Southern Methodist University Tate Lecture Series Tuesday evening. Justice Jackson is the third U.S. Supreme Court justice to visit the university campus in the last week. May 13, 2026
David Gerger to Defend Indicted Cargo Ship Engineer - The chief engineer of the Singaporean container ship MV Dali has hired prominent Houston criminal defense attorney David Gerger to represent him against federal charges filed Tuesday involving the ship’s March 2024 crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge that killed six people and caused billions of dollars in damages. May 12, 2026Dallas Lawyer Challenges Judge’s Mask Mandate - Products liability and medical malpractice trial lawyer Scott Frenkel has filed a legal challenge against a Dallas judge who continues to require the people in her courtroom to wear Covid-19-era facemasks. May 12, 2026
Kirkland, Sidley, Simpson Thacher Advise on VoltaGrid, Blackstone, Halliburton Deal - Blackstone and Halliburton agreed to invest $1 billion in VoltaGrid, a Houston company that provides power generation, portable power, CNG fuel supply, infrastructure and energy management services. VoltaGrid also is acquiring Propell Energy Technology, a Granbury manufacturer of oilfield and well-servicing equipment.
Kirkland & Ellis and Sidley Austin are advising VoltaGrid, while Simpson Thacher is advising Blackstone. May 12, 2026
Kirkland & Ellis and Sidley Austin are advising VoltaGrid, while Simpson Thacher is advising Blackstone. May 12, 2026
Judge Gilstrap Mulls Permanent Injunction Against Samsung - MARSHALL — A lawyer for Samsung argued during the hearing that the injunction Collision Communications seeks in the patent infringement case would prevent his client from importing “well above 75 percent of products” the electronics giant produces, including all phones and tablets. U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap took the motion under advisement and told the parties he would issue his decision as soon as practicable. May 11, 2026
Litigation Roundup: Energy Transfer Gets Partial Win in Arbitration Dispute - In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Google gears up to defend against patent infringement claims in Midland, the battle between the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars won't be going to a jury trial, a $17 million Ponzi scheme architect from Houston goes to prison, and the Texas Supreme Court sides with a lawyer fending off claims from a dissatisfied client. May 11, 2026
Centerpiece
Connecting Continents: Megumi Ryoya Played ‘Indispensable Role’ in Exxon-Mitsubishi Hydrogen Deal - Megumi Ryoya saw her future as a corporate lawyer during her senior year of college at Waseda University.
“I met an in‑house counsel at a well‑known Japanese manufacturer who told me that formal legal training and a bar license would significantly broaden what I could do professionally,” Ryoya told The Texas Lawbook. Fifteen years later, Ryoya is senior counsel at global powerhouse Mitsubishi Corporation, where she played a critical role during the past year in developing a joint venture agreement between Mitsubishi and ExxonMobil to develop the world’s largest low-carbon hydrogen project.
Citing her achievements, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Lawbook are honoring Ryoya with the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department. The awards recognize lawyers who have been in-house for two years or less. May 13, 2026
‘I Only Want You’: How Steven Scheinthal Became Tilman Fertitta’s Go-To Lawyer - Steven Scheinthal has one of the most unique and challenging jobs in corporate law — the general counsel for Tilman Fertitta, whose business holdings include the NBA’s Houston Rockets, the Golden Nugget casinos and hotels, Landry’s Seafood and Morton’s and Del Frisco’s steakhouses. The Houston billionaire is also reportedly interested in acquiring Caesars casinos and hotels.
“It is tough having one boss because his frustrations become yours,” Scheinthal said. “However, we have had a tremendous number of business successes from our IPO to follow on offerings, over 50-plus acquisitions, bond offerings, the Rockets purchase." Those successes continued through 2025. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are honoring Scheinthal with the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department. May 9, 2026
Expert Voices
Business Court: April 2026 Decisions - The Court continues to cement its judicial heavyweight status — with the month’s marquee event ringing in a 90-page opinion in the high-profile fight between the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars over control of the American Airlines Center. The Court also maintained its strategy of deploying Rule 166(g) to narrow cases early and tackled personal jurisdiction. May 11, 2026
Continued Scrutiny of Private Equity and Private Ownership of Healthcare Entities - Private investment in healthcare entities continued at a high pace in 2025, reaching global highs in deal value. A consequence of the high deal volume has been increased attention and scrutiny by many state governments of transactions between private equity and certain healthcare entities. While Texas failed to pass a healthcare transaction reporting law in the most recent legislative session, two proposed bills may be harbingers of similar future regulation to come. May 10, 2026
Stories You Might’ve Missed
‘The Golden Age for Corporate Law in Texas is Now’ (Updated) - Never in history have Texas corporate lawyers worked so many hours, charged such enormous rates and raked in more revenue and profits than they are right now. The Texas offices of more than three dozen law firms scored record-high revenues in 2025 — and many of them surpassed their old records by tens of millions of dollars, according to new Texas Lawbook 50 data.
Citing increased demand for legal services and healthy hourly rate increases, 48 of the Lawbook 50 law firms generated more revenue and more profits in their Texas operations in 2025 than they did in 2024. April 30, 2026
