Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

September 08, 2008 | Texas Lawyer

For many months, U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent of the Southern District of Texas kept quiet as the legal community gossiped. But at his arraignment on Sept. 3, Kent spoke loudly and forcefully when he pleaded not guilty to two counts of abusive sexual contact and one count of attempted aggravated sexual abuse.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys and John Council

15 minute read

January 26, 2000 | Law.com

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

7 minute read

November 02, 2009 | Texas Lawyer

Thompson & Knight partner J. Holt Foster has handled video game transactions for many years, but the high-profile deal he just negotiated for Tornado Studios stands out from the pack because it features a photo shoot instead of a shoot-'em-up. He helped arrange an agreement with television show "Project Runway" for his client.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

4 minute read

July 28, 2008 | Texas Lawyer

"More" is the adjective best suited to describe 2007 pro bono activity at Texas' largest firms — more total hours and more average hours per attorney, when compared to 2006, according to Texas Lawyer's annual Pro Bono Survey. Two lawyers active in pro bono work are William G. Hagans and Ileana M. Blanco (pictured).

By Jeanne Graham and Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

15 minute read

August 18, 2009 | Law.com

A federal class action alleges that lawyers in Texas and California conspired to defraud debtors by "masquerading as attorney referral services, unregulated debt negotiators and exempt attorneys." The plaintiffs allege that the defendants run a nationwide operation "promoted by television and internet advertising" to defraud individuals who are "drowning in credit card and unsecured debt."

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

5 minute read

October 07, 2008 | Texas Lawyer

When Jeremy Brandt came up with a business plan to create a national real estate investing company around the phone number 1-800-CashOffer, he didn't think it would be difficult to obtain a toll-free number that spelled out CashOffer. Brandt was wrong.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

8 minute read

August 25, 2008 | Texas Lawyer

R. Todd Cavazos and his girlfriend, who hired Houston personal-injury lawyer Steven Alexander Bearman in 2005 following a car accident in Houston, knew something was really wrong when they found out Bearman had settled their claim with an insurance company without telling them. Now Bearman, whose Texas law license has been suspended, awaits sentencing on a felony charge of misapplication of fiduciary property over $200,000. Assistant Harris County District Attorney Lester Blizzard (pictured) is prosecuting the case.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

9 minute read

March 26, 2007 | National Law Journal

A group of 17 intellectual property lawyers from Jenkens & Gilchrist's Chicago office has closed a deal to open an office in the Windy City for Nixon Peabody -- the first Midwest location for the 680-lawyer firm. The deal has been in the works for weeks as Dallas-based Jenkens sheds lawyers and offices around the country. A spokesman confirms that Jenkens, which currently has about 130 lawyers firmwide, is "still talking about an ideal combination" with another firm.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

4 minute read

September 27, 2006 | Law.com

After listening to a tearful Andrew Fastow, the former chief financial officer at Houston's Enron Corp., express remorse for his actions that led in part to the downfall of the energy company, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt of Houston on Tuesday sentenced Fastow to six years in federal prison and two years of supervised release. The sentencing came nearly three years after Fastow pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

5 minute read

January 06, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

Citing the effect of false testimony by an expert witness for the prosecution, Houston's 1st Court of Appeals on Jan. 6 overturned Andrea P. Yates' 2002 murder conviction and ordered a new trial for the mentally unstable Houston woman who drowned her five children in a bathtub in 2001.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

5 minute read