Shearman & Sterling Opening Office in Dallas
The new outpost, which follows openings in Austin and Houston, is part of the firm's U.S. expansion.
CDT Roundup: 21 Deals, 12 Firms, 101 Lawyers, $20.9B
M&A activity was down, down, down around the world in January, but dealmaking involving Texas lawyers was up, up, up. Claire Poole reports on that plus last week’s M&A and capital markets activity.
Jury Awards $2.1M in Houston Mall Dispute
“Meet me at the mall, it’s goin’ down,” has a whole new meaning beyond the lyrics in a 2006 hip-hop single after a jury found a real estate developer defrauded an investor in order to buy a Houston mall. Natalie Posgate details the story, which actually involved them meeting at the mall.
A Texas Battle Over Trademarks Reveals A Buddhist Schism
It took a Houston jury only 30 minutes to decide last month that the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam hadn't defrauded a member of its own church. But not even a quick verdict can resolve the ongoing dispute over what happened to $2.3 million and who gets to call itself "UBCV." Natalie Posgate sorts it out.
SCOTX: Emails ≠ Contract (at least not here)
In some cases, emails can spell out the terms of a contract. But the Texas Supreme Court ruled last week that landowners seeking compensation for a pipeline never constructed couldn't make that case. Janet Elliott explains.
Mergermarket: Kirkland No. 1 in Deal Count, V&E No. 1 in Deal Value
Kirkland & Ellis, Vinson & Elkins and Latham & Watkins continue to top the Texas M&A charts, according to new data from Mergermarket. Despite a decline in dealmaking in 2019, a few firms showed a jump in the number of transactions they handled last year, including DLA Piper, Willkie Farr, Hunton AK and Holland & Knight.
State Bar Discipline
Clearing out their report on disciplinary actions for 2019, the State Bar of Texas reported one disbarment, one resignation, nine suspensions and three public reprimands, including one for a South Texas county judge.
SCOTX Puts Contract Over Conduct, Ending $500M ETP-Enterprise Partnership Dispute – Updated
The Texas Supreme Court Friday ended an eight-year legal battle between Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners and Houston-based Enterprise Products Partners over a proposed partnership in a pipeline project. In a unanimous opinion, the court effectively wiped out a $535 million judgment, saying the two companies never fully executed their partnership agreement in the first place.
Cheniere and ex-CEO Souki Walk Away From Legal Battle on Eve of Trial
It began as a boardroom dispute then morphed into a legal feud involving Carl Icahn. But the much-anticipated trial between Cheniere Energy and its founder Charif Souki, ended before it began Thursday when the parties announced they'd reached a walkaway agreement. Natalie Posgate reports.
SCOTX Reverses $12M Judgment Against ConocoPhillips
The Supreme Court ruled Friday that a 1987 will handing down ownership of a Zapata County ranch included its mineral interests. Though it took him six charts to do so, Chief Justice Nathan Hecht showed that the mineral interests were distributed to her heirs exactly as Leonor Ramirez intended.