Texas Pulse


  • Judge's Same-Sex Wedding Ban Legal In Texas, Justices Hear

    A Texas appeals panel balked at a state judge's argument that refusing to officiate same-sex marriages keeps with Texas law during oral arguments Wednesday, saying the discussion had gotten "far afield" of the issues before the court.

  • iStock-2207662457.jpg

    The Office Is Back, But Are Lawyers On Board?

    The tug-of-war over remote work is far from over, but the latest data from Law360 Pulse's March survey indicates law firms are more comfortable laying down rules requiring at least some office attendance — and lawyers, for the most part, are learning to live with them.

  • Ex-CEO Fires Back At Jackson Walker's Standing Argument

    The former CEO of a defunct barge company is fighting to keep alive his lawsuit blaming the company's downfall on the judicial secret romance scandal that has consumed the Texas bankruptcy courts, claiming Jackson Walker LLP is using its own misdeeds to shield itself from liability.

  • iStock-1447416991.jpg

    More New Law School Grads Found Jobs Last Year

    The portion of 2024 graduates from U.S. law schools who had secured jobs making use of their degrees 10 months after graduation rose 1.7% compared to a similar analysis performed for 2023 graduates, according to data released Wednesday by the American Bar Association.

  • Sean Edgett.jpg

    Match Group CLO Earned $6M In First Few Months

    The chief legal counsel of online dating giant Match Group earned around $6.1 million in total compensation since joining the company late last year, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • iStock-1709628631.jpg

    Associates Feel Partners' Absence In Return To Office

    While law firms continue to push return-to-office policies, recruiters say they have yet to see mass departures in response. The real friction point for associates, they noted, is with senior partners.

  • Michael Marek.png

    Kirkland Brings On V&E Corporate Pro In Houston

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced Wednesday that it has boosted its corporate practice in Houston by bringing on a partner with deep private equity experience in the energy sector who came aboard after a decade at Vinson & Elkins LLP.

  • Erica_Daehn_McHard.jpg

    Jones Walker Adds Ex-Mississippi Firm Leader In Houston

    Jones Walker LLP has added a special counsel in Houston to the firm's energy litigation team who has served as managing partner of a small personal injury firm in Mississippi.

  • Houston Atty, Woman End Sex Tape Suit After FBI Inquiry

    A Houston attorney and a woman who accused him of filming a sexual encounter with her and sharing it without her consent have agreed to drop the dispute.

  • Amy Kotulski.png

    Winston & Strawn Names New COO From Consulting Firm

    Winston & Strawn LLP announced Tuesday that it has appointed a new chief operating officer who formerly worked at Boston Consulting Group to help steer the firm's business services and strategy.

  • Rennick_Kimberly_BIO.jpg

    Thompson Coburn Names New Marketing, Business Dev. Head

    Thompson Coburn LLP on Tuesday announced that an experienced legal executive who most recently worked as Covington & Burling LLP's director of client relations has joined the firm as its new chief business development and marketing officer.

  • iStock-883005738.jpg

    CORRECTED: Texas Atty Says Bogus Rulings Came From Internet Searches

    A Lone Star State lawyer has admitted that, following internet searches, she listed phony cases in an appellate brief in a dispute over $1 million in jewelry her parents argued was gifted to their daughter and out of a creditor's reach.

  • Marketer Blasts Inventor's 'Cycle' Of Atty Fee Bids

    An invention marketing firm on Tuesday asked a Pennsylvania federal judge to reject Kearney McWilliams & Davis PLLC's push for more attorney fees stemming from an inventor's case over how the company handled preparations for a product launch, arguing the court already declined to increase the number.

  • 2_up_Willkie Farr.png

    Willkie Adds Baker Botts Private Equity Experts In Dallas

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is expanding its Texas transactional team, announcing Tuesday it is bringing on a pair of Baker Botts LLP private equity whizzes as partners in its year-old Dallas office.

  • IMG_0467.jpeg

    Energy Ace Joins GableGotwals In Houston From Solo Shop

    GableGotwals has strengthened its corporate practice in Houston with an energy-focused shareholder who most recently operated a solo shop and who brings extensive in-house experience.

  • A&O Shearman Promotes 33 In Smaller Round After Merger

    A&O Shearman said Tuesday that it has promoted more than 30 lawyers to its partnership, boosting numbers in areas from mergers and acquisitions to litigation and investigations.

  • iStock-1442723899.jpg

    Some Associates Bill $2,000 Per Hour As BigLaw Fees Rise

    Billing rates for law firms that serve corporate clients continue to increase at a historically fast clip, with the largest firms increasing their fees the fastest in 2024, according to a report out Tuesday that found some associates' billing rates are nearing $2,000 per hour.

  • Mexican Banks Escalate Discovery Fight With Sanctions Bid

    A Mexican bank and its affiliates have asked a Texas federal judge to sanction a businessman and his attorneys in a fraud case, saying they have deliberately obstructed court-ordered discovery in litigation accusing him of diverting and concealing corporate assets.

  • Baker Botts Adds Enviro Ace From In-House Role In Houston

    Baker Botts LLP announced Monday that it has added a partner in Houston who brings more than 25 years of environmental law experience, including more than a decade on the legal team at Koch Industries.

  • D. Todd Smith.jpg

    How Lone Star Appellate Pro Strives To 'See Around Corners'

    Texas appellate attorney D. Todd Smith recently launched a solo practice in Austin, Texas, giving himself more control over client matters while decreasing the chance of a conflict. His work often involves using his experience and knowledge of the Lone Star State appellate system to "see around corners" and tackle potential appellate issues early in the life of a case.

  • High Court's Pause Of Removals Was 'Premature,' Alito Says

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision early Saturday morning to prohibit the Trump administration from using a 1798 wartime law to remove alleged Venezuelan gang members detained in northern Texas to an El Salvadoran prison was hasty and premature, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a dissent joined by Justice Clarence Thomas.

  • Justices Temporarily Block Removals Under Wartime Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday ordered the Trump administration to halt removals of alleged Venezuelan gang members detained in Texas under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, pending further input from the court.

  • Venezuelans Ask High Court And 5th Circ. To Pause Removals

    A group of Venezuelans detained in northern Texas launched a multipronged effort Friday to prevent the Trump administration from removing them to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act before they can have their day in court, asking the U.S. Supreme Court, the Fifth Circuit and two district courts for emergency relief.

  • Sunoco Accused Of Age Bias By Ex-Chief Counsel

    A former chief counsel for Sunoco LP sued her ex-employer in Texas state court Wednesday, alleging she was denied promotional opportunities and later terminated due to her age, while also accusing the company of replacing attorneys older than 50 with significantly younger attorneys with less experience.

  • Juliet Mitchell Dirba.png

    PTAB Judge Heads To Boutique, Citing Return-To-Office Order

    An outgoing Patent Trial and Appeal Board judge based in Austin, Texas, tells Law360 that President Donald Trump's return-to-office order was a "significant factor" in her decision to return to private practice, joining boutique patent firm Smith Baluch LLP as a partner.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Texas Pulse archive.

Expert Analysis

  • Legal Briefs Can Benefit From Cleaned Up Case Citations Author Photo

    Federal courts have recently been changing the way they quote decisions to omit insignificant details and string cites, and lawyers should consider adopting this practice to enhance the readability of their briefs — as long as accuracy stays top of mind, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

  • 5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs Author Photo

    Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Juggle Billables And Other Activities? Author Photo

    While involvement in internal firm initiatives can be rewarding both personally and professionally, associates' billable time requirements don’t leave much room for other work, meaning they must develop strategies to ensure they’re meeting all of their commitments while remaining balanced, says Melanie Webber at Fisher Phillips.

  • Making Legal Cents: How To Adapt As Clients Tighten Budgets Author Photo

    Amid a dip in corporate legal spending and client pushback on bills, Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants highlights specific in-house counsel frustrations and explains how firms can provide customized legal advice with costs that are supported by undeniable value.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents Author Photo

    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • General Counsel And Legal Ops Must Work Together Author Photo

    It is critical for general counsel to ensure that a legal operations leader is viewed not only as a peer, but as a strategic leader for the organization, and there are several actionable ways general counsel can not only become more involved, but help champion legal operations teams and set them up for success, says Mary O'Carroll at Ironclad.

  • How Generative AI's Growing Memory Affects Lawyers Author Photo

    A new ChatGPT feature that can remember user information across different conversations has broad implications for attorneys, whose most pressing questions for the AI tool are usually based on specific, and large, datasets, says legal tech adviser Eric Wall.

  • A Model For Optimal Legal Tech Investment Strategy Author Photo

    Legal organizations struggling to work out the right technology investment strategy may benefit from using a matrix for legal department efficiency that is based on an understanding of where workloads belong, according to the basic functions and priorities of a corporate legal team, says Sylvain Magdinier at Integreon.

  • Series

    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Recruiter Author Photo

    Self-proclaimed "Lawyer Doula" Danielle Thompson at Major Lindsey shares how she went from Columbia Law School graduate and BigLaw employment associate to a career in legal recruiting — and discovered a passion for advocacy along the way.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Balance Social Activism With My Job? Author Photo

    Corporate attorneys pursuing social justice causes outside of work should consider eight guidelines for finding equilibrium between their beliefs and their professional duties and reputation, say Diedrick Graham, Debra Friedman and Simeon Brier at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Personality Tests And Machine Learning Applications In Law Author Photo

    Mateusz Kulesza at McDonnell Boehnen looks at potential applications of personality testing based on machine learning techniques for law firms, and the implications this shift could have for lawyers, firms and judges, including how it could make the work of judges and other legal decision-makers much more difficult.

  • AI Is Reshaping Lawyering: What To Expect In 2024 Author Photo

    The future of lawyering is not about the wholesale replacement of attorneys by artificial intelligence, but as AI handles more of the routine legal work, the role of lawyers will evolve to be more strategic, requiring the development of competencies beyond traditional legal skills, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Embrace Active Voice In Legal Writing — In Most Cases Author Photo

    Legal writers should strive to craft sentences in the active voice to promote brevity and avoid ambiguities that can spark litigation, but writing in the passive voice is sometimes appropriate — when it's a moral choice and not a grammatical failure, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Help Associates Turn Down Work? Author Photo

    Marina Portnova at Lowenstein Sandler discusses what partners can do to aid their associates in setting work-life boundaries, especially around after-hours assignment availability.

×

Law360

Law360 Law360 UK Law360 Tax Authority Law360 Employment Authority Law360 Insurance Authority Law360 Real Estate Authority Law360 Healthcare Authority Law360 Bankruptcy Authority

Rankings

NEWLeaderboard Analytics Social Impact Leaders Prestige Leaders Pulse Leaderboard Women in Law Report Law360 400 Diversity Snapshot Rising Stars Summer Associates

National Sections

Modern Lawyer Courts Daily Litigation In-House Mid-Law Legal Tech Small Law Insights

Regional Sections

California Pulse Connecticut Pulse DC Pulse Delaware Pulse Florida Pulse Georgia Pulse New Jersey Pulse New York Pulse Pennsylvania Pulse Texas Pulse

Site Menu

Subscribe Advanced Search About Contact