Texas

Eight Akin Gump Lawyers Move to Hunton & Williams

Eight labor lawyers from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld are moving to Hunton & Williams to staff offices in California and Texas. Among those making the move is Laura Franze, a co-chair of Akin Gump’s labor and employment group who will hold the same position at Hunton, the Recorder…

Jul 1, 2008 11:59 AM CDT

Texas Man Not Indicted in 2 Killings; Immigrants Shot in Back

After two weeks of evidence and consideration, a Texas grand jury today refused to indict a 62-year-old retiree who shot two illegal immigrants in the back on Nov. 14, killing them. Joe Horn initially called 911 when he apparently heard the men breaking into a neighbor’s home in Pasadena, a…

Jun 30, 2008 11:27 PM CDT

Why Texas DAs Rarely Prosecute Estate Theft, and Why Lawyers Like It That Way

Texas prosecutors rarely bring charges in connection with estate thefts, and probate lawyers are partly to blame. The lawyers usually advise heirs to file civil lawsuits rather than go to police, the Austin American-Statesman reports. Civil lawyers are not required to report the suspected theft by clients’ relatives under state…

Jun 30, 2008 5:54 PM CDT

Texas Supreme Court Says Church Can’t Be Held Liable for Exorcism

The Texas Supreme Court has held the First Amendment protects a church from liability for an exorcism performed on a teen who claims the incident traumatized her. Laura Schubert was 17 when members of the Pleasant Glade Assembly of God tried to exorcise demons from her in 1996, report the…

Jun 30, 2008 4:54 PM CDT

Attorney for Sect Teen Refuses to Testify in Texas Grand Jury Hearing

A Texas grand jury apparently investigating alleged sexual abuse of girls by a polygamous religious sect reportedly tried to call an attorney for one 16-year-old, Natalie Malonis, to testify yesterday. But Malonis refused, citing attorney-client privilege, which led to an interruption in the San Angelo grand jury hearing as Judge…

Jun 26, 2008 6:06 PM CDT

Lawyer Under Armed Guard as Grand Jury Hears Texas Sect Case

A court-appointed lawyer for a 16-year-old member of a polygamous religious sect was reportedly under armed guard today as she arrived for a Texas grand jury hearing in an ongoing investigation of alleged abuse of teen and pre-teen girls by members of the sect. Attorney Natalie Malonis apparently was representing…

Jun 25, 2008 10:46 PM CDT

Some Bungee Jump; Mark Bennett Practices Law

Some folks gamble. Others bungee jump, or climb mountains. Mark Bennett practices law, along with his attorney wife, as a criminal defense lawyer working out of their home in Houston. Being responsible for another human being’s freedom is a thrilling job for a lawyer, “very gratifying when we can help…

Jun 24, 2008 7:49 PM CDT

Ten Bracewell & Giuliani Lawyers to Form Public Sector Boutique

Ten lawyers from Bracewell & Giuliani, a majority of whom are women and minorities, are leaving the law firm to open a public sector law boutique. A press release notes the diversity of the new firm, Thompson & Horton, and said both firms will “work together as strategic partners.” Bracewell…

Jun 24, 2008 10:56 AM CDT

Lawyers in Love Celebrate Anniversaries at Home—and at Work

Grant and Sandy Liser are celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary this month. But the two Texas lawyers are achieving a memorable milestone as partners at the office this year, too: a decade together at the same law firm, practicing together as trial attorneys in a 21-lawyer defense firm. Although their…

Jun 23, 2008 5:52 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rules Right to Counsel Triggered at Initial Hearing

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a defendant’s right to a lawyer attaches as soon as he is brought before a judicial officer. The majority opinion (PDF posted by SCOTUSblog) by Justice David H. Souter noted the ABA’s position that counsel should be appointed no later than the initial…

Jun 23, 2008 2:52 PM CDT

Mexico Asks World Court to Halt Five U.S. Executions

Mexico asked the World Court today to issue a stay to halt the executions of five of its citizens in the United States. Mexico contends the five prisoners were not allowed to consult with consular officials in violation of their rights under an international treaty, the Vienna Convention. The United…

Jun 19, 2008 1:53 PM CDT

Texas High Court Judge Defends Execution Order: We’re Not ‘Bloodthirsty’

The judge in charge of the case for death-row inmate Charles Dean Hood is defending a ruling made without input from defense lawyers that allowed the execution to proceed. “They said they needed one hour, but three hours later we had no response,” Judge Cheryl Johnson told the Austin American-Statesman.…

Jun 19, 2008 10:49 AM CDT

30-Day Execution Reprieve for Hood, But Judge’s Claimed Affair Not the Reason

It reportedly never has happened before in this state known for its many executions. But time was on Charles Dean Hood’s side last night as Texas officials waiting through an appeal-filled evening eventually decided to call off his lethal injection because of a lack of time to complete the execution…

Jun 18, 2008 7:39 PM CDT

Texas Law Firms Expanding Out-of-State

A number of big firms in Texas are getting bigger, but much of their expansion is out-of-state. Texas-based law firms are expanding by increasing the size of their offices located elsewhere, with Dallas-based Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld leading the pack. A little over 70 percent of the firm’s…

Jun 18, 2008 6:39 PM CDT

Texas Judge Halts Planned 6 PM Execution, Appeals Court Overrules, Clock Ticks

Updated: Barely an hour before Charles Dean Hood was scheduled to be put to death by the state of Texas at 6 p.m. tonight, a Collin County judge withdrew his execution warrant, in the first of a series of dramatic developments as the evening progressed. Prosecutors immediately sought a reversal…

Jun 17, 2008 10:54 PM CDT