Inadmissible

Officiating at weddings is one of the most enjoyable duties a Texas district court judge performs. Sometimes the blessed event occurs in a courtroom, sometimes it happens outside of the courthouse, and — if the judge is 192nd District Judge Craig Smith of Dallas — sometimes the event occurs at the home of NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki. Smith says Tom Melsheimer, managing partner of the Dallas office of Fish & Richardson who represents Dallas Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban, called him in June to ask whether he would preside over Nowitzki’s wedding to Jessica Olsson. “And I said. ‘You bet. Now?’ ” recalls Smith, who’s a huge fan of Nowitzki and the Mavericks. Nowitzki and Olsson wanted to get married in Dallas in the home they share because they had a destination wedding scheduled for Aug. 8 on a remote Caribbean Island. “ With these types of destination weddings, a Texas wedding license only authorizes certain people who can administer the ceremony. They include a district judge. And so that’s what we scheduled for July 20, at their home,” Smith says. Smith presided over the wedding in Nowitzki’s Preston Hollow home in a small ceremony attended by three other couples and Smith’s wife. “Michelle and I had a wonderful time. It was special to be a part of it,” Smith says. And Nowitzki even signed a Mavericks jersey for Smith. That jersey is now framed and hanging in Smith’s chambers. The signature reads “To Judge Smith. Thank you for being a part of our special day. Jessica and Dirk.” Says Smith, “Is this a great gig or what?”

Texas M&A Roundup

Nine Texas-based firms are on the short list of firms handling the lion’s share of big Texas mergers and acquisitions during the first six months of 2012, mergermarket reports in its Texas M&A Roundup. It has been a hot year for deals in Texas. Mergermarket reports that Texas M&A activity from January through June included 172 deals worth $57.6 billion, which is a 13.6 percent increase in deal value compared to the first half of 2011, with 187 deals valued at $50.7 billion. Mergermarket includes deals of at least $5 million in which the “dominant geography” of the target company is in Texas. Bracewell & Giuliani of Houston topped the league table that ranked firms by value of deals during the first half of 2012, with 18 deals worth $33.8 billion. Texas firms following Bracewell on the value league table are Vinson & Elkins in second place with $26.5 billion; Locke Lord in sixth place with $8.6 billion; Baker Botts in the 10th spot with $7.3 billion; and Andrews Kurth in 14th place, with $4.9 billion. All of the firms are based in Houston. V&E topped mergermarket’s league table that ranked firms by the number of deals during the six months, with 37 deals valued at $26.5 billion. After V&E, Texas firms on that league chart for the first half of 2012 are Houston firms Bracewell; Baker Botts; and Fulbright & Jaworski — each with 18 deals — and Andrews Kurth with 11 deals. Others are Dallas firms Haynes and Boone with 10 deals; Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld with nine; and Thompson & Knight with eight.

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