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Corporate Divorce – Preventing and Managing the Break-Up of a Business Partnership
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Eviction Essentials and Lease Management
TortsCenter Podcast | Episode 10 | Law in the Arena: Exploring Equine Legal Matters with Kimbrell Hines
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The Briefing: The Stanley Cup Clash - A Trademark Battle
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Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: “Accidental Arbitration” -- A New Theory that Would Rein in Consumer Arbitration Clauses and the Scope of the FAA
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Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 298: Spotlight on Contracts (Part 2)
Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 297: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 2 - Beneficiaries)
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 487: Listen and Learn -- Consideration (Contract Law)
OK at Work: Navigating Customer Terms and Usage
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Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast Episode 257: Listen and Learn -- Consideration (Contract Law)
Viaje al Pasado Legal: Una Reclamación en Piedra
The SaaS Tacks – The Ins and Outs of Negotiating SaaS Contracts
Navigating Power Allocation and Customer Choice in a Regulated Landscape - Energy Law Insights
The Texas Supreme Court in Roxo Energy Company, LLC v. Baxsto, LLC reinforced a fundamental contract principle: when fully integrated agreements plainly conflict with prior oral representations, reliance on those inconsistent...more
The Tyler Court of Appeals reversed a $2.5 million judgment against pipeline successors (Coffeyville Resources Crude Transportation, LLC v. ExxonMobil Pipeline Co., No. 12-23-00276-CV, 2025 WL 356222 [Tex. App.—Tyler Jan. 31,...more
On June 27, 2025, the Texas Supreme Court rendered a 32-page opinion in the case of Southern Methodist Univer. v. South Central Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church, No. 23-0703, __ S.W.3d __ (Tex. June...more
The 2025 biennial session of the Texas Legislature brought changes to the Texas Business Court that was created in 2023. With the passage of House Bill 40 (HB 40), the legislature expanded the Business Court’s jurisdiction to...more
In a significant decision for Texas property and energy law, the Texas Supreme Court has affirmed the Eighth Court of Appeals’ ruling in Cactus Water Services, LLC v. COG Operating, LLC, holding that produced water — a...more
What happens when a court reads your contract literally for one issue but decides what 'makes sense' for another? A geophysicist just found out. In early April 2025, the Amarillo Court of Appeals reversed in part and...more
When can a Texas court rule on New Mexico property disputes? The answer hinges on whether the property interest is 'central' or just 'incidental' to the real fight....more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in United States Trinity Energy Services., L.L.C. v. Southeast Directional Drilling, L.L.C., 135 F.4th 303 (5th Cir. 2025) ruled that "manifest disregard of the law" is not a...more
The takeaway from DDR Weinert, Limited et al v. Ovintiv USA Inc. is that equitable recoupment rescued a royalty payor from its mistaken payment of royalties. But first, The events. The Richters were mineral lessors...more
In its May 22, 2025, memorandum opinion, the Business Court of Texas dismissed all claims against Christopher Doyle (PEC’s CEO) and certain Blackstone-affiliated entities. The Court held that § 13.9 of the Third Amended...more
As an update to Vinson & Elkins’ prior coverage of House Bill 40 (“H.B. 40”)—new legislation that expands the jurisdiction and operations of the recently opened Texas business courts—both houses of the Texas Legislature...more
The so called “Anadarko Washout” involves a washout of oil and gas leases on undivided working interests owned by non-operating mineral cotenants. This particular species of lease washouts is based on two recent cases from...more
In Williams O & G Resources, LLC v. Diamondback Energy, Inc., a federal magistrate judge concluded that the Texas Relinquishment Act does not apply to public-school lands patented after 1931. The report and recommendation was...more
A recent Texas Supreme Court decision fully overturned a jury’s finding that a franchisor was liable for the criminal actions of a franchisee’s employee. This decision underscores the importance of a franchisor having clearly...more
In Myers-Woodward, LLC v. Underground Services Markham, LLC et al, (discussed previously) the parties disagreed on how to calculate Myers’ royalty on salt produced by Underground....more
The Business Court of Texas’ recent opinion in Atlas IDF, LP v. NexPoint Real Estate Partners, LLC offers important guidance on the meaning of a “qualified transaction” under Texas Government Code Chapter 25A and the...more
On Friday, May 9th, the Supreme Court of Texas addressed important issues regarding the enforcement of written contractual representations in its per curiam opinion styled Roxo Energy Co., LLC et al. v. Baxsto, LLC, ---...more
This recent case (Rock River Minerals, LP v. Pioneer Nat. Res. USA Inc., No. 08-23-00216-CV, 2024 WL 4528917 [Tex. App.—El Paso Oct. 18, 2024, no pet. h.]) explored whether an assignment of an overriding royalty interest,...more
A lessee who halts production for less than 40 days and resumes without drilling or reworking does not terminate the lease. The continuous development clause keeps the lease active, and the cessation clause allows resumed...more
“Manifest disregard of the law” is no longer a valid basis to challenge arbitration awards, at least not in the federal courts of Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana. Rather, according to the Fifth Circuit’s decision in U.S....more
The Texas Supreme Court has provided clarity on the fiduciary duties between business partners, particularly in the context of limited partnerships. The case, Bertucci v. Watkins, involved a dispute between two business...more
The Texas Business Court is a statewide, specialized trial court created to resolve certain complex business disputes. Five of the planned eleven divisions began operating September 1, 2024, with two appointed judges in each...more
Texas has joined more than two dozen other U.S. states in creating a court system to handle certain business disputes. Companies with cases in the new Texas Business Court will appear before appointed judges with expertise in...more