Inadmissible: 2014 Winning Women

A former Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) in-houser has joined as of counsel to Squire Patton Boggs’ Houston office. Fernando Cano-Lasa, a former lawyer for the Mexican oil and gas company, described a sequence of events that led to his move to Squire Patton Boggs last month, a move the firm announced July 16. Cano-Lasa worked as a lawyer for Pemex and then its international procurement subsidiary for 12 years altogether, and during that time he also picked up a business degree in Houston. In December 2013, when the Mexican government adopted landmark energy reforms, which will encourage more competition, Cano-Lasa said he realized that “there was a major opportunity for international corporations who are looking to do business in Mexico, in particular in the oil and gas industry.” Cano-Lasa also recognized that as a Pemex-trained lawyer, he had skills that would help newcomers understand “the legal implications” of the business opportunities in Mexico. “They will need someone who can help them run through the processes. I believe with my past experience I can do that,” Cano-Lasa said. At his new firm, he also expects to continue negotiating procurement agreements for private clients. With the addition of Cano-Lasa, Squire Patton Boggs now has 50 lawyers in Texas, including those in Houston and Dallas.

2014 Winning Women

Don’t mess with Texas women lawyers. That’s the takeaway from a long list of accomplishments racked up by this group of outstanding female attorneys. Texas Lawyer first honored the Lone Star State’s winning women in 2011. We decided to see who had risen to the top in the intervening three years. Texas Lawyer’s editorial department began the five-month selection process by asking readers to nominate lawyers who have achieved significant recent victories and established a track record of prevailing in high-stakes cases; won large monetary awards; successfully defended against actions seeking substantial damages; handled first-of-their-kind cases; made a substantial changes to the practice of law; or claimed victory in cases that had a national or statewide impact. We read each of the nearly 150 nominations that we received and then conducted our own research to arrive at this list of 19 Winning Women plus a lifetime achiever—a women who clearly stands out among her peers. Texas Lawyer will publish “Winning Women” on Sept. 1, profiling these amazing female Texas lawyers. On Oct. 8, Texas Lawyer will celebrate the honorees with a luncheon at the Belo Mansion in Dallas.