Texas Pulse

  • Houston Attys Escape Defamation Suit Over Sex Assault Case

    A Texas appeals court said a group of Houston attorneys could escape a defamation suit brought by a man accused of sexual assault by one of their clients, writing that he did "not even raise a scintilla of evidence" that the attorneys knew statements they made to the media about their client's case were false.

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    'Law Moms' Share Tales Of Juggling Family And Careers

    From mental health and substance abuse to feelings of grief and guilt, a "Law Moms" book from eight attorneys offers candid accounts of balancing their roles as mothers and lawyers, with the hope that the stories will remind other women facing similar struggles that they’re not alone.

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    Faegre Drinker Confirms Operational, Administrative Layoffs

    A spokesperson for Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP confirmed to Law360 Pulse on Wednesday that the firm laid off "less than 5%" of its total operations and administrative staff earlier this year.

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    Sheppard Mullin Adds Winston & Strawn Real Estate Duo

    Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP has strengthened its real estate, energy, land use and environmental practice with two partners in Houston who joined from Winston & Strawn LLP.

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    Ex-Maryland Insurance Commissioner Rejoins DLA Piper

    Former Maryland Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Birrane has rejoined DLA Piper to lead the firm's U.S. insurance regulatory practice.

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    This GC Believes In A 'Cross-Functional' Approach For Attys

    Law360 Pulse caught up with the newly minted general counsel at Benson Hill, who has degrees in industrial engineering, law and business — all of which, he said, impact how he views issues and have shaped the attorney he is today.

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    Fennemore Craig Launches Remote Work Program

    Fennemore Craig PC announced on Tuesday a new remote work program called Fennemore Forward, along with the hiring of a Taylor English Duma LLP remote programming director to lead the initiative.

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    Small And Midsize Firms Plan To Invest In AI, Meritas Reports

    A majority of responding small and midsize business law firms within the international legal network Meritas are planning to invest more in technology in the next five years, according to a survey published Tuesday.

  • Texas Judge Gets Warning For Sexually Harassing Colleague

    A Fort Worth trial judge has been issued a public warning and ordered to attend demeanor and sexual harassment instruction over findings that he "engaged in a pattern of sexually harassing conduct" toward a fellow judge, according to a decision by the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

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    Thompson Coe Insurance Ace Joins Mitchell Williams In Texas

    Mitchell Williams Selig Gates & Woodyard PLLC has fortified its insurance regulatory practice in the Lone Star State with a counsel in Austin who came aboard after more than two decades of practice with Thompson Coe Cousins & Irons LLP.

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    O'Melveny Names New Leaders, Combines Practice Groups

    O'Melveny & Myers LLP announced several new leadership appointments Monday, along with the launch of a combined securities litigation and financial services practice group.

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    Tropical Storm Beryl Shutters Texas Law Firm Offices, Courts

    As Tropical Storm Beryl slammed into the Texas coast Monday, a number of Houston-area courts and law firm offices closed their doors in the face of a bruising weather event that has reportedly led to at least two deaths and left millions without power.

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    Bracewell Adds Energy Pro From Baker Botts In Houston

    Bracewell LLP announced Monday that it has boosted its energy regulatory group with a partner in Houston who came aboard from Baker Botts LLP.

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    3 Things That Have Surprised Firm Leaders So Far In 2024

    Law firm leaders approached 2024 with caution as economic and political uncertainties loomed large. Yet, the first half of the year still brought unanticipated developments, with artificial intelligence continuing its rapid proliferation and a competitive lateral hiring market among the surprises that unfolded.

  • How Reshaped Circuit Courts Are Faring At The High Court

    Seminal rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court's latest term will reshape many facets of American society in the coming years. Already, however, the rulings offer glimpses of how the justices view specific circuit courts, which have themselves been reshaped by an abundance of new judges.

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    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court's lethargic pace of decision-making this term left the justices to issue a slew of highly anticipated and controversial rulings during the term's final week — rulings that put the court's ideological divisions on vivid display. Here, Law360 takes a data dive into the numbers behind this court term.

  • High Court Flexes Muscle To Limit Administrative State

    The U.S. Supreme Court's dismantling of a 40-year-old judicial deference doctrine, coupled with rulings stripping federal agencies of certain enforcement powers and exposing them to additional litigation, has established the October 2023 term as likely the most consequential in administrative law history.

  • The Sharpest Dissents From The Supreme Court Term

    The U.S. Supreme Court's session ended with a series of blockbuster cases that granted the president broad immunity, changed federal gun policy and kneecapped administrative agencies. And many of the biggest decisions fell along partisan lines.

  • 5 Moments That Shaped The Supreme Court's Jan. 6 Decision

    When the high court limited the scope of a federal obstruction statute used to charge hundreds of rioters who stormed the Capitol, the justices did not vote along ideological lines. In a year marked by 6-3 splits, what accounts for the departure? Here are some moments from oral arguments that may have swayed the justices.

  • The Funniest Moments Of The Supreme Court's Term

    In a U.S. Supreme Court term teeming with serious showdowns, the august air at oral arguments filled with laughter after an attorney mentioned her plastic surgeon and a justice seemed to diss his colleagues, to cite just two of the term's mirthful moments. Here, we look at the funniest moments of the term.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    New Civil Liberties Alliance, Latham & Watkins LLP, Clement & Murphy PLLC and Cause of Action Institute easily lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after persuading the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a 40-year-old precedent that said when judges should defer to federal agencies' interpretations of law in rulemaking.

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    Court To Weigh Scope Of Ex-Judge's Atty Romance Testimony

    A Texas bankruptcy judge said he must determine the scope of a deposition over a former judge's concealed romantic relationship with an ex-Jackson Walker LLP attorney, reversing course on a stipulation and ruling he has "exclusive authority" to "authorize and set limits regarding the nature of the testimony."

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    The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

    This U.S. Supreme Court term featured high-stakes oral arguments on issues including gerrymandering, abortion and federal agency authority, and a hot bench ever more willing to engage in a lengthy back-and-forth with advocates. Here's a look at the law firms that argued the most cases and how they fared.

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    Office Snapshot: Naman Howell Makes Landing In Space City

    About six months after launching its Houston shop, longtime Texas law firm Naman Howell Smith & Lee PLLC has demonstrated its commitment to Space City with a long-term lease and room to grow in the One Northgate office building.

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    Legal Jobs Continued To Tick Up In June

    The U.S. legal sector added 1,400 jobs in June, continuing an uptick that began this spring, according to preliminary data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Negotiate My Separation Agreement? Author Photo

    Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey discusses how a law firm associate can navigate being laid off, what to look for in a separation agreement and why to be upfront about it with prospective employers.

  • DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help Author Photo

    Recent legal challenges against DoNotPay’s "robot lawyer” application highlight pressing questions about the degree to which artificial intelligence can be used for legal tasks while remaining on the right side of both consumer protection laws and prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law, says Kristen Niven at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • For The Future Of Legal Practice, Let's Learn From The Past Author Photo

    At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

  • Why All Law Firms Should Foster Psychological Capital Author Photo

    Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.

  • A GC's Guide To Litigation, Inspired By Sun Tzu's 'Art Of War' Author Photo

    With caseloads and spending increasing, in-house counsel might find themselves called to opine on the risks and benefits of litigation more often, and they should look at five Sun Tzu maxims from the ancient Chinese classic "The Art of War" to inform their approach to any suit, says Jeff Golimowski at Womble Bond.

  • Mentorship Is Key To Diversity In The Legal Industry Author Photo

    Not only can effective mentorship have a profound impact on women and people of color entering the legal field, but it also benefits mentors and the legal profession as a whole, creating a true win-win situation for all involved, says Natasha Cortes at Grossman Roth.

  • ChatGPT Is A Cool Trick, But AI Won't Replace Lawyers Author Photo

    Generative AI applications like ChatGPT are unlikely to ever replace attorneys for a variety of practical reasons — but given their practice-enhancing capabilities, lawyers who fail to leverage these tools may be rendered obsolete, says Eran Kahana at Maslon.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Valuable In IP And Continued Learning Author Photo

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent elimination of a rule that partially counted pro bono work toward continuing legal education highlights the importance of volunteer work in intellectual property practice and its ties to CLE, and puts a valuable tool for hands-on attorney education in the hands of the states, say Lisa Holubar and Ariel Katz at Irwin.

  • Increasing Public Access To Legal Services: A Practical Plan Author Photo

    Recommendations recently issued by a special committee of the Florida Bar represent a realistic, pragmatic approach to increasing the accessibility and affordability of legal services, at a time when the disconnect between the legal profession and the public at large has widened considerably, says Gary Lesser, president of the Florida Bar.

  • Priorities For Improving The Legal Industry In Texas Author Photo

    To assist Texas lawyers in effectively executing their duties, we should be working on succession planning, attorney wellness, and increasing understanding of the grievance system by both bar members and the public, says Laura Gibson, president of the State Bar of Texas.

  • Leading Your Law Firm's Creation Of A New Practice Group Author Photo

    Marjorie Peerce and Peter Jaslow at Ballard Spahr discuss the challenges of building a new law firm practice group from the ground up, and how sustained commitment, communication and collaboration are the key ingredients for success.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Relay Shortcomings To Associates? Author Photo

    Michael Cohen at Duane Morris discusses the best ways to articulate how an associate is not meeting expectations, and why documentation of performance management is crucial for their growth and protecting the firm from discrimination suits.

  • 10 Principles For Effective Partner Reward Systems Author Photo

    Several forces are reshaping partners’ expectations about profit-sharing, and as compensation structures evolve in response, firms should keep certain fundamentals in mind to build a successful partner reward system, say Michael Roch at MHPR Advisors and Ray D'Cruz at Performance Leader.

  • Why Interdisciplinarity Is Key To Designing The Future Of Law Author Photo

    The legal profession faces challenges that urgently demand new solutions, and lawyers and firms can address this by leaning on other industries that have more experience practicing, teaching and incorporating innovation into their core business and service models, says Jennifer Leonard at the University of Pennsylvania.

  • Incorporating ADA Guidance Into Lawyer Wellness Movement Author Photo

    The Americans with Disabilities Act and rules of professional conduct may help the legal profession promote lawyer well-being by focusing on mental conditions' actual impact, rather than on associated stereotypes, says Alex Long at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

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