Texas Lawyer

05/28/2026

Texas Business Court Orders $21.9M Judgment for Truck Stop Company

A Texas Business Court ordered James Ballengee and two companies to pay over $21.9 million plus attorney gees to Pilot OFS Holdings and Pilot Travel Centers after defaulting on promissory notes tied to crude transportation asset sales and related agreements.

05/28/2026

What Exactly Is an AI-Native Law Firm?

A growing number of new firms are calling themselves "AI-native," but what that term means depends on who you ask.

05/28/2026

From Bob Burton of Winstead: "At a surface level, both systems may appear to achieve similar outcomes. Shared infrastructure is maintained and costs are allocated among owners. But structure matters, particularly over long time horizons."

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At a surface level, both systems may appear to achieve similar outcomes. Shared infrastructure is maintained and costs are allocated among owners. But structure matters, particularly over long time horizons.

05/28/2026

Partner Pay Spreads Moderate for Am Law 100, as Comp Packages Grow and Equity Ranks Thin

More firms are setting pay packages starting at $20 million to $25 million for top equity partners. As Big Law firms create bigger pay packages for their star performers, pay ratios tend to spread more.

05/28/2026

One of the first out-of-state Big Law firms to launch in Texas, Mayer Brown is focused on growing its Houston team.

"We can't achieve international growth without Texas," said Jon Van Gorp, the firm's Chicago-based chair.

The firm, like all Big Law firms in Houston, faces a competitive hiring market, said Neil Wasserstrom, managing partner of Mayer Brown's Houston office, because a "narrow band of firms" is going after the same group of partners.

From senior reporter Brenda Jeffreys: 🔗 https://www.law.com/texaslawyer/2026/05/27/mayer-brown-in-growth-mode-in-houston-even-as-competition-for-talent-heats-up-/

05/28/2026

250 Years After Independence: Why the U.S. Built a Better System for Planned Communities

At a surface level, both systems may appear to achieve similar outcomes. Shared infrastructure is maintained and costs are allocated among owners. But structure matters, particularly over long time horizons.

05/27/2026

Demand and revenue declined at homegrown Texas firms in Q1, while expenses grew by less than the industry average.

Homegrown firms continue to face competition from the rishing number of out-of-state firms moving into the Texas market.

"When they see revenue slowing, demand slowing, they pull back on expenses, so we are seeing that again," said Michael J. McKenney, managing director and senior client adviser for Citi Law Firm Advisory Group.

From senior reporter Brenda Jeffreys: 🔗 https://www.law.com/texaslawyer/2026/05/27/revenue-demand-slipped-at-homegrown-texas-law-firms-in-q1/

05/27/2026

Mayer Brown in Growth Mode in Houston, Even as Competition for Talent Heats Up

The Chicago-founded Big Law firm moved into the Houston market in 1982, but is now focused on growth in practices including energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, trade and financial services.

05/27/2026

The Era of Subsidized AI Tokens Is Ending. Where Does That Leave Law Firms?

"No one knows how much lawyers are going to consume,” said one Am Law 100 CIO.

05/27/2026

Pizza Hut has been called into Texas Business Court by a franchisee who alleges the company's requirement use its AI-based system for pizza delivery caused it to lose business.

“With the intention to improve efficiency and service to the customer, Dragontail did the exact opposite; it caused significant delays and pummeled consumer satisfaction,” according to the complaint.

Brant Martin of Wick Phillips represents plaintiff Chaac Pizza Northeast.

From litigation reporter Laura Lorek: 🔗 https://www.law.com/texaslawyer/2026/05/27/100m-ai-dispute-franchisee-sues-pizza-hut-over-mandate/

05/27/2026

Revenue, Demand Slipped at Homegrown Texas Law Firms in Q1

A report from Citi Law Firm Advisory Group finds that productivity declined at the Texas firms during Q1, compared with the same period in 2025, because of reduced demand and lawyer head count growth.