In the Push for Diversity at the Top, Norton Rose Fulbright Finds Sponsorship vs. Mentorship is Key

All corporate law firms struggle with racial and gender diversity, but Norton Rose Fulbright appears to have figured out the formula for inclusion among its highest ranks. Four of its U.S. management committee are women - three are women of color. The firm's new global chair is an African American woman. Six of the 11 associates promoted to partner this week are ethnic minorities or women. The data begs the question: How did a century old global law firm achieve so much diversity in its leadership ranks?

January 4, 2021 Mark Curriden

Diversity and Inclusion Matters. Now What?

While there is no single, easy roadmap for how to accomplish a diverse and inclusive workforce, Bell Nunnally partner Alana Ackels shares a few action items. She also shares insights from a global think tank on workplace diversity about how the shift to a virtual workplace has impacted inclusion.

December 21, 2020 Alana K. Ackels

Mergers & Acquisitions in a Pandemic

While conference calls, electronic data rooms and the electronic exchange of documents have been the ordinary course of business for some time, Bell Nunnally partner J. Jeffrey Cash says the coronavirus pandemic has had one big change on mergers and acquisitions: everything is taking longer. He explains the impact that is having on the M&A practice in this article.

December 8, 2020 J. Jeffrey Cash

Chevron’s Alyssa Schindler Knows Firsthand the Difference Pro Bono Lawyers Can Make

The 2020 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Creative Partnership goes to Chevron senior counsel Aylssa Schindler and Lauren Brogdon of Norton Rose Fulbright. The duo normally handle multimillion-dollar transactions and lawsuits, but they came together to co-engineer a major pro bono effort involving more than 20 lawyers from the energy giant and the global law firm to help 10 low-income victims of Hurricane Harvey.

November 19, 2020 Mark Curriden

What’s It Like to Try a Jury Trial — In Person — During the Pandemic?

Anybody who works in litigation knows that rolling with the punches is part of the job, and occasionally, even part of the thrill. But, when you throw the COVID-19 pandemic into the mix, you’re faced with a host of uncertainties and no rule book on how best to navigate the waters. Just last week a federal jury trial in Texas was halted after numerous positive cases and was declared a mistrial on Tuesday. CourtroomLogic Consulting's Kacy Miller shares what she and the Carrington Coleman trial team learned from a recent in-person federal jury trial.

November 18, 2020 Kacy Miller

Christina Ibrahim – A Transformational Chief Legal Officer

Christina Ibrahim’s accomplishments at Weatherford International include multiple large M&A deals and guiding the oil services company through a highly successful bankruptcy and restructuring that eliminated $6 billion in debt. But her achievement was much different, much deeper and much more important. The Association of Corporate Counsel Houston and The Texas Lawbook award the 2020 Houston Corporate Counsel’s General Counsel of the Year Award for a Large Legal Department to Ibrahim.

November 8, 2020 Mark Curriden

UPDATED: Houston Appellate Races Tighten Between Red & Blue (Again); Dems Sweep Dallas COA Races

The four races for seats on Houston’s First and Fourteenth courts of appeals are incredibly close. Three incumbent Republican justices are leading their opponents by 1%, while one Democratic candidate is ahead of the GOP incumbent justice by 1%. By contrast, three Democratic district court judges are leading the incumbent Republican justices on the Dallas Court of Appeals by significant margins. Natalie Posgate has the details.

November 4, 2020 Natalie Posgate

Texas Judicial Election Results

The Texas Lawbook has five journalists tonight - election night - covering the judicial appellate and trial court races and will provide details as the election results are provided.

November 3, 2020 Allen Pusey

The Lowdown on Straight-Ticket Voting in Texas

Straight-ticket voting is no more in Texas, but what are the implications? This article explains the history of the voting method and both parties' attitudes toward it.

October 30, 2020 Bruce Tomaso

SCOTX Election Overview: Incumbency Has its Privileges

The four races in the Supreme Court of Texas bring notable aspects from both groups of candidates. The incumbents have the advantage of much more campaign finance support from the legal community. The incumbents' opponents - all women - comprise the most diverse slate of challenger candidates the court has seen.

October 21, 2020 Bruce Tomaso