Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
Senior reporter Brenda Sapino Jeffreys covers the business of law in Texas. Contact her at [email protected] On Twitter: @BrendaSJeffreys
February 19, 2006 | Texas Lawyer
Miers Welcome at Locke Liddell, Says Managing PartnerThe managing partner of Locke Liddell & Sapp says Harriet E. Miers, who has resigned as White House counsel, "will always have a place at this law firm." She hasn't made a decision on returning, he said.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
3 minute read
September 06, 2006 | Law.com
Bankruptcy Trustee Sues Firm Over Work on Infringement CaseThe bankruptcy trustee for former clients of Dallas' Godwin Gruber -- now known as Godwin Pappas Langley Ronquillo -- has filed a professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duties suit against the firm and two former shareholders, alleging the defendants mishandled a patent infringement case. The plaintiffs allege the defendants failed to "zealously" represent them in the underlying case, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
7 minute read
October 28, 2002 | Texas Lawyer
Smell of Marijuana Smoke Not Probable Cause for ArrestIn a split decision met with strongly-worded dissent, the Court of Criminal Appeals has ruled that the odor of marijuana isn't enough to provide police officers, drawn to a house to check out an anonymous tip of drug dealing, with probable cause to believe the man who opened the door had marijuana on him. Stan Brown, the attorney who represented the defendants, says the dissenting judges raising alarms about the broad impact of the opinion are taking it too far.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
8 minute read
May 02, 2005 | Texas Lawyer
Texas Firms Back as Big Players in Deals WorkWith mergers and acquisitions worldwide posting the best year in 2004 since the turn-of-the-century bust, the ballooning deals market in 2004 benefited some large Texas-based firms in a very big way. Nine Texas firms, two more than last year, are among the elite group of firms included on the Corporate Scorecard 2005, the annual ranking published by The American Lawyer.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
7 minute read
August 11, 2006 | Law.com
Nigerian Barge Conspiracy and Wire Fraud Convictions ReversedThe 5th Circuit recently handed the Enron Task Force a major setback with an opinion that reverses conspiracy and wire fraud convictions of four defendants in the so-called Nigerian Barge trial and vacates the conviction of one of them for insufficient evidence. The panel overturned the convictions after finding that the honest-services theory of wire fraud does not extend to the circumstances alleged by federal prosecutors at trial.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
7 minute read
January 27, 2004 | Texas Lawyer
Judge Still Won't Dismiss Remaining Charges Against Lea FastowU.S. District Judge David Hittner of Houston will wait until Lea Fastow, the wife of former Enron Corp. CFO Andrew Fastow, is sentenced before deciding if he will dismiss five other charges against her.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
3 minute read
April 14, 2003 | Texas Lawyer
Changes to Class Actions, Referral Fees ProposedA task force headed by Houston's Joseph Jamail and comprised of some of Texas' most successful trial lawyers is proposing some new rules of civil procedure that would radically change how lawyers handle litigation in the state. The proposals put in the hands of the Texas Supreme Court on April 8 would heighten disclosure in the referral-fee system and make some class actions opt-in instead of opt-out.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
9 minute read
January 11, 2008 | The Legal Intelligencer
Judge Wants Texas District Attorney to Resign Over E-MailAs an e-mail brouhaha involving Harris County, Texas, District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal intensified, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett Wednesday announced that county officials have asked the Texas Office of the Attorney General to investigate Rosenthal to see if his actions may be grounds for removal from office.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
3 minute read
December 17, 2007 | Texas Lawyer
Kings in the Ring: Houston Heavyweights on Opposing Sides in Matter Involving Judge Sam KentThe disciplinary matter involving U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent just got a lot more interesting, with two of Houston's most skilled and high-profile lawyers, Rusty Hardin and Dick DeGuerin, on opposing sides.
By John Council and Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
8 minute read
December 20, 2010 | Texas Lawyer
Judge Denies Samuel B. Kent's Request for Order Vacating SentenceFormer U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent (pictured), who is serving a 33-month prison sentence, isn't going to get a new sentence. On Dec. 8, Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson of the Northern District of Florida signed an order that adopts a U.S. magistrate judge's report and recommendation and denies Kent's request for an order to vacate, set aside or correct his sentence.
By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys
3 minute read
