Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
Senior reporter Brenda Sapino Jeffreys covers the business of law in Texas. Contact her at [email protected] On Twitter: @BrendaSJeffreys
November 15, 2004 | Texas Lawyer
Self Defense: Enron Defendant Worked Alongside Attorneys to Win AcquittalAn unusual collaboration between defense attorney Dan L. Cogdell and his client in a recent Enron trial paid off in a big way for the client, who was the only one of six defendants in the so-called Nigerian Barge trial to win acquittal on Nov. 3 in Houston.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
12 minute read
April 11, 2006 | Corporate Counsel
Former Enron GC Says He Made Right Call by Hiring V&EJames Derrick, Enron's former general counsel, testified for the defense on Friday in the criminal trial of former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling that he made the right call by hiring Vinson & Elkins in 2001 to investigate Sherron Watkins' allegations of Enron accounting improprieties. Derrick testified that when he called V&E partner Joe Dilg to consider the work, he asked Dilg to decide if conflicts would prevent the firm from later investigating Watkins' allegations.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
8 minute read
August 14, 2006 | Texas Lawyer
Fred Baron Sues the Firm He Founded Almost 30 Years AgoDallas lawyers Fred Baron and Lisa Blue, who sold their equity interest in Baron & Budd to shareholder Russell Budd in 2002, filed a breach of contract suit on Aug. 3 alleging Budd, the firm and others conspired to deny them payments due under the sale contracts.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
6 minute read
December 09, 2002 | Texas Lawyer
Big DealsBMC Software Inc purchased the assets of Peregrine Remedy Inc. for $355 million.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
2 minute read
October 24, 2000 | Law.com
Talk About a Grievance Begets a GrievanceRobert S. Bennett has seen a lot of bizarre complaints over a decade of defending Texas lawyers from grievances, but one of the strangest was filed against him. What is so unusual about the complaint, now dismissed, is the complaining party. A former member of a disciplinary panel in Houston filed the complaint, alleging Bennett violated disciplinary rules by talking about a grievance filed against a client.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
4 minute read
December 19, 2005 | Texas Lawyer
Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program Inc.: After the StormsVolunteer lawyers from Houston donated 3,300 hours of time this fall, easily billable at hundreds of thousands of dollars, giving free legal advice to people who lost their homes, jobs and more when hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated areas of Texas and the Gulf Coast.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
6 minute read
October 17, 2005 | Texas Lawyer
Court Says Legal-Mal Suit Not a PI Claim Subject to ArbitrationThe 14th Court of Appeals recently held that a legal malpractice suit is not a personal-injury claim under the Texas Arbitration Act. The interlocutory ruling paves the way for arbitration, instead of a trial, in a malpractice suit filed against Houston lawyer Dennis H. Taylor and his firm.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
8 minute read
October 13, 2000 | Law.com
Motion to Disqualify Ad Litem in Custody Case DeniedA Houston attorney fended off an attempt to disqualify him from serving as guardian ad litem in a controversial custody battle featuring an order -- now vacated -- that prohibited the mother of a 6-year-old from speaking Spanish to the child at home. But the judge wasn't as lucky. The judge was recused after lawyers alleged the judge interfered with the mother's constitutional rights by prohibiting her from speaking Spanish around her daughter.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
7 minute read
March 18, 2003 | Law.com
Double DutyKathryn Turpin's vision of a perfect job is working as the general counsel for several small companies. She's on her way to doing that. Turpin works eight to 10 hours a week as general counsel of AntiqueLand USA Inc., a privately owned company in Austin, Texas, that operates antique and craft malls nationwide. The remainder of the workweek she's a corporate counsel at Broadwing Communications Services Inc.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
11 minute read
June 19, 2000 | Law.com
You Snooze, You LoseA law student clerking at a large Dallas firm during the summer of 1999 reported to work dressed for success, except for the stud in his tongue. While a tongue stud is a thoroughly modern way for clerks to annoy partners, summer associates have always found ways to astound partners with their outrageous and even irresponsible behavior. Amazingly, weird behavior by clerks doesn't always rule out job offers.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
6 minute read
