Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

March 17, 2005 | Law.com

Hen Enron Corp. collapsed three years ago, it filed for bankruptcy in Manhattan. That didn't sit well with John Cornyn, then the attorney general of Texas. Cornyn, joined by the lawyers for numerous Enron creditors, asked Manhattan federal court judge Arthur Gonzalez to move the case to Houston, where the energy company once employed more than 7,000 people and had its headquarters. But Gonzalez denied the request.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

5 minute read

October 13, 2003 | Law.com

General counsel compensation at large Texas corporations took a dip in 2002 with pay packages averaging 20.1 percent less than in 2001. The general counsel at 36 of Texas' largest corporations made an average of $1,494,165 in 2002, including stock options with a present value of $689,891. That compares to total average compensation of $1,869,162, including stock options with a present value of $911,338, paid to 39 Texas general counsel in 2001.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

12 minute read

February 01, 2006 | Law.com

Opening statements in the criminal trial of former Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Skilling began with a federal prosecutor telling jurors, "This case is not about accounting, it is about lies and choices." On the other side, defense attorney Daniel Petrocelli said that Skilling "didn't steal one nickel" from Enron employees or shareholders and that the company was in good financial condition when Skilling left in August 2001.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

6 minute read

July 25, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

Back in the days when firms adhered strictly to an up-or-out system for promoting associates, non-equity partners were the occasional rare bird at the highest-grossing Texas-based firms. But now 20 of the 25 Texas firms that brought in the highest revenues in 2004 include equity and non-equity partners.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

11 minute read

August 29, 2011 | Texas Lawyer

Dallas appellate lawyer David Weiner says he had an epiphany about billing in 2009, which led him to leave his firm and hourly billing behind to open a flat-fee solo practice. But most firms, particularly large ones, cling to hourly billing and offer alternative billing only for certain types of work or clients.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

8 minute read

February 09, 2004 | Law.com

Dallas-based Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and an ex-partner have settled a suit alleging fraud and securities law violations in connection with the representation of the now-defunct Internet startup E-Court Inc. The firm and former partner H. Dale Langley Jr., who both deny the allegations, have paid $2.625 million to disgruntled investors and the receiver for E-Court.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

10 minute read

May 23, 2006 | Corporate Counsel

When Houston's Frontera Resources went public in 2005, it raised close to $90 million in an initial public offering -- with the twist that its IPO was made on London's Alternative Investment Market. General counsel Scott Harper says Frontera chose the AIM over NASDAQ for several reasons, including SOX compliance costs. Nineteen U.S. companies went public on the AIM in 2005 alone. But attorney L. Steven Leshin says the AIM may not be the best route for small private companies from the United States.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

8 minute read

January 25, 2007 | Texas Lawyer

Houston's Vinson & Elkins, longtime outside counsel for Enron Corp., was dismissed from a massive shareholder securities class action filed by disgruntled Enron shareholders.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

3 minute read

August 18, 2003 | Texas Lawyer

A federal appeals court has overturned a Miami federal judge�s ruling that two Texas lawyers who represented clients who sued Miami-based Millon Air over a fatal plane crash in Ecuador should pay defense fees and costs because they failed to investigate their claims properly. Those claims had been dismissed because of fraud.

By Dan Christensen and Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

7 minute read

August 07, 2006 | Texas Lawyer

For three weeks, a team at Thompson & Knight worked from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m. to put together a prepackaged plan of reorganization for Davis Petroleum Corp. That hard work paid off when a judge confirmed a reorganization plan that called for a private equity group to invest $150 million in the company.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

9 minute read