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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
Trucking Co. Hit With $49M Jury Verdict in West Texas - The unanimous jury verdict was returned after three days of trial just before 8 p.m. Wednesday. Steffan Robert Mick, a 29-year-old married father of two, was killed in January 2025 when an OPG Logistics 18-wheeler turned in front of him on a farm-to-market road near Midland. May 21, 2026
Gibson Dunn Guides SpaceX on Potential Record‑Shattering IPO - Elon Musk's SpaceX filed a Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday for a much-anticipated initial public offering of its common stock that will trade on Nasdaq and Nasdaq Texas under the symbol "SPCX."
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher is advising SpaceX led by capital markets partners George Sampas in New York and Hillary Holmes, Harrison Tucker and Atma Kabad in Houston. Davis Polk is advising the underwriters. May 20, 2026
Asked & Answered with King & Spalding’s Bruce Hurley: AI & Civility in the Practice - In this edition of Asked & Answered, King & Spalding partner Bruce Hurley reflected on his career and recently being named trial lawyer of the year by the Texas chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. Hearing the stories from family who were trial lawyers pushed him toward becoming a trial lawyer himself. May 20, 2026
Simon Greenstone Panatier Secures $10.2M Jury Win in Minneapolis - Lawyers from Dallas-based Simon Greenstone Panatier recently secured a $10.2 million jury verdict for a mesothelioma client in Minneapolis. May 20, 2026
Centerpiece
Energy Transfer’s Ali Henderson is a ‘Trial Warrior’ - Most lawyers go a lifetime without winning a nine-digit litigation. Energy Transfer Assistant GC Ali Henderson won two in 2025. She co-led a complex, high-stakes trial in North Dakota that culminated in a historic $667 million jury verdict for the midstream energy giant. And she co-led the defense of a $200 million lawsuit against her company for negligence and trespass.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are awarding Henderson, Energy Transfer and the lawyers at Yetter Coleman and Gibson Dunn with the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Business Litigation of the Year. The Business Litigation award is one of the few that also recognizes the role of outside counsel in court victories. May 24, 2026
Siemens Energy GC Denise Hansen has ‘Consistently Overcome Adversity and Persevered’ - Denise Hansen has dealt with the consequences from constantly evolving tariffs; the continuous and massive federal regulatory changes in the energy sector, including the dialing back of wind-industry tax credits; the executive orders regarding diversity and inclusion; the emergence and employment of artificial intelligence; the successful licensing necessary to do potential work in Venezuela; and the extraordinary growth that SEI has experienced.
The Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook are honoring Hansen with the 2026 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for General Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department. May 24, 2026
Expert Voices
The Next Generation of Trial Lawyers MUST Use Pro Bono Work to Gain Courtroom Experience - The paradox of modern complex litigation is that the cases we dream of trying almost never get tried — and the smaller cases that once trained generations of trial lawyers are rarely handled at large firms anymore. As a result, I recommend resisting the urge to ask, “Where should I go?” Try asking, “What else can I do?” That question has one uncomfortable but effective answer — take responsibility for building your own trial experience. May 25, 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
