Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

October 14, 2010 | Law.com

R. Allen Stanford and two other Stanford Financial Group executives are cut off from insurance money to pay their legal bills. On Wednesday, a federal judge in Texas issued an order finding that two insurance companies holding directors-and-officers policies for SFG are not required to pay for the executives' defense in a criminal case or in a separate SEC civil suit. The insurance companies had alleged the executives engaged in money laundering as defined by the D&O policies, which the executives denied.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

3 minute read

July 02, 2007 | Texas Lawyer

A disproportionate number of the landmen working in the energy industry today are near retirement age, a demographic that's providing a wealth of opportunity for newly minted lawyers. A number of big energy companies recently began to recruit at Texas law schools to fill landman jobs.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

9 minute read

June 09, 2009 | The Legal Intelligencer

The latest courthouse showdown in one of the biggest business disputes of the decade kicks off this month in Conroe, Texas, as Huntsman Corp. seeks as much as $4.65 billion in damages from two banks that backed out on financing a merger between Huntsman and Hexion Specialty Chemicals Inc. in 2008.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

6 minute read

September 27, 2010 | Texas Lawyer

The Lanier Law Firm and Kelly, Smith & Murrah are fighting over referral fees in Alfonso Lopez, et al. v. Caterpillar Inc., et al., a products liability suit that settled after a $25 million judgment in favor of plaintiffs Maria Elena Lopez and Alfonso Lopez. Michael Phillips (pictured) represents Kelly, Smith.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

7 minute read

June 15, 2007 | National Law Journal

A former client of Jenkens & Gilchrist has sued the firm in New York federal court, alleging malpractice and breach of contract in connection with the firm's work on a reverse merger in 2004. Tactica International, a New York distributor of personal care products, claims that Jenkens' negligence on the merger caused Tactica's stock price to drop and ultimately forced it to file for bankruptcy. Tactica and other plaintiffs are seeking a minimum of $10 million for each of the two causes of action.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

4 minute read

March 10, 2006 | The Legal Intelligencer

Daniel Petrocelli, Jeffrey Skilling's defense attorney in his criminal trial, elicited testimony on Wednesday from former Enron Corp. Chief Financial Officer Andrew Fastow that distances Skilling and his co-defendant Kenneth Lay from Fastow's illegal actions at the company.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

8 minute read

June 14, 2010 | Law.com

Arguing that the behavior of R. Allen Stanford and his "latest collection of lawyers" has prejudiced her right to a fair trial due to their "circus-like conduct," Stanford co-defendant Laura Pendergest-Holt has asked a judge to sever her criminal trial. Pendergest-Holt claims Stanford and lawyers from the Bennett Nguyen Joint Venture firm "have flaunted court orders, set up potentially unethical entities to practice law in Texas ... and have faked health issues in court," making it impossible for her to get a fair trial.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

3 minute read

December 08, 2008 | Texas Lawyer

Jeffrey Weinstein's client was so outraged by the deposition testimony in her fraud suit against a Houston car dealership that Weinstein posted an excerpt from the deposition on YouTube and put a link to the video on his firm's Web site. But the video isn't on YouTube anymore.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

7 minute read

May 18, 2007 | National Law Journal

Associates at large Texas-based firms may be left out of the recent associate salary raises for a while. Some firms such as Houston-based Susman Godfrey say they upped starting salaries to stay competitive with other firms. But other large Texas firms aren't feeling pressure. "I think most observers would differentiate the Texas market from both coasts ... and so far I'm seeing no signs of any movement here," says Kenneth Menges, a partner at Akin Gump, which isn't currently considering associate raises.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

10 minute read

April 21, 2003 | Texas Lawyer

Texas attorneys traveling overseas face two new challenges: the spread of a mysterious respiratory illness named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and the political instability created by the war in Iraq.

By Jeanne Graham and Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

8 minute read