Texas Pulse


  • Beth Bloom.jpg

    Federal Judge Warns Threats Imperil Judicial Independence

    U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom of the Southern District of Florida told Law360 that judges and members of the bar need to educate the public on the judiciary's important role in American democracy to combat increasing threats, speaking following the release of two reports this week that warn of safety concerns for judges and that defiance of court orders is undermining the federal judiciary's independence.

  • sheppard.png

    Sheppard Adds To Corporate Bench In Dallas, London

    Sheppard announced Thursday it has added a corporate partner in Dallas from McDermott Will & Schulte and a corporate partner in London from Simmons & Simmons LLP.

  • 1715143968595.jpg

    Civitech Names Ex-Uber Legal Leader As General Counsel

    Civitech, an Austin, Texas-based public benefit corporation focused on advancing progressive candidates and causes, has bulked up its executive leadership team with a new general counsel who has served as chief of staff at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and as a senior legal director at Uber.

  • 1763751741252.jpg

    Winstead Adds Former GC To Houston Real Estate Team

    Winstead PC said it has added a Houston-based shareholder in its real estate development and investments practice group with experience in both private practice transactional work and in-house leadership.

  • iStock-1223789411.jpg

    How A Partner-Only Law Firm Uses AI To Replace Associates

    Lawyers Michael Pierson and Joel M. Ferdinand asked a simple question when they decided to launch their own firm: What would the elite law firm of the future look like?

  • Walmart Says IP Suit Docs Can't Be Used In Malpractice Case

    Walmart has asked an Arkansas federal court to order food tech startup Zest Labs to comply with a protective order from the parties' settled trade secret dispute and block it from disclosing Walmart's confidential information in Zest's malpractice suit against its former attorneys.

  • ABA Outlines Attys' Duties To Clients With Intellectual Limits

    Attorneys have the same obligations to clients with decision-making limitations, should abide by those clients' decisions regarding their representation and must work to maintain an ordinary client-lawyer relationship as much as possible, the American Bar Association said in an opinion released Wednesday.

  • Texas Atty Charged With Ponzi Scheme, SEC Obstruction

    Federal prosecutors have charged a Texas attorney accused of running a $1.5 million Ponzi scheme and then lying to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in an attempt to dodge liability.

  • 2_up_Finnegan.png

    Finnegan Enters Texas Market With Former USPTO Atty

    Intellectual property law firm Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP has announced it opened an office in Dallas, its first in Texas, with a former regional director for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at the helm.

  • iStock-2232857577-office.jpg

    Determined To Expand, Law Firms Face Tight Office Market

    Law firms are finding new ways to expand their office space, since finding sufficient space is proving to be a challenge in desirable areas such as Manhattan, where the top-tier office market has now fully recovered.

  • Judges Say Social Media, Political Rhetoric Endanger Them

    Increased access to social media and personal data via the internet, a larger number of high-profile cases, and inflammatory comments made by politicians have led to a rise in violent threats against judges and concerns about their safety, according to a recently published report.

  • pay_raise.jpg

    Massumi & Consoli Matches Milbank Associate Pay Scale

    Associates at Massumi & Consoli will see salary increases of $10,000 and $20,000 this year, the firm confirmed to Law360 Pulse on Tuesday, matching the pay scale set by Milbank LLP in June.

  • The Top In-House Hires Of August

    Legal department hires during the past month included high-profile appointments at Anthropic, Zillow and ConocoPhillips. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from August.

  • Gordon Rees Elevates 73 Attorneys To Partners Nationwide

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP recently promoted more than 70 attorneys to the partnership level in 32 offices around the U.S., a record number of elevations for the firm.

  • Vartabedian Katz Adds McKool Smith Litigation Trio In Dallas

    Vartabedian Katz Hester & Haynes LLP has bolstered its commercial litigation practice and gained a new intellectual property practice with the additions of three former McKool Smith lawyers in Dallas.

  • 5th Circ. Judge Hints Court Order With AI Errors Can't Stand

    A Fifth Circuit judge wanted to know why a panel should keep intact a court order blocking an anti-DEI Mississippi law that contained artificial intelligence hallucinations, asking whether the judges could confidently find that made-up citations did not ultimately sway the district court's decision.

  • Albright_Alan-3065420_Col (1) copy.png

    Judge Albright Joins A&O Shearman In Austin

    Former U.S. District Judge Alan Albright has returned to private practice, joining Allen Overy Shearman Sterling as a partner in its intellectual property litigation team in Austin, Texas, the firm said Tuesday.

  • Albright Headshot - August 2020.jpg

    How Did Litigants Fare In Judge Albright's 55 Patent Trials?

    U.S. District Judge Alan Albright oversaw more than 50 patent trials between his 2018 arrival on the bench and planned Monday departure, and in a surprise for many attorneys, there was a near-even split between victories for patent owners and accused infringers.

  • House Passes Bill Adding Texas, California Court Sites

    The House voted 378-10 on Monday evening to expand access to federal courts in Texas and California, the two most populous states in the nation.

  • Supreme_Court_Budget_House_46111.jpg

    New Report Rings Alarm On Threats To Judicial Independence

    Verbal attacks on judges, disinformation about the courts and the defiance of court orders are undermining the independence of the federal judiciary and significantly affecting individual judges' ability to do their jobs, a report out Monday says.

  • iStock-2233005232.jpg

    Recruiters Cash In On BigLaw Talent Wars, But Stakes Rise

    As recruiting at top law firms has become increasingly lucrative amid rising compensation for lateral partners, new players have entered the field of legal recruiting expecting to find easy money, but the reality isn't so simple.

  • prerak-shah.jpg

    Kirkland Lands Gibson Dunn State AG Co-Leader In Houston

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced Monday that it has expanded its litigation offerings in Houston with a former co-chair of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's state attorneys general practice.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Hinckley Allen's challenge to Rhode Island's "Taylor Swift tax" and Benesch's advising on the acquisition of a Southeast law firm lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight on Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from Aug. 14 to 28.

  • Election_2_26_Texas_37642.jpg

    Texas AG Disqualified In Ivermectin Malpractice Suit

    A Texas state court judge this week disqualified Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office from representing a doctor who tried to treat a COVID-19 patient with ivermectin, siding with the Texas Medical Board and striking a brief the attorney general had filed on the physician's behalf.

  • IMG_8028.jpeg

    Atty Fathers Find Connections In Growing Org's Local Groups

    Matthew Korn had sought community with fellow lawyer dads, so he started an online forum for attorneys to connect, share resources and, above all, open up about the experience of being both an attorney and a father. Nearly two years later, Dad Esq. is rolling out new local chapters in cities across the country to offer spaces for support and connection.

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

Expert Analysis

  • Legal Marketing Conference Highlights Pivotal Time For Firms Author Photo

    The Legal Marketing Association's recent annual conference underscored how advances in artificial intelligence and shifting client expectations are causing law firms to evolve into more structured, data-driven businesses that place greater emphasis on strategy, implementation and measurable results, say Maria Aronson and Gina Rubel at Furia Rubel.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Build Relationship Habits Author Photo

    Meaningful relationships are foundational to business development, and they can be deliberately fostered through a set of habits for authentically, intentionally and consistently connecting with clients and colleagues — starting with people you already know and like, says Matthew Moran at V&E.

  • Legal Leaders Are Asking The Wrong Questions About AI Author Photo

    Artificial intelligence is already woven into everyday work for attorneys, so beyond questioning whether AI was used and approving such tools, legal leaders need to create a shared foundation for what good AI use looks like on their team, says Alex Denniston at Factor.

  • In-House Leaders Can Turn Contract Data Into Growth Insight Author Photo

    A company's contracts contain final, negotiated commercial commitments that reveal important growth, revenue and strategy insights, but for organizations that aren’t making two key structural changes, the information tends to remain within the legal department — untranslated and unused, says Shimane Smith at NerdWallet.

  • PE's Path In UK Legal Market Offers Playbook For US Firms Author Photo

    The U.K. offers 14 years' worth of data on private equity's involvement in the legal market, demonstrating for U.S. firms what worked, what didn’t and why, and illustrating several lessons about operational readiness, cultural fit and timing, says Tom Lenfestey at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • 8 Mistakes That Derail Law Firms' Sector Strategies Author Photo

    When firms attempt to deliberately organize their expertise, client relationships, business development, and thought leadership around specific industry verticals – sometimes called industry sector programs – several missteps commonly arise, but with discipline and alignment any firm can successfully grab market share, say Heidi Gardner at Harvard Law School and David Harvey at Harvey Global Consulting.

  • Making Legal Cents: A Strategic Plan For Lateral Partner Hires Author Photo

    Firms of all sizes are accelerating lateral hiring of experienced partners because investing in senior expertise can pay off big — but for such an investment to work, firms need a disciplined strategy for vetting candidates, supporting their integration, and ensuring they'll generate real returns, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • As AI Rewrites BigLaw Hiring, Mid-Law May Snag Edge Author Photo

    Similar to the way the transfer portal changed how many NCAA men’s basketball teams are built, artificial intelligence use in the legal industry is changing BigLaw’s lateral hiring market and creating a field where midmarket firms that develop their talent will hold an edge in the legal profession's next era, says Michael Ott at Ice Miller.

  • 5 Firm Structure Changes To Adequately Address Atty Burnout Author Photo

    While wellness programs, flexible schedules and mental health resources are meaningful steps toward addressing burnout in the legal industry, a more effective approach must involve a redesign of law firm incentive structures, says retired attorney Jason Ward.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Be An Industry Expert Author Photo

    Although taking the time to fully invest in a client and its industry is a big ask, it is well worth it for attorneys to understand the pressures, trends and constraints of a client's industry in order to build enduring business relationships, says Nonnie Shivers at Ogletree.

  • Talking Mental Health: Fostering Cultures Where Women Excel Author Photo

    Sylvie Rodrigue at Torys discusses why authenticity is essential to women's career growth, why burnout is not the result of a lack of resilience, how the legal industry can better support women's mental health needs, and how firms can address gender gaps in senior roles.

  • How Clients Can Make The Most Of Law Firm Partner Moves Author Photo

    Outside counsel’s lateral career moves can create uncertainty and disruption for companies, but if managed strategically, in-house legal teams can leverage partner mobility for more complete service, better pricing and stronger relationships with their law firms, says Theodore Edelman at GCE Advisors.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Countering 4 AI Efficiency Myths Author Photo

    Perceived efficiency gains from artificial intelligence can create unsustainable workload expectations for in-house legal departments, so general counsel must proactively educate executives, reframe assumptions and tie legal judgment to business outcomes, say Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law and Catie Cambridge at Docsum.

  • Series

    Notes From A Partner-In-Charge On Lateral Hiring Strategy Author Photo

    In regional recruiting, firms that stand out to laterals can articulate a clear vision that connects local insight with global opportunity, demonstrate a culture that is lived rather than stated, and offer genuine room for growth, says Jason Novak, leader of Norton Rose's San Francisco office.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Team Up With Marketing Author Photo

    There are several ways attorneys can engage with resources already at their fingertips in the form of their in-house law firm marketing departments, which can help you gain some visibility, earn kudos and build a solid book of business, say Ada Kase and Liz Lindley at Jaffe PR.

×

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 & AI 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