Commentary

State Legislatures, Local Governments and Courts Attack Employer Use of Salary History

Robert Nichols and Lauren West| April 23, 2018

While recognizing that the drafters of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) had, in passing this law, spoken eloquently of the need for gender-based pay…

Newsmakers: Week of April 23, 2018

Mary Alice Salmon| April 23, 2018

Christopher M. Staine has been promoted to the position of director in Crowe & Dunlevy’s recently opened Dallas office.

News

Oil Spill Lawyers Win Rare Disaster Class Certification for Coastal Property Owners

Amanda Bronstad | April 20, 2018

A plaintiffs team suing a pipeline operator over a 2015 oil spill off the coast of California scored a rare win when a federal judge granted certification of thousands of property owners. Of course, that success came on the third try.

News

Exxon Mobil Appeals Dismissal of Bid to Derail State AGs' Climate Change Actions

Colby Hamilton | April 20, 2018

The energy company, facing probes into whether it deceived shareholders and the public over climate change, saw its suit against the attorneys general tossed in late March.

News

Proskauer Looks to Ditch Still-Pending Stanford Ponzi Suit

Scott Flaherty | April 20, 2018

Ahead of an upcoming Dallas trial, Proskauer's defense team filed a notice on Thursday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit as part of an effort to escape claims from an official committee of investors who lost money in R. Allen Stanford's massive, long-running Ponzi scheme.

News

Quilling Selander Picks Up Nine Lawyers from Strasburger

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 20, 2018

The moves occurred in the wake of the recent merger between Strasburger & Price and Clark Hill.

News

Abbott Seeks AG Approval to Call Special Election

Katheryn Tucker | April 20, 2018

Abbott said in a letter to the AG that he needs to call a special election “as soon as is legally possible” to replace U.S. Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Corpus Christi, who has resigned his position representing the 27th congressional district.

Analysis

Higher Law: Your 4/20 Update on Cannabis as a Practice

Cheryl Miller | April 20, 2018

What do President Trump's statements on marijuana might mean for state-legalization efforts? Plus, California is trying—again—to find a banking solution for cannabis businesses and a marijuana law boutique expands to meet demand.

Q&A

Q&A: Lance Armstrong's Lawyer Talks Shop About Settling with US Postal Service

Ross Todd | April 19, 2018

Elliot Peters of Keker, Van Nest & Peters says "100 percent" of him wished he could take the doping case to trial, but that the $5 million settlement Armstrong reached "puts litigation out of his life."

Profile

A Lawyer Recounts How She Became Pen Pals With Barbara Bush

Angela Morris| April 19, 2018

“To my surprise, they started writing back,” said Vander-Plas, an attorney at the Brad J. Davidson Law Firm in Lubbock, who practices civil litigation and appeals and business law.

News

Survey Shows 27 Percent Pay Gap for Top Women Equity Partners

Miriam Rozen | April 19, 2018

Even "star" partners pay a big price for their gender, new research by Acritas found.

News

Man Sentenced to 80 Years in Medicare Fraud Among HHS's Most Wanted Fugitives

Kristen Rasmussen | April 19, 2018

Ebong Aloysius Tilong is believed to have fled the United States. Last October, he was sentenced, in absentia, to one of the longest-ever terms for health care fraud for his role in a $13 million Medicare scheme in Houston.

Commentary

Selected Hot Topics for the Business Aviation Community in 2018

David T. Norton| April 19, 2018

The business aviation community — anyone operating aircraft ranging from multi-engine business jets down to single-engine piston airplanes under…

News

February Bar Exam Performance Hits Record Low

Karen Sloan | April 19, 2018

A decline in the average MBE score from the February 2018 bar exam does not bode well for pass rates, which are beginning to trickle out.

News

Southwest Airlines Passengers Looking to Lawyer Up After Emergency Landing

Samantha Joseph | April 18, 2018

Less than 24 hours after a Dallas-bound Southwest Airlines jet made an emergency landing in Philadelphia Tuesday, attorney Ladd Sanger had already fielded two calls from passengers.

News

Gibson Dunn's Ted Olson Puts New Squeeze on Consumer Bureau

C. Ryan Barber | April 18, 2018

A team from Gibson Dunn fought the CFPB in the D.C. Circuit—and now they're in the Fifth Circuit challenging the agency's single-director design. Will one of these cases reach the U.S. Supreme Court?

News

Austin Lawyer/Lobbyist Leaves Gardere, Goes Solo

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 18, 2018

Royce Poinsett, who had worked as a lawyer/lobbyist at Gardere Wynne Sewell since 2014, left to form his own firm in Austin.

News

Proposed Student Loan Cap Could Devastate Law Schools

Karen Sloan | April 18, 2018

Experts worry that provisions within the pending reauthorization of the Higher Education Act will exacerbate legal education's diversity challenges and put a J.D. out of reach of low-income students.

Texas Appeals Court Upholds Family Member Exclusion in Auto and Umbrella Policies

Steven A. Meyerowitz, Esq., Director, FC&S Legal| April 18, 2018

An appellate court in Texas has ruled that a family member exclusion in a Texas personal auto policy and a similar provision in a personal liability umbrella policy were not void as against public policy.

News

Energy Transfer Equity Denied New Hearing in $1.5B Fee Dispute

Tom McParland | April 17, 2018

A vice chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery on Monday refused Energy Transfer Equity's bid for a second chance at claiming a nearly $1.5 billion break-up fee stemming from the pipeline company's failed merger with The Williams Cos. Inc.

News

As Hot Texas Legal Market Presents Abundant Lateral Opportunities, Dallas Firm Gruber Hail Decides to Close

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 17, 2018

With out-of-state firms moving in and competition for lateral hire increasing, lawyers at a Dallas trial boutique choose to go their separate ways.

News

'Not Worried About Blowback': Lawyers for Sandy Hook Families Discuss Suit Against InfoWars' Alex Jones

Robert Storace | April 17, 2018

Two families of children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting sue InfoWars host Alex Jones for defamation.

News

Newsmakers: Week of April 16

Mary Alice Salmon| April 17, 2018

Melissa Winchester has been promoted to shareholder in McGuire, Craddock & Strother in Dallas. Winchester is a transactions lawyer with experience in mergers and acquisitions, strategic business alliances, securities offerings and fundraising and general corporate matters.

News

Read the Documents: Sandy Hook Families Sue InfoWars' Alex Jones

Robert Storace | April 17, 2018

Two families that lost children in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting have sued Infowars and two of its employees, claiming the media outlet defamed them.

News

Conservative Law Prof Heckled by CUNY Protestors Warns of Troubling Trend

Karen Sloan | April 17, 2018

Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, says "there is a lot of silence from people who should be speaking out about this."

News

US Slaps China's ZTE Corp. With Export Ban Over False Statements

Sue Reisinger | April 17, 2018

The move was spurred by the government's assertion that, contrary to terms of a 2017 settlement, ZTE paid full bonuses to employees that had engaged in illegal conduct and failed to issue letters of reprimand.

News

Locke Lord Hires Troutman Sanders International Arbitration Duo in Hong Kong

Anna Zhang | April 17, 2018

The Texas-based firm has hired the two-lawyer disputes team as Atlanta-based Troutman winds down its Asia practice.

News

Spencer Fane Adds 4 Lawyers in Texas

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 16, 2018

Three of the Spencer Fane lateral hires came from Strasburger & Price, which merged earlier this month with Clark Hill.

News

An Exxon Mobil In-House Leader Looks Back: A Q&A With JoAnn Lee

Rebekah Mintzer | April 16, 2018

Lee, a veteran of the legal department at Exxon Mobil, has a lot to say about the law and the legal profession's persistent diversity problem.

News

Sheppard Mullin Launches Dallas Office

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 16, 2018

The firm's new Dallas office has a total of 18 lawyers, with more on the way.

News

Burn Victim in Plywood Mill Explosion Secures $33M Verdict From Harris County Jury

Max Mitchell | April 16, 2018

A man severely burned in a fatal explosion at a plywood mill in Corrigan, Texas, has won a more than $33 million verdict. A Harris County jury…

News

Orrick Poaches V&E Energy Partner and Office Head in Tokyo, Hughes Hubbard M&A Dealmaker in NYC

Dan Packel | April 15, 2018

James Atkin was Vinson & Elkins’ Tokyo office managing partner before moving to Orrick.

News

Suit Alleges Houston Woman Seduced, Defrauded Prominent Texas Lawyer Walter Umphrey

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 13, 2018

The lawsuit, filed in Harris County, seeks more than $2 million from the Houston woman and her lawyer.

Sen. Carlos Uresti, Convicted of Fraud Charges, Resigns Law License in Lieu of Discipline

Angela Morris| April 13, 2018

State Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, under conviction for 11 felony fraud-related charges, has resigned his law license rather than face an attorney…

News

In Wake of Merger, Gardere Loses Another Partner to Akerman

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 13, 2018

Litigator Matthew Schroeder had spent his career at Gardere before the Foley-Gardere merger prompted his departure.

'Conclusory Statements' Against Insurance Adjuster Lead Court To Dismiss Insureds' Complaint

Steven A. Meyerowitz, Esq., Director, FC&S Legal| April 13, 2018

A federal district court in Texas has dismissed a complaint filed by two insureds against an insurance adjuster, concluding that it failed to “adequately describe the cause of their loss.”

News

VirnetX Scores $502.5M Verdict Against Apple

Scott Graham | April 12, 2018

It's the second nine-figure verdict obtained by the company and its Caldwell Cassady & Curry lawyers in the last year. But Apple says the PTAB has already invalidated all of the patents.

News

Legal Education in 'Perilous Moment' as Leaders Gather to Examine Its Future

Karen Sloan | April 12, 2018

Law schools have yet to embrace significant structural change despite years of financial and market pressures, said educators at the Summit on the Future of Legal Education and Entry to the Profession in Miami.

News

PTO Director: 'Something Must Be Done' to Clarify Section 101

Scott Graham | April 11, 2018

In a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Andrei Iancu also promised wide-ranging review of Patent Trial and Appeal Board operations and standards.

News

Houston Partner Tapped for Management Role at Hunton Andrews Kurth

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 11, 2018

Robin Russell, longtime managing partner of Andrews Kurth Kenyon's Houston office, will be deputy managing partner at the newly merged firm.

Commentary

Immigration May Be on Hold in Congress, but the Trump Administration Continues to Restrict Legal Immigration

Charles C. Foster| April 10, 2018

Over a year ago, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated and set out to make good on campaign promises that would deport illegal immigrants and seek funds…

News

Texas Supreme Court Rejects High School Teacher's Same-Sex Harassment Case

John Council | April 10, 2018

The Texas Supreme Court has rejected a sexual harassment case filed by a female public school teacher after concluding there was no sexual intent or gender motivation behind the alleged offensive comments about her breast size and unwanted touching by female colleagues.

News

Strasburger & Price Merges with Clark Hill

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 10, 2018

The merger marks the third this month involving a large Texas firm.

Commentary

Strategies for Collecting Fees from Clients

Shari Klevens and Alanna Clair| April 10, 2018

Collecting legal fees can be just as important to a law firm’s success as effectively handling client representations. Although attorneys spend years…

Restaurant’s Failure to Provide Financial Information to Insurer Doomed Its Claim for Fire Damage

Steven A. Meyerowitz, Esq., Director, FC&S Legal| April 10, 2018

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has upheld a jury’s decision that an insured restaurant failed to provide financial information requested by its insurer, to the insurer’s prejudice, and, therefore, the circuit court reversed the district court’s entry of judgment in favor of the restaurant.

News

Morales, Austin Attorney Who Served as Rick Perry's General Counsel, Nominated to Federal Bench

John Council | April 10, 2018

President Donald Trump has nominated David S. Morales, an Austin attorney who previously served as general counsel to former Gov. Rick Perry, to become a U.S. District Court judge in the Southern District of Texas.

Commentary

After the Driverless Fatality, Insurance and Litigation Will Be Forever Changed

Randy Maniloff| April 10, 2018

Unlike an inconsequential glitch with your office computer, in the case of driverless cars it's control, alt and someone’s life is deleted.

News

Red-Handed Rip-off? Retailers Hit With RICO Lawsuit Over Shoplifting Program

Ross Todd | April 09, 2018

A federal RICO lawsuit filed Monday in the Northern District of California claims a group of seven retailers, including Walmart and Abercrombie & Fitch, participated in a scheme to extort accused shoplifters.

News

Facebook's Response in Court Less Conciliatory Than Zuckerberg's Planned Congressional Testimony

Amanda Bronstad | April 09, 2018

As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has prepared to apologize this week on Capitol Hill over security issues, the social media giant's lawyers struck a…

News

Delaware Bankruptcy Judge Approves The Weinstein Co. Auction Plan

Tom McParland | April 09, 2018

A Delaware judge has approved The Weinstein Co.'s blueprint for the bidding procedures governing the troubled movie studio's fast-tracked bankruptcy sale.

News

Sex For Legal Work Gets Former San Antonio Lawyer 80-Year Prison Sentence

John Council | April 09, 2018

A South Texas jury has sentenced former San Antonio criminal defense attorney Mark Benavides to 80 years in prison for having sex with his clients in exchange for legal services.

News

ABA Considers Tossing LSAT Requirement, Disagreement Ensues

Karen Sloan | April 09, 2018

Legal academics appear split on an ABA proposal, saying the move would invite experimentation or imperil vulnerable students.

Newsmakers: Week of April 9

Mary Alice Salmon| April 06, 2018

James McNeel has joined Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry as a shareholder in San Antonio. McNeel focuses his practice on fiduciary…

News

Fish & Richardson Offers 6-Figure Bonuses to Federal Circuit Clerks

Ryan Lovelace | April 06, 2018

The intellectual property-focused Am Law 100 firm has hiked its Federal Circuit bonuses by 30 percent.

News

New Report Looks at Rise of Class Action Bans in Employment Contracts

Erin Mulvaney | April 06, 2018

Nearly 65 percent of workplaces where the average wage is less than $13 an hour also require mandatory arbitration agreements for their employees, according to the Economic Policy Institute report. The U.S. Supreme Court this term is looking at these agreements in action that involves the NLRB and private companies.

News

Client Conflict in Gardere/Foley Merger Steers Group to Polsinelli

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 06, 2018

Conflicts also prompted other lawyers to leave Gardere prior to the merger.

News

Dallas Attorney Gets Eight Years in Prison for Masturbating in Front of Teens at Law Office

John Council | April 06, 2018

A Dallas criminal defense attorney who lured teenage girls to his law office with the promise of a job and then masturbated in front of them will be…

News

150 Women Lawyers Plan Brigade to Oklahoma Capitol Over Teacher Pay

Angela Morris| April 06, 2018

Through Facebook, attorney Becki Murphy organized the group, made up mostly of women lawyers with children.

News

'Starry-Eyed' Firms Looking for Lone-Star Mates as Merger Mania Strikes Texas

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 06, 2018

Two big mergers involving Texas firms became final this month. Could more be on the way?

News

Law School Applications Are Up, Especially Among High LSAT Scorers

Karen Sloan | April 06, 2018

The percent of applicants with LSAT scores of 160 or higher is up more than 21 percent over last year, a welcome development for legal educators who have struggled to attract strong candidates in recent years.

News

Due to Client Conflict, Two IP Lawyers Leave Gardere, Join Oklahoma Firm in Dallas

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 05, 2018

As some lawyers left Gardere on eve of its merger with Foley & Lardner, the newly formed Foley Gardere has started to expand in Texas.

Commentary

Is the FCC About to Get Throttled? The Likelihood of Success on Reversing Net Neutrality

Michael A. Holmes| April 05, 2018

In December 2017, the Federal Communications Commission, led by former Verizon executive and Trump-appointee Ajit Pai, issued its order to reverse…

News

Pssst: Older Partners, It's Time To Start Passing Those Clients On

Miriam Rozen | April 05, 2018

Firms are finding that many baby boomer partners nearing retirement are reluctant to relinquish client relationships.

News

Appellate Lawyer of the Week: Houston Attorney Helps Protect a Small Part of Tony Buzbee's Huge Verdict

John Council | April 05, 2018

David George was brought in on appeal of a stunning $159 million jury verdict for a group of six laborers severely burned, and one of them killed, in a 2012 explosion at a Valero refinery.

Commentary

'Forum' and 'Venue': A Distinction With a Difference in Texas

Jim Zucker and Wyatt Dowling| April 05, 2018

Courts and lawyers often use the words “forum” and “venue” interchangeably. However, the terms have different meanings and have significantly…

News

Texas Jury Convicts Ex-San Antonio Lawyer of Having Sex With Clients

John Council | April 04, 2018

A Texas jury has found a former San Antonio criminal defense attorney guilty of having sex with his clients in exchange for legal services. He faces…

News

Meet Big Law’s Real March Madness Winner

Brian Baxter | April 03, 2018

Move over Villanova. Scott Griffin “Griff” Aldrich, a former partner at Vinson & Elkins, parlayed arguably one of the biggest upsets in men’s college basketball history last month into a new job in April.

News

That Big Law Merger You Just Read About? He's Behind It

Roy Strom | April 03, 2018

Three Big Law combinations closed this week. It could be a record. And Kent Zimmermann should know: He advised firms in all three deals.

Commentary

Creative Plaintiffs Drive Rapid Evolution of Patent Venue Law

Kirt O’Neill and Colin Phillips| April 03, 2018

After the Supreme Court drastically altered patent venue law last year, plaintiffs are scrambling for ways to keep suing corporate defendants in perceived plaintiff-friendly forums, such as the Eastern District of Texas.

News

Net Income Jumps 9 Percent at Strasburger & Price in 2017

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 03, 2018

Strasburger & Price managing partner Dan Butcher said the firm's financials were affected somewhat by Hurricane Harvey.

News

UNT Dallas College of Law Names New Dean

Angela Morris| April 03, 2018

The University of North Texas Dallas College of Law this summer will welcome Angela Felecia Epps as the new leader of the law school. Epps takes over at a critical time for the school as it works to earn full accreditation.

News

Fifth Circuit Orders, And Gets, Ruling on Houston Judge's 9-Year-Old Case

John Council | April 03, 2018

“We recognize that this is a complex matter and district court judges have broad discretion in managing their dockets," the court said. "However, discretion has its limits.”

News

Supreme Court Ousts Special Master in Rio Grande Water Dispute

Tony Mauro | April 03, 2018

The Supreme Court’s action may have little to do with special master A. Gregory Grimsal himself. The court replaced Grimsal with Senior Judge Michael Melloy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

News

Jackson Walker Grabs 4 Gardere Real Estate Partners

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 02, 2018

With Gardere Wynne Sewell combining with Foley & Lardner, a group of six lawyers, including four partners, has moved to Jackson Walker's Dallas office, along with an associate from Gruber Hail Johansen Shank.

News

Texas Attorney Files $100 Million Lawsuit Against Critic, Ethics Grievant

John Council | April 02, 2018

A Denton attorney is seeking $100 million in damages from a critic who filed a grievance against him with the State Bar of Texas and, he claims, got…

News

Law Students Benefit From 'Brain Training,' Study Finds

Karen Sloan | April 02, 2018

Texas Tech law students were better able to synthesize cases and apply legal concepts broadly after undergoing "brain training" during orientation.

Commentary

OSHA on the OCS? Fifth Circuit Affirms Preemption of OSHA Regulations on OCS MODU

Kat C. Statman| April 02, 2018

The Fifth Circuit, in Thomas v. Hercules Offshore Services, L.L.C., Case No. 17-30638 (Fiftth Cir. March 2, 2018), concluded per curiam that the Occupational…

News

Husch Blackwell Grabs 14 Lawyers from Gardere On Heels of Foley-Gardere Merger

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | April 02, 2018

The moves are further evidence that mergers in Texas are spurring a hot lateral market.

New Nonprofit Firm the First Founded by Baby Lawyers

Angela Morris| April 02, 2018

Two recent law graduates in Houston have joined a national trend by launching a new nonprofit law firm to serve low- and middle-income clients.

News

Voting Begins for Next President-Elect of the State Bar of Texas

Angela Morris| April 02, 2018

Lawyers begin voting today to decide whether Lisa Blue or Randy Sorrels will become the next president-elect of the State Bar of Texas. Lawyers…

Editor's Letter

Editor's Note: Award-Worthy

Heather Nevitt | April 01, 2018

As I write this editor note, another year of the Oscars in the books. I enjoy watching the Oscars—primarily for the fashion, but that is usually…

Commentary

Cultivating Confidential Information in a Viral World

Lizzette Palmer| April 01, 2018

Social media may sprout business opportunity, but it also compounds existing challenges to predictably protecting critical, secret business information.

April 2018 Issue

Texas Lawyer| April 01, 2018

April 2018

The Decider: David Peeples Is the Judge Texas Regularly Calls On to Resolve Its Hottest Cases

John Council | April 01, 2018

Of the more than 600 Texas jurists who serve the state, most of them end up making at least one or two controversial decisions during their time on the bench. But in his 36 years as a judge, David Peeples of San Antonio has seemingly made a lifetime of tough calls.

Commentary

Should Lawyers Spend More Time 'Being' and Less 'Doing'?

Jim Dolan| April 01, 2018

Years ago, I spent time with a therapist who asked, “What do you want to be, Jim?” This question usually flummoxed me, but I gave it a go. “Well…

Commentary

Work Matters: Five Professional Values to Live By

Michael P. Maslanka| April 01, 2018

Professional Responsibility is in my teaching portfolio. I teach the Model Rules but also professional values. Without the second, we are left with…

News

Meet the GC at ExamSoft, Monica Berry

Kristen Rasmussen | April 01, 2018

Monica Berry, the top (and only) lawyer at Dallas-based ExamSoft, talks with Texas Lawyer about everything from whom she uses for outside counsel to what she's been reading lately.

Commentary

Intelligently Managing Company Patent Spend

Carey Jordan and D. Jeremy Harrison| April 01, 2018

In the midst of remarkable technological advances, we are simultaneously enduring one of the most tumultuous global economies seen in several decades.

Commentary

Disputes Over Venue in Patent Litigation

Michael Bittner| April 01, 2018

While those courts that have weighed in on work-at-home employees have come to similar conclusions, it remains to be seen what factors—if any—may complicate this analysis.

Commentary

A Company’s #MeToo Moment

Adam Sencenbaugh and Henson Adams| April 01, 2018

The #MeToo movement has empowered victims of harassment in ways never before thought possible, exposing the “open secrets” of serial abusers and…

News

Lawsuit Alleges Dr Pepper Snapple Merger Strips Investors of Appraisal Rights

Tom McParland | March 30, 2018

The lawsuit is the fourth this month to target the planned merger.

Commentary

Evolving Contract Issues on the OCS

Grady S. Hurley and Robert Lemon II| March 30, 2018

Contracts involving maritime and nonmaritime services on the OCS require an analysis of the intent and focus of the operations.

News

Appellate Lawyer of the Week: Houston Lawyer Wins Mosquito Bite Ruling at Fifth Circuit

John Council | March 30, 2018

Can something as small as a mosquito bite trigger accidental death coverage? That’s a question headed to a federal jury after Houston lawyer Jim Plummer won an appellate ruling reviving his client’s breach of contract claim against an insurance company.

News

Foley & Lardner to Merge With Dallas-Based Gardere

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | March 30, 2018

Gardere Wynne Sewell and Foley & Lardner will combine on April 1, creating a 1,100-lawyer firm.

News

Walmart Case in 9th Circuit Tests Scope of Workplace Protest Rights

Erin Mulvaney | March 30, 2018

The Obama-era labor board ruled for a group of employees who were fired after staging a demonstration inside a Walmart. A coalition of major business groups, backing Walmart in the appeal, call the NLRB decision a “dangerous precedent that seriously upsets" labor law.

Newsmakers: Week of April 2, 2018

Mary Alice Salmon| March 30, 2018

Grace Getman has joined the Dallas office of Cassin & Cassin as an associate in the firm’s real estate group

Chart

Bar Pass Rate Bonanza: The 'Ultimate' Law School Rankings

Karen Sloan | March 29, 2018

Baylor University School of Law posted the highest ultimate bar pass rate—all 109 of its 2015 grads who took the bar passed over the span of two years. The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law had the lowest ultimate bar pass rate in 2015, at just under 57 percent.

News

Insider Perspective on Balancing Cyber Safeguards, Worker Privacy

Erin Mulvaney | March 29, 2018

“The programs you choose need to be socialized so that the employees feel their privacy will be protected and they have the opportunity to see and understand the application of the program,” said Erika Brown Lee, assistant general counsel for privacy and data protection at MasterCard.

News

Fifth Circuit Affirms Sanctions Against Austin Attorney

Mary Alice Salmon| March 28, 2018

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has affirmed sanctions of an Austin attorney for a three-year suspension and more than $175,000, describing his contentions on appeal as “frivolous.”

News

Three Firms Working on $9.5B Permian Basin Acquisition

Brenda Sapino Jeffreys | March 28, 2018

Concho Resources' pending acquisition of RSP Permian will create the largest crude oil producer from unconventional shale in the Permian Basin.