Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

April 12, 2004 | Texas Lawyer

The last thing Enron Corp. defendant Lea W. Fastow wanted to hear on April 7 was word from U.S. District Judge David Hittner that he rejects a plea bargain requiring her to spend only five months in federal prison. But Hittner's decision was probably just as disappointing to the Enron Task Force prosecutors, who likely didn't imagine Fastow would be the first Enron figure to go to trial.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

8 minute read

February 05, 2007 | Law.com

Houston's Reliant Energy wants a federal judge to give it permission to ignore a shareholder request to place a proposal on Reliant's 2007 proxy statement that could make it easier in the future for shareholders to nominate board directors. The decision in the case before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas could ultimately make law in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that would help other corporations maintain control of what's on their proxy statements.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

6 minute read

October 10, 2001 | Law.com

Greenberg Peden is the latest midsize Texas firm to bite the dust this year, joining the ranks of familiar names like Sheinfeld, Maley & Kay in bowing to trends that make it tougher for the small to survive. The Houston-based firm says it will be several to many months before it formally dissolves, but many of the lawyers, including shareholder David Peden, have already joined other firms.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

6 minute read

March 20, 2007 | Texas Lawyer

The lawyer for plaintiffs Fred Baron and his wife Lisa Blue in Fred Baron, et al. v. Baron & Budd, et al. said opposing counsel "made a mockery of the deposition process."

By Miriam Rozen and Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

4 minute read

October 14, 2008 | Texas Lawyer

The two largest immigration firms in Texas, Tindall & Foster and Quan, Burdette & Perez, both of Houston, announced this morning they will merge effective Jan. 1, 2009, creating what may be the nation's second largest immigration firm. Charles C. Foster, director of the immigration section at Tindall & Foster, says the firm's lawyers know each other well.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

4 minute read

December 31, 2003 | Law.com

It's been mostly business as usual this year for Joe Dilg, managing partner of 798-lawyer Vinson & Elkins. Formerly the lead V&E lawyer on the Enron Corp. account, Dilg had little time in 2003 for legal work. He spent his time glad-handing clients, troubleshooting management issues and acting as a firm leader. But, at the end of this year, for Dilg and V&E, one thing will be different: For the first time in more than a decade, V&E's revenues for the year will decline.

By Miriam Rozen and Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

10 minute read

October 11, 2010 | Texas Lawyer

Two former attorneys at Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas have sued the organization and two of its executives, alleging the defendants violated the Texas Wiretap Act when a telephone conversation they had at work was intercepted and recorded. The attorneys are Sophia Katherine Palat (pictured) and Kervyn B. Altaffer Jr.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

4 minute read

October 09, 2000 | Law.com

The Texas Supreme Court will decide a case that not only may help determine whether a Houston firm has a valid claim to a $3 million referral fee taken by one of their associates, but also may determine the broader question of whether associates owe a fiduciary duty to their firms.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

4 minute read

July 23, 2007 | Texas Lawyer

An arbitration panel has ordered the firm of Houston plaintiffs lawyer John M. O'Quinn to pay $35.7 million in damages to a class of 3,450 former breast implant clients who allege the firm overcharged them for expenses.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

7 minute read

July 27, 2001 | Law.com

Texas Attorney General John Cornyn, who is conducting an ethics probe into how five prominent plaintiffs' lawyers handled the state's tobacco litigation, may get the opportunity to depose them after all. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a district court ruling that prevented Cornyn from conducting discovery in state court. The five plaintiffs' lawyers under investigation negotiated the state's $17.3 billion settlement with the tobacco industry.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

6 minute read