John Council

January 17, 2001 | Law.com

When a unique $10 million class action settlement with Southwestern Bell Telephone was announced, it seemed everyone walked away happy. But one of those seven million class members isn't sure he likes the settlement. When Michael Northrup of Dallas' Cowles & Thompson felt he couldn't get satisfactory answers about the case, he did what attorneys do best -- he filed an appeal contesting the settlement.

By John Council

7 minute read

October 10, 2002 | Law.com

White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, on the job for two years now, spoke with Texas Lawyer about helping President George W. Bush craft a congressional resolution concerning Iraq, the rejection of Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen's nomination to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by the Senate Judiciary Committee, and whether he may be a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court.

By John Council

8 minute read

February 09, 2007 | Texas Lawyer

A former Baron & Budd associate deliberately lied to clients about a settlement in an asbestos case, a Dallas federal jury has found.

By John Council

4 minute read

October 07, 2005 | Corporate Counsel

Last week the Texas Supreme Court heard arguments in a case addressing insurers' use of staff counsel and so-called "captive law firms" -- insurance company-employed lawyers -- to defend Texas policyholders against suits. Numerous large insurance companies in Texas use captive firms, employing about 175 lawyers, according to one attorney's estimate. The attorneys who argued the case in the Supreme Court were all pleased by the court's level of debate, but not surprisingly, predicted different outcomes.

By John Council

7 minute read

April 15, 2005 | Law.com

Officials at a Dallas court building are heeding what a local sheriff's department deemed as "threatening remarks" made by disbarred lawyer Catherine Shelton while on her way to a contempt hearing. Shelton was in a court building elevator with attorney Eric Smenner when, according to Smenner, she told him, "A default can be set aside, but you can't take a bullet out of your heart." Shelton received a license suspension from 1980 to 1982 after a jury convicted her of attempted murder.

By John Council

7 minute read

January 12, 2004 | Texas Lawyer

Holding a position in the Texas Legislature may seem like a pretty good gig to most lawyers. It seems that law firms with lawyer-legislators on staff would reap enormous benefits in the form of scoring new clients and garnering political influence. But this theory doesn't seem to pan out.

By John Council and Mary Alice Robbins

20 minute read

February 23, 2004 | Texas Lawyer

Dallas' Frank Crowley Criminal Courts Building boasts a cafeteria-style lunchroom that can serve up a decent chicken-fried steak.

By John Council

4 minute read

September 13, 2010 | Texas Lawyer

In an unusual case, a Houston jury on Sept. 1 found that a non-attorney business owner and his immigration counseling service were in criminal contempt after they violated a permanent injunction 1,023 times that restricts them from representing clients in legal matters. Officials with the Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee (UPLC) say complaints about immigration consulting businesses run by nonlawyers are a problem in Texas. Many people who use such services do not speak English.

By John Council

7 minute read

March 21, 2000 | Law.com

By John Council

5 minute read

November 14, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

Criminal defendants are supposed to be judged by a jury of their peers, but should they also be judged by a jury of their political constituents? It's a question that Pat Priest, a retired San Antonio state district judge, will address on Nov. 22 in an Austin hearing, as he considers the request of conservative Republican and former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to move the venue for his conspiracy and money-laundering case out of Travis County.

By John Council

6 minute read