P.S. Honors Betty Torres, David Beck

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor once told me during an interview that “there are lawyer heroes among us” who use their training to “make this a better society.” Betty Torres and David Beck are two of those heroes. Their good deeds and commitment to the legal profession are being recognized. In addition, the Texas Young Lawyers Association is building a website that can help those with an interest in becoming lawyers but who have no connections to the law better understand the process of becoming a part of this noble profession.

January 17, 2025 Mark Curriden

Energy Transfer and Far West Texas Gas Companies Settle Lawsuit One Week Before Trial

Energy Transfer, represented by Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann, filed a lawsuit in April 2022 against Culberson Midstream Equity and Moontower Resources Gathering alleging a breach of their 2018 contract because the gas gatherers didn’t deliver committed gas. Culberson and Moontower, represented by Reese Marketos, filed a counterclaim also alleging a breach of contract.

January 16, 2025 Krista Torralva

Ousted Oil Executive’s Suit Goes to Trial in Dallas

Bernard Tubeileh, a German national, claims he was wrongly terminated by the Plano-based U.S. subsidiaries of a German oil and gas company he helped start. The companies say he resigned when his years of self-dealing, unlawful transactions and misappropriation of company funds came to light.

January 16, 2025 Bruce Tomaso

How Private Equity Will Shape M&A in 2025

With questions looming over the fate of the IRA, the likelihood of tariffs and more than a few geopolitical tensions muddying the view forward, many lawyers in the deal space are wary of describing what awaits them in the M&A market of 2025. However, one market area that almost all law firms and lawyers agree on, despite those serious variables, is that private equity will continue to help shape the world of Texas M&A.

January 16, 2025 Nick Peck

Exit Interview: Leigha Simonton

The U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas officially leaves office on Sunday, the day before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in. In a wide-ranging discussion with The Texas Lawbook, Leigha Simonton reflects on her two years as chief federal prosecutor in a district that sprawls across 100 counties, and her long years of public service that led her to the job.

January 16, 2025 Bruce Tomaso

Texas Capital Bank GC Anna Alvarado ‘Knows What Hard Work Really Is’

Anna Alvarado has an extraordinary life story. And she has experienced extraordinary success. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Alvarado grew up in government-subsidized housing at a work camp in Central California, picking grapes and selling cassette tapes. Neither of her parents spoke English. Her dad was an addict and felon who served prison time.

“Had it not been for all of those things and having to deal with all of those things, I would not be sitting here today,” Alvarado said in a 2022 interview. Today, she is a finalist for the 2024 DFW Corporate Counsel of the Year Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department.

January 15, 2025 Mark Curriden

Judge Awards $1.8M in Fees to Disabled Ex-NFL Player’s Lawyers

In a 34-page order, Judge Scholer found that the NFL and its retirement fund must pay Michael Cloud’s lawyers at Barlow Garsek & Simon in Fort Worth $1,232,058.75 for their pretrial and trial work, $550,000 for their appellate work and $30,074.72 in costs.

January 15, 2025 Mark Curriden

Blacklock Followed Public Sector Path to Lead Texas Judiciary

Some were surprised by Gov. Greg Abbott’s selection of Jimmy Blacklock as Texas Supreme Court Chief justice, but his eyes were always on big questions about the role of the constitution and development of the law. His leadership is likely to continue the court’s conservative rulings.

January 15, 2025 Janet Elliott

Litigation Roundup: SCOTX Changes Mind, Grants Review in Boeing, SWAPA Suit

In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Boeing gets a second chance to bring an end to a Southwest Airlines Pilots Association’s lawsuit, American Airlines is dealt a blow in a lawsuit over its 401(k) plan investing, and Attorney General Ken Paxton — in the wake of an appellate panel tossing his Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act suit against Google — has filed new lawsuits accusing TikTok of violating the same law and Allstate Insurance of using technology to unlawfully collect driving data to justify premium increases.

January 14, 2025 Michelle Casady

Jury Hands Landry’s Loss in TM Spat with Whiskey Distiller

Opening statements were delivered to jurors Wednesday afternoon in the lawsuit Landry’s filed against Lowell Zachary Landry and his company, Landry Distilling, in March 2023. Landry was one of just four witnesses called to testify during the trial that ended with a verdict in his favor around 1 p.m. Monday. 

January 13, 2025 Michelle Casady