Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Fifty-nine law students from eight different Texas law schools are among the 1,224 law students who filed an amicus brief supporting Susman Godfrey and three other law firms fighting executive orders issued last spring by President Donald Trump declaring the law firms to be threats to national security.
When it came time to pick the jury for a landmark, bellwether social media addiction trial against Meta and Google, Mark Lanier had a choice to make: Did he want a jury more likely to find liability, or a jury more likely to maximize damages? “In this case, I made the choice for a liability jury,” Lanier told The Texas Lawbook in an interview Thursday. “In this case, the most important thing was to win. I told the team, we may win and only win $250,000, but I want to make sure we win.”
An Abu Dhabi investor announced late Tuesday that it is taking a stake in two major natural gas pipelines that operate across and between the Upper Midwest and Canada.
Weil is advising on the deal with a team led from Houston.
In law school, we were taught to think critically, communicate persuasively and pay attention to detail. Law firm training was much more of the same, except with even greater emphasis on precision, especially as an M&A attorney. Often, the best lawyers are promoted to managers because of their technical skills or business development success. That doesn’t mean they’re prepared to lead people. We were trained to advise. Not to lead. And when the promotion comes, we’re often thrown into the deep end. Leadership becomes a trial by fire. But it doesn’t have to be.
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a recent ruling from a federal judge in Texas gives more clarity to oil and gas operators regarding the application of old contracts to modern drilling practices, and former Fifth Circuit Judge Gregg Costa gets a win in a gun rights case where he was appointed as amicus counsel to defend the Texas Penal Code.
In an oil and gas delivery contract dispute where Energy Transfer is seeking $432.7 million in damages, the parties gathered at the Embassy Suites in downtown Houston Monday for a bench trial that will take place before Business Court Judge Grant Dorfman over the next few weeks.
Houston food distribution giant Sysco said Monday that it agreed to acquire Jetro Restaurant Depot for $21.6 billion cash and 91.5 million common shares, representing a total enterprise value of about $29.1 billion.
Jennifer Kaplan Schott is Sysco's Chief Legal Officer and Eve McFadden is General Counsel.
Paul Weiss, Jones Day, Wachtell and Latham & Watkins advised on the deal.
In the legal profession, we’re trained to argue, advise and analyze. But leading is often left to chance.
This series explores what it really means to lead with clarity, courage and purpose — especially in high-stakes environments.
Drawing from her experiences as a law firm associate, in-house legal executive, board leader and mentor, Jacobs General Counsel Chasity Henry shares lessons that go beyond titles and job descriptions. Whether you're a junior attorney, law firm partner or general counsel, Henry invites you to reflect on how your values, choices and actions shape the culture you create and the legacy you build.
The week ended March 28 saw 13 deals with a total reported value of $10.7 billion. The week prior boasted 11 deals valued at $7.5 billion. This time a year ago, there were 21 deals valued at nearly $8.2 billion. We'll choose to reckon stability in those numbers.
Last week's deals had Texas companies in transactions for increased investment in healthcare-related AI platforms, more data centers, and geothermal power development. While Texas lawyers advised on deals for a gas-fired power plant in the West Texas town of Pecos, a mining outfit in Greenland, and a Canadian provider of liquid cooling technologies for AI development.
President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting Susman Godfrey “violates the First Amendment many times over,” is “odious viewpoint discrimination” and should be declared unconstitutional and illegally unenforceable.
With that opening argument, lawyers for Susman Godfrey filed a new brief Friday asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to uphold a lower court ruling permanently restraining President Trump’s executive order issued last spring targeting the Houston litigation powerhouse from being enforced. Two other corporate law firms that were the targets of President Trump’s EOs — WilmerHale and Jenner & Block — also filed briefs in their respective cases, which have been consolidated before the federal appeals court in Washington, D.C.
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