Texas

Locke Lord Is Latest Law Firm to Shorten Multi-Partner Name

Clients already were referring to Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell as simply Locke Lord. So the 650-attorney Texas-based law firm decided to do the same. Having a shorter law firm name is also a branding and marketing plus, Locke Lord says in a press release today announcing the new moniker.…

Sep 27, 2011 5:14 PM CDT

Crank or Serial Killer? So far, Only Self-Admitted Suspect Knows for Sure

Convicted in the 1978 murder of a U.S. Marine, 72-year-old Edward Harold Bell is already serving a 70-year sentence. But it appears that the admitted sex offender and self-described serial killer may also have murdered a number of adolescent girls in various parts of Texas years ago, the Houston Chronicle…

Sep 26, 2011 9:14 PM CDT

Texas Death Row Inmates Will No Longer Get Special Last Meals

Texas has eliminated special last meals for death-row inmates after one prisoner’s huge food request brought criticism from a state lawmaker. Lawrence Russell Brewer was executed on Wednesday without touching his last meal, the Associated Press reports. His food request included two chicken fried steaks, a triple bacon cheeseburger, a…

Sep 23, 2011 6:56 PM CDT

Dallas County DA Sues MERS, Says Shadow Recording System Confused Title and Cost Money

The district attorney of Dallas County, Texas, today sued Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, its parent Merscorp company and other defendants, contending that a shadow electronic recording system confused title to real estate and cost the government a great deal of money in lost filing fees. District Attorney Craig Watkin estimated…

Sep 21, 2011 1:08 AM CDT

5th Circuit OKs $353K and Legal Fees Award to Recruiter Paid Zero for Introducing 10 Lawyers to Firm

A federal appeals court has affirmed a magistrate judge’s decision awarding $353,000 to a legal recruiter paid zero for allegedly introducing a 10-lawyer group to Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith. CB Legal Search also is to have its litigation costs covered by the law firm, the Am Law Daily reports.…

Sep 16, 2011 10:25 PM CDT

Temporary Stay by Texas Supreme Court May Preclude Execution Tonight of Duane Edward Buck

Updated: It appears that a controversial Texas execution, in a capital murder case in which the factual guilt of the defendant is not disputed but his sentencing was clearly tainted by racism, may not occur after 6 p.m. tonight as scheduled. The Texas Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay…

Sep 16, 2011 12:21 AM CDT

Fulbright & Jaworski Is Pondering Possible Merger Discussions with Norton Rose, Legal Week Says

As part of an ongoing international strategy review, Fulbright & Jaworski is reportedly pondering whether it should consider discussing a possible merger with United Kingdom-based megafirm Norton Rose. Legal Week quotes an unidentified Fulbright partner as saying that entering into merger discussions with Norton Rose is one of several strategic…

Sep 15, 2011 6:11 PM CDT

5th Circuit Chief Judge Tells Sparks His Caustic Orders Are Ill-Advised and Not Very Funny

A Texas federal judge in the news lately for his sarcastic orders chastising lawyers is now himself facing criticism from the chief judge of the New Orleans-based court that hears appeals from his state. Last month U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks of Austin invited two squabbling lawyers to a “kindergarten…

Sep 13, 2011 12:00 PM CDT

Heightened Alert on Sept. 11 Anniversary Led to Courthouse Evacuations in 3 States Today

As many yesterday and today commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a reported credible threat of a plan to set off a bomb in New York or Washington, D.C., led to increased watchfulness nationwide. However, despite concerns about a possible bomb that resulted in evacuations…

Sep 13, 2011 1:48 AM CDT

Judge’s Holiday-Weekend Civility Class is Cancelled, But Attorney Manners Remain a Contentious Topic

A Delaware Superior Court judge’s plan to hold a holiday-weekend civility course on Sept. 4 for warring counsel in asbestos litigation was canceled by President Judge James T. Vaughn Jr., who reassigned the case to himself, according to the Wilmington News Journal. However, the issue of appropriate attorney manners clearly…

Sep 9, 2011 12:16 AM CDT

Joseph Dilg to Step Down as Managing Partner of V&E; Two Lawyers Will Replace Him

Two Vinson & Elkins partners who have collectively worked at the firm for 59 years will replace managing partner Joseph Dilg, who will resign from his leadership post at the end of the year. Dilg, 60, has served as managing partner for 10 years, according to the Am Law Daily…

Sep 7, 2011 4:29 PM CDT

Rehearing Nixes Sanctions in Unusual Ethics Case Over Claim of Intemperate Remarks By Federal Judge

Three lawyers and a client will not be sanctioned for claiming that a federal judge hearing a trade secrets case made intemperate remarks. Initially sanctioned by U.S. District Judge John McBryde, who sits in Ft. Worth, the four were given another trial by a different judge after the 5th U.S.…

Sep 1, 2011 11:00 PM CDT

After Fierce Federal Judge’s Invitation to ‘Kindergarten Party,’ 2 Lawyers Settle Case

Updated: A federal judge known for not mincing words swiftly achieved the desired effect by inviting two apparently squabbling attorneys to a “kindergarten party” in his Austin, Texas, courtroom. Following the much-publicized invitation by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, the two lawyers, Jonathan Woods and Travis Barton, not only settled…

Sep 1, 2011 9:42 PM CDT

Messin’ with Texas: Major Firms Move in on the Ol’ Boy Network

One-hundred-seventy-five years ago, Mexican troops invaded the Alamo. Today, it’s the nation’s largest law firms marching into the Lone Star State. For three decades, national law firms tried to penetrate the energy-rich and economically thriving Texas legal market without much success. But legal industry experts say today’s outcome is likely…

Sep 1, 2011 7:20 AM CDT

Judge Blocks Part of Texas Abortion Law; Lawyer Responds to Earlier Benchslap

A federal judge has blocked key parts of a Texas law that required women seeking abortions to view sonograms of the fetus and listen to the heartbeat. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks granted a preliminary injunction on Tuesday, finding the law violates the First Amendment rights of doctors and patients,…

Aug 31, 2011 12:07 PM CDT