Owner to Pay Record $209M re W.Va. Mine Explosion That Killed 29

The owner of a West Virginia mine that exploded in 2010, killing 29 men, will pay a record $209 million to resolve its criminal and civil liability concerning the disaster and what officials called a workplace culture that valued productivity over safety and ignored applicable law. The agreed payment by…

Dec 6, 2011 9:45 PM CST

Baker Donelson Plants Flag in Texas with Acquisition of 7-Attorney Spain Chambers

A Tennessee-based law firm with 14 offices in southern states and a significant presence in Louisiana is expanding westward and opening its first office in Texas. Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz announced today that it will be acquiring seven-attorney Spain Chambers in Houston. Baker Donelson has about 600 attorneys…

Oct 24, 2011 6:42 PM CDT

Natural Gas Reserve in Western Pa. Prompts Law Firms to Open Offices in the Region

Eager for lucrative energy work, global law firms and boutiques alike are flocking to Western Pennsylvania’s enormous Marcellus Shale natural gas reserve. Previously unattainable, new large-scale drilling technology has made it possible to tap these reserves in central and western Pennsylvania that beckon firms with a significant presence in the…

Oct 11, 2011 10:09 PM CDT

Law Prof Files Ethics Complaint Against Crowell Lawyers for Appalachian Inbreeding Suggestion

An assistant law professor in North Carolina has filed an ethics complaint against four Crowell & Moring lawyers who suggested that inbreeding could be responsible for Appalachian birth defects chronicled in a study of mountaintop mining. Assistant law professor Jason Huber of the Charlotte School of Law says in the…

Oct 7, 2011 1:35 PM CDT

Norton Rose to Merge with Macleod Dixon, Increasing Megafirm’s Attorney Roster to 2,900

In the latest move in its aggressive expansion campaign over the past two years, London-based Norton Rose is to merge with a several-hundred-lawyer Canadian firm that focuses its practice on energy and natural resources. As of Jan 1, 2012, when Norton Rose and Macleod Dixon plan to tie the knot,…

Oct 4, 2011 9:57 PM CDT

Is Marcellus Shale a Mineral? Pa. Court’s Answer Will Affect Gas Rights

A pending case in Pennsylvania considers whether Marcellus shale is a mineral. The answer could determine whether contracts transferring mineral rights to Marcellus shale also transfer rights to Marcellus natural gas, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. “For anyone who’s played the game ‘Animal, Vegetable, Mineral,’ it might seem obvious that the…

Sep 23, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Messin’  with Texas: Major Firms Move in on the Ol’ Boy Network

Sep 1, 2011 7:20 AM CDT

Burleson Opens New Office in Denver

A rapidly expanding Houston-based energy law firm announced today that is has opened an office in Denver. It is the third new office for Burleson in the past two years, the not-quite-100-attorney firm said in a press release. It will be headed by Jack R. Luellen, who formerly practiced at…

Aug 17, 2011 5:57 PM CDT

Clifford Chance to Open 1st Office in Africa; Move Follows Similar Announcement By A&O

Clifford Chance has announced that it is opening its first office in Africa. The London-based megafirm plans to plant its flag in Morocco by the end of the year, reports Legal Week. Mustapha Mourahib, a Paris-based partner who is a Moroccan national, will move there to establish the firm’s African…

Jul 26, 2011 4:49 PM CDT

Fastest-Growing Practice Areas? Health Care, Energy, Financial Services, Report Says

Seven different practice areas are showing growth in fees, billable hours, recruiting and hiring, according to the Robert Denney Associates Inc. consultancy. The Wayne, Pa., firm’s semiannual “What’s Hot and What’s Not in the Legal Profession” report released this month identified these seven hot practice areas: health care; energy; financial…

Jun 27, 2011 6:30 PM CDT

Fast-Growing Burleson Doubles San Antonio Attorney Roster, After Recent Hires Elsewhere

A fast-growing energy boutique has just doubled the size of its San Antonio, Texas, office, by bringing in eight more attorneys there. In addition to the new San Antonio lawyers announced by Burleson in a press release today, the firm also recently added to its attorney roster in Houston and…

Jun 15, 2011 11:34 PM CDT

Blank Rome Adds 9 Lawyers in Houston via Merger with Abrams Scott Litigation Boutique

Blank Rome will be expanding the attorney roster in its Houston office nearly tenfold on June 30, when it is to merge a nine-lawyer litigation boutique there. Barry Abrams of Abrams Scott & Bickley is to serve as managing partner of the Houston office after the acquisition, Texas Lawyer reports…

Jun 9, 2011 8:31 PM CDT

Former Clark Thomas & Winters Partner Convicted in Bill-Padding Case, Gets 500 Days, Must Pay $222K

A former partner of Clark Thomas & Winters was convicted yesterday by a Texas jury in a case that revolved around the alleged padding of legal bills to obtain money to make secret payments to relatives of board members of a client utility company. Convicted of theft, money laundering and…

Jun 1, 2011 9:01 PM CDT

Obama Taps ‘Green’ Exec and Yale Law Grad John Bryson as Next Commerce Secretary

A 67-year-old Yale Law School graduate with extensive experience as corporate executive in energy companies has been tapped by President Barack Obama to be the next U.S. Commerce Secretary. John Bryson formerly served as chief executive officer of Edison International for 17 years and is currently chairman of BrightSource Energy…

May 31, 2011 8:53 PM CDT

Jury Mulls Money-Launder Case Against Ex-Clark Thomas & Winters Partner Charged re Billing Practices

A Texas jury is beginning deliberations in a money-laundering case against a former partner at Clark Thomas & Winters who is accused of padding law firm bills to conceal improper payments to individuals related to members of the client’s executive board. Walter Demond is also charged with theft and misapplication…

May 26, 2011 7:30 PM CDT