Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

February 26, 2003 | Law.com

A trial judge has discretion to award a group of plaintiffs' lawyers $25,000 in attorney fees instead of the nearly $6 million they sought under a contingent-fee contract because the smaller award is neither inequitable nor unjust, a state appeals court in El Paso, Texas, ruled. Because the fee award falls within the range of trial testimony from fee experts, it is neither arbitrary nor unreasonable, the court said.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

8 minute read

March 17, 2008 | Texas Lawyer

Before Cisco Systems Inc. in-house lawyer Richard Frenkel outed himself in February as the Patent Troll Tracker blogger, he posted blog entries in October 2007 that alleged two East Texas lawyers conspired with the Eastern District Clerk's Office to alter the filing date of an infringement suit. That suit was filed against Frenkel's employer, Cisco.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys, John Council and Miriam Rozen

13 minute read

February 13, 2007 | Texas Lawyer

After 11 lawyers jumped ship on Feb. 9 to open a new firm on Feb. 12, Dallas-based Vial, Hamilton, Koch & Knox, which has about 14 lawyers left, may close its doors.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

3 minute read

June 06, 2011 | Texas Lawyer

The sale of StarTex Power, a privately held retail electric provider based in Houston, to Constellation Energy of Baltimore benefits more than the two companies and the firms handling the $142.5 million transaction. The CEO for StarTex Power writes in an e-mail that the company's lead attorney on the transaction is "probably the best corporate deal attorney that I have worked with."

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

3 minute read

January 26, 2001 | Law.com

Plaintiffs' lawyers say Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. is using legislative continuances to delay trials on tire-tread-separation suits in Texas, an accusation defense attorneys deny. Under the law, legislators may seek continuances for trials scheduled when the Texas Legislature is in session. This could lead to months of delay, for the session won't be over until the end of May.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

7 minute read

April 14, 2008 | Texas Lawyer

A 5th Circuit opinion delivered a win-some, lose-some result for businessman Charles Hurwitz and his company, Maxxam Inc. of Houston, in their long-running civil courthouse battle with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The 5th Circuit panel affirmed a sanction U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes of Houston imposed in 2005 against the FDIC for the costs of the litigation. David Beck (pictured) represents Maxxam.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

6 minute read

October 17, 2002 | Law.com

Arthur Andersen, the accounting firm that became the first target of the federal government's investigation into the downfall of Enron, was given the maximum sentence Wednesday of a $500,000 fine and five years probation. In June, a Houston jury found Andersen guilty of obstruction of justice for destroying Enron-related documents after the SEC had begun an investigation into Enron's financial reporting.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

6 minute read

December 13, 2004 | Texas Lawyer

A death-row inmate, with support from a pro bono team at Vinson & Elkins, is challenging the constitutionality of jury pools in Harris County on the ground they contain too few Hispanics. The inmate claims he was denied his constitutional right to an impartial jury because the jury panel didn't fairly reflect a cross-section of the community.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

6 minute read

March 10, 2003 | Law.com

Jenkens & Gilchrist wants an arbitrator to decide claims brought by four disgruntled clients who allege in a $1.4 billion federal suit that the Dallas-based firm gave them faulty tax advice on COBRA transactions that is now at issue as the IRS examines the taxpayers' returns. The 510-lawyer firm and a Chicago-based shareholder are among defendants in a RICO suit filed in federal court in New York.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

11 minute read

February 02, 2006 | The Legal Intelligencer

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.

By Brenda Sapino Jeffreys

6 minute read