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Fertitta Buys Caesars for $17.6B - Houston-based Fertitta Entertainment added significantly to its gambling and hospitality holdings Thursday, cutting a long-rumored deal for Caesars Entertainment for $17.6 billion in cash and assumption of debt. Guided by general counsel Steven Scheinthal, Fertitta chose White & Case as outside counsel. Caesars tapped both Latham & Watkins and Skadden Arps. Coincidentally, Scheinthal (pictured) is being honored Thursday night by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook with the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department. The Lawbook's Jason Philyaw has more on the deal and the more than 70 lawyers involved. May 28, 2026Exxon Shareholders Approve Texas Reincorporation Plan - Exxon shareholders approved the move to Texas, first recommended in March, with more than 70 percent of shareholders voting in favor.
The move may prove more historical than controversial. While the company's relocation received some opposition, the controversy was nothing compared to Exxon's legal and historical past. May 28, 2026
Bench Trial Commences Between the Trustee of a Senior Living Community and Its Landlord - The bench trial between the trustee of a Dallas luxury senior living community and its landlord began Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court Judge Ada Brown’s courtroom. The Edgemere went into bankruptcy in 2022 and was bought at auction in 2023. The company claims its landlord attempted to take control of the business. May 27, 2026
Litigation Roundup: Elite Fort Worth Private School Hit with Negligence Suit - In this edition of Litigation Roundup, Texas follows up on its state court lawsuit against proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services with a lawsuit against Glass, Lewis & Co. in Collin County, and Gray Reed secures a complete defense win for a homebuilder client in a Tarrant County jury trial. May 26, 2026
Texas Capital’s Dan Hoverman: The Finance Executive Who Thinks Like a Lawyer - Dan Hoverman built his career by understanding the law and succeeding in high finance, but the Texas Capital executive insists it was never the product of a master plan so much as a habit of following the right mentors at the right moments.
The Texas Lawbook recently sat down with the Kirkland alum to discuss his unique career path, his sports career, the dealmaking environment in Texas and more. May 24, 2026
CDT Roundup: A $79 Billion Week, Yet SpaceX Still Steals the Shot - Sixteen deals were reported to the CDT Roundup this week valued at $79.4 billion the second-highest weekly total recorded this year — or, if you prefer, the largest weekly total that didn’t involve SpaceX. Well, not exactly.
That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup. May 24, 2026
That and more in this edition of CDT Roundup. May 24, 2026
SCOTX Issues Divided Decision in Greystar Supersedeas Bond Case - The Texas Supreme Court on Friday determined 5-4 that Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 52.006(b)(2), which applies a $25 million cap on bonds posted to appeal, applies per judgment debtor. May 22, 2026
P.S. — Lawmakers Examine Rural Attorney Shortage, Susman Godfrey Increases Diversity Prize, HisBA Sets Fundraising Record - In this edition of P.S., we cover a Texas House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee hearing on how the state’s law schools can help address a lawyer shortage in rural parts of Texas. Lawmakers heard from Texas A&M University School of Law Dean Robert Ahdieh and SMU Dedman School of Law Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center Executive Director Pamela Metzger, among others, about how the legislature, bar and universities can work together to ease the gap. May 21, 2026Texas Hires Ex-AG Barr to Sue ISS Over Alleged ESG Bias - Round Two of a fight between the state of Texas and proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services is now underway before Round One has ended, after a new lawsuit was filed by the state in Collin County this week. May 21, 2026
Centerpiece
ConocoPhillips’ Scott Kelly: 2025 was ‘Most Challenging and Rewarding Year Ever’ - Scott Kelly accomplished more in his first year at ConocoPhillips than many in-house counsel accomplish in decades of service. Kelly joined the ConocoPhillips legal department in December 2024 but has already won three major trials, defeating $250 million in claims against ConocoPhillips and recovering $12 million in damages. And he settled a fourth case that involved multiple fatalities.
Citing these huge courtroom victories, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are awarding the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year Award for a Large Legal Department to Kelly. May 28, 2026
KBR’s Kriste Sullivan Instrumental in ‘Mighty Big’ Win - When a federal jury in Houston hit KBR with a $71 million verdict in a trade secrets case involving processes used to manufacture polycarbonate, the engineering and construction firm’s senior counsel Kriste Sullivan didn’t flinch.
She knew the plaintiffs had taken a big gamble. And she knew she had an ace in the hole. But it wasn’t just the luck of the draw that resulted in KBR eventually completely pouring out Trinseo’s $360 million trade secrets case.
Citing that win, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook have honored Sullivan, KBR and the lawyers at Susman Godfrey and Bracewell the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year. May 28, 2026
Expert Voices
As Austin Business Skyrockets, So Too Does Reliance on Modern Dispute Resolution - As the city has grown rapidly, this thriving business hub has seen increased complexity in legal disputes tied to technology, construction, energy, healthcare, and employment matters, just to name a few. With this increase, the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services has also steadily risen. Fortunately, Austin has long enjoyed a sophisticated ADR marketplace, serving this expanding business community for approximately three decades. May 28, 2026
Collaboration, Coaching and Exxon’s Winning Securities Class Action Defense - In the counsel of many, there is wisdom.
That is a paraphrase of an Old Testament quote that I used in the opening of the securities class action we tried to a jury earlier this month in Judge Ed Kinkeade’s court in Dallas. It applied to our securities class action defense, which was rooted in the good faith efforts of the hard-working people of ExxonMobil. But it also applied to the trial team that won the case, a combination of firms and lawyers that came together to produce a winning result in a very rare circumstance where unexpected events intervened. May 27, 2026
Stories You Might’ve Missed
‘The Golden Age for Corporate Law in Texas is Now’ (Updated) - Never in history have Texas corporate lawyers worked so many hours, charged such enormous rates and raked in more revenue and profits than they are right now. The Texas offices of more than three dozen law firms scored record-high revenues in 2025 — and many of them surpassed their old records by tens of millions of dollars, according to new Texas Lawbook 50 data.
Citing increased demand for legal services and healthy hourly rate increases, 48 of the Lawbook 50 law firms generated more revenue and more profits in their Texas operations in 2025 than they did in 2024. April 30, 2026
