Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Roxanne Almaraz was four when she told her parents that she planned to be either a lawyer or a cardiothoracic surgeon. Thirty-five years later, she is the general counsel of a multibillion-dollar philanthropic and public policy-oriented LLC in Houston. Along the way, Almaraz worked on some major energy M&A transactions. This is her story.
The combination of economic crises Texas is now facing will likely fuel corporate restructuring at all levels for years to come. Even before the pandemic, bankruptcy lawyers were preparing for a surge in oil and gas bankruptcies and reorganizations. Jeff Prostok says these challenges are not insurmountable and shares recommendations for at-risk companies in this article.
Employers simultaneously face a public-health crisis and the requirements of a sweeping new law. This guest article from labor and employment experts at Bell Nunnally answers key questions Texas employers need to be mindful of to protect both the welfare of their employees and the livelihood of their businesses.
This week the First Court of Appeals in Austin rejected an appeal by Mikel Peter Eggert to reverse his 2008 disbarment after his conviction for conspiring to falsify evidence. Although his appeal failed, it stirs up a convoluted tale about a newly-minted lawyer in Erath County who briefly followed in his father's messy footsteps practicing law outside the law.
GALLERY ADDED With more than 100 nominations, 27 finalists and 13 separate categories, the DFW/ACC and The Texas Lawbook hosted more than 400 corporate lawyers at the 2019 Outstanding Corporate Counsel Awards.
Blucora Inc.’s journey last year to acquire Dallas-based competitor 1st Global Inc. for $180 million faced several obstacles. Those involved in the deal say Blucora CLO Ann Bruder's steady hand and strategic maneuvering is the reason the transformational transaction closed.
An eight year veteran of the U.S. Army, Glen Hill had no idea what public finance was. But after a decade of training in the Bracewell muni-bond practice, Hill is the assistant general counsel at Preston Hollow Capital and has “touched” more than 80 financial transactions. He’s worked on 35 deals that have closed.
Lori Browne attended her first law school class when she was seven and she immediately gave up her dream of being a rock star in favor of practicing law. Three decades later, Browne is the GC of a pipe manufacturer that employs 5,000 people, operates 85 manufacturing facilities and has a market cap of $922 million. And she's had a really big year.
Alan Dorantes worked on the set of Oliver Stone’s "Born on the Fourth of July." He was once Matthew Broderick’s stand-in and he is almost certainly the only corporate lawyer in Texas with an award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The AT&T senior counsel is a national expert on diversity in the legal profession and is involved in several groundbreaking public service projects in Texas. He's also packing his bags and leaving town.
Former American Airlines GC Gary Kennedy was at the center of extraordinary growth, extreme tumult and radical change at one of the world’s largest commercial airlines. He implemented groundbreaking mandatory pro bono and diversity efforts. He navigated American through the tidal wave of litigation set in motion after the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks and negotiated an historic agreement that settled a decades-long dispute with Southwest Airlines regarding Dallas Love Field. Most of all, Kennedy guided American through one of the largest, most complex and financially successful bankruptcies in U.S. history.
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