Main Content
Top Stories
Top Stories
Legal Aid Feels ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’ After Latest Funding Loss - A 3.6 percent funding cut approved by the U.S. Senate for the Legal Services Corporation — the federal nonprofit that funds legal aid organizations nationwide — will result in an estimated $1.9 million loss for Texas, marking yet another setback for legal aid providers after a year of repeated funding reductions, advocates said.
“It’s been death by a thousand cuts,” said Betty Torres, executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, which also supports the state’s three major organizations: Lone Star Legal Aid, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. Advocates remain grateful that funding continues for LSC, which had been on the chopping block after President Donald Trump proposed eliminating it entirely. January 28, 2026
“It’s been death by a thousand cuts,” said Betty Torres, executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, which also supports the state’s three major organizations: Lone Star Legal Aid, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. Advocates remain grateful that funding continues for LSC, which had been on the chopping block after President Donald Trump proposed eliminating it entirely. January 28, 2026
Former SEC Chief Trial Lawyer Takes Practice to Vartabedian - Prominent white-collar defense and corporate securities lawyer Toby Galloway has joined Vartabedian Hester & Haynes, a 35-lawyer Fort Worth boutique that has witnessed significant growth since it was founded two years ago.
The Texas Lawbook interviewed Galloway about the move to VHH. January 28, 2026
Baker Botts Secures a Win for Solaris in Patent Challenge - The Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled that all claims of Masaba’s patent for sand-handling equipment are unpatentable as obvious over combinations of prior art references. Masaba accused Solaris Oilfield Services Operating of infringing on the patent in a 2023 lawsuit before the Wyoming District Court. January 28, 2026
Brown Fox Jumps Over to The Quad, Nearly Doubles Footprint - Russ Brown, cofounder and managing partner of Brown Fox, said the full-service business boutique wanted to be in the “nerve center of the top economic center in the country.” It is the latest instance of Uptown landing a law firm’s Dallas digs. January 28, 2026
Houston Lawyer Tara Arnold, Five Others Killed in Maine Jet Crash - A private jet registered to Houston plaintiff's firm Arnold & Itkin crashed upon take-off at Bangor International Airport late Sunday killing all six aboard. By Tuesday evening, officials had yet to release the names of those killed in the fiery crash, but the victims reportedly included Tara Arnold, 46, an attorney at the firm and the wife of one of its founders. January 27, 2026
FAT Brands Hires Latham, Hunton AK, Steptoe In Texas Chapter 11 Filing - A California-headquartered national restaurant chain that operates Johnny Rockets, Fazoli’s, Twin Peaks and Fatburger filed for Chapter 11 business bankruptcy protection Monday in the Southern District of Texas. January 27, 2026
Litigation Roundup: Jackson Walker Defends Dr. Phil’s Son in NYPD Documentary Case - In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Dr. Phil’s son taps Jackson Walker to defend him from claims he breached a contract with New York City in the making of a television show about the city’s police department and an Energy Transfer subsidiary settles claims that violations of federal pipeline safety rules led to the death of an employee. January 26, 2026
Jury Awards $46M to Parents in Wrongful Death Suit - A Hays County jury found a truck driver and the company he works for liable for the death of an oil field worker. The jury awarded $46 million to the worker’s parents after deliberating for about four hours. January 26, 2026
Centerpiece
Trintech CLO Heather Randall Is a ‘Force Multiplier’ - Heather Randall joined Dallas-headquartered cloud-based software solutions company Trintech in August 2023 and immediately found herself immersed in one of the biggest challenges of her two-decade legal career. Just a month earlier, Trintech had completed its largest-ever acquisition — a $230 million purchase of Fiserv’s fintech and payment-solutions operations. The integration of the highly complex carveout transaction was just as complicated, and it fell to Randall to make significant parts of it work. And her accomplishments in 2025 have been equally as significant.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have named Randall as one of three finalists for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards for General Counsel of the Year for a Small Legal Department. January 28, 2026
Elaine Rodriguez Steers DFW Airport Through Turbulent Times - Elaine Rodriguez was looking for a new job in 2011 when a recruiter asked if she was interested in being the general counsel of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
“The more I learned, the more intrigued I became. And after years of doing annual reports and proxy statements, I thought it might be interesting to learn new things,” she said. “And, boy, have I learned new things,” Rodriguez told The Texas Lawbook.
The 14 years since have been filled with steep challenges and major achievements. And now the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Lawbook are honoring Rodriguez with the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Award for Lifetime Achievement. January 28, 2026
Expert Voices
AI and the Limits of the New ‘Introduction’ Rule in Petitions for Review - A 2026 rule amendment by the Texas Supreme Court mandates that petitions for review begin with an introduction of no more than 1,000 words explaining why review should be granted. At first glance, the rule seems sensible, given the hundreds of petitions that the court must promptly review every year. But that perceived benefit may be illusory. January 26, 2026
My Five Favorite Books: Kristen Cook (Chief Legal Officer at The Brink’s Company) - While I gravitate toward fiction, I do enjoy mixing in leadership and business books to challenge myself and broaden my perspective, but I won’t stray from fiction for too long, as I am convinced that even the lightest works of fiction offer valuable insights. Each of these works has moved me profoundly, resonating with me on a personal level. They all share themes that have shaped my outlook and contributed to my understanding of myself and the world. January 21, 2026
Stories You Might’ve Missed
The Legacy of Pennzoil v. Texaco 40 Years Later — The Civil Jury Trial of the Century - Pennzoil v. Texaco's legacy remains significant, as it changed how companies handle mergers and acquisitions, caused the Chamber of Commerce to designate Texas as a judicial hellhole in 1986 and directly led to two decades of massive tort reform efforts that dramatically limited the rights of Texans to sue businesses, doctors and insurance companies for wrongdoing. It also launched Texas trial lawyer Joe Jamail to national stardom and made him the richest trial lawyer in American history.
In this in-depth article, The Texas Lawbook provides a detailed timeline of the events involved in the historic litigation, as well as comments from more than a dozen lawyers about the legal strategies employed. November 18, 2025
