News

News

SHJ Names 2024 Diversity Fellows

We are excited to announce that Copenhagen Elliott (Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law) and Aman Sankineni (Columbia Law School) have been selected…

View Story

Supreme Court Takes on the Chevron Doctrine

On January 17, 2024, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in tandem cases Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc., et al. v. Dept. of Commerce, et al., which ask whether the court should overrule one of its most frequently cited precedents: the Chevron doctrine. SHJ staff attorney Jennifer Cordell explains the doctrine’s history and application, then outlines one of the court’s available paths in addressing the issue of statutory silence.

View Story

Supreme Court Considers Title VII Case That Could Impact Company Diversity Initiatives

Federal courts have long held that Title VII discrimination must consist of material harm or disadvantage. However, on December 6, 2023, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in a Title VII case out of the Eighth Circuit, Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, that could radically lower this threshold – and reshape the landscape of workplace discrimination law entirely. SHJ associate Dave Finkel analyzes the decision’s potential implications, including challenges to employer DEI programs.

View Story

Meet Partner Logan Johnson

For more than 20 years, Logan Johnson has represented plaintiffs and defendants in their most important matters. Here, he discusses his approach to trial work, the exhilaration of prevailing in court, and one of the best years of his career.

View Story

SHJ Welcomes Dave Finkel

We are thrilled to announce that Dave Finkel has joined Schiffer Hicks Johnson as an associate. Dave’s practice centers on complex commercial litigation. As a former federal clerk in both district and circuit courts, he has experience overseeing the entire lifecycle of a case, from pre-trial through appeal.

View Story

SHJ Welcomes Gabe Slater

We are delighted to announce that Gabe Slater has joined Schiffer Hicks Johnson as an associate. Gabe’s practice centers on complex commercial litigation. He has managed the day-to-day duties of a broad spectrum of cases, including consumer class actions, mass torts, merger litigation, and shareholder disputes. Gabe’s experience includes appearing at hearings in both state and federal court, leading oral argument on a motion to compel, and first-chairing numerous depositions.

View Story

Sackler Family’s Fate in the Supreme Court Is Poised to Transform Texas Bankruptcy Law

On December 4, 2023, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in a case that may have major implications for bankruptcy law in the Fifth Circuit. While the Fifth Circuit has held that bankruptcy courts may not incorporate third-party releases, this case, Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P., et. al., challenges the legality of Purdue’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan on the grounds that the plan exceeds the Bankruptcy Code’s authorization by releasing claims held by non-debtors against other non-debtor third parties without the claimants’ consent. Partner Marc Tabolsky and associate Adam Greiner discuss the case’s background as well as its potential to reverse current Fifth Circuit precedent that denies the use of releases between non-debtors in Chapter 11 reorganization plans.

View Story

Ahead of the Curve: Meet Appellate Partner Penny Nicholson

SHJ partner Penny Nicholson, a veteran appellate practitioner board-certified in civil appellate law, has spent the past 30 years at the forefront of this evolving practice area. As a partner at Vinson & Elkins, she helped co-found the firm’s appellate section in 1990—one of the first in Texas. Here, Penny discusses her history at V&E, her current appellate practice at SHJ, her approach to appellate law, and what makes appellate lawyers an invaluable addition to any trial practice.

View Story

“A Firm on the Rise”: A Q&A with Associate Fraser Holmes

Fraser Holmes joined SHJ as an associate in September 2023. He litigates complex commercial disputes at both the trial and appellate levels, as well as in arbitration proceedings. Before joining the firm, Fraser clerked for the Hon. Bridget Bade of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and, prior to that, the Hon. Sam Sparks of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

View Story

SHJ Welcomes Fraser Holmes

We are excited to announce that Fraser Holmes has joined Schiffer Hicks Johnson as an associate. Fraser litigates complex commercial disputes at both the trial and appellate levels, as well as in arbitration proceedings. He has drafted dispositive and non-dispositive briefs, prepared depositions, and conducted discovery for cases in state and federal court involving a wide range of claims, including private equity, healthcare, bankruptcy, and anticompetition.

View Story

Meet Summer Associate Karchen Lhatoo

Karchen is a rising 3L at the University of Chicago Law School, where he participates in the International Law Society and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. He also served as the vice president and events director of UChicago Law Effective Altruism, a group that applies an evidence-based approach to helping law students undertake effective public interest and pro bono work. Previously, Karchen was an advocacy fellow with Reprieve, a London-based human rights organization that builds public momentum around high-impact causes like Guantánamo Bay, human trafficking, and drone strikes. He graduated from The Ohio State University with a B.A. in Political Science.

View Story

Three Partners Honored by Benchmark Litigation

Schiffer Hicks Johnson is proud to announce that three partners have been recognized in Benchmark Litigation’s 2024 rankings: Adam Schiffer (Litigation Star), Adam Dinnell (Future Litigation Star), and Varant Yegparian (40 & Under List).

View Story

Texas Supreme Court to Review Rejected Forced Pooling Applications

On June 2, 2023, the Texas Supreme Court agreed to hear Ammonite Oil & Gas Corp. v. Railroad Commission of Texas and EOG Resources, which concerns a state regulator’s rejection of 16 applications submitted by Ammonite to force pool its mineral estate with adjacent wells operated by EOG under the Texas Mineral Interest Pooling Act (MIPA). Now, the court is poised to weigh in on several points regarding the scope and interpretation of the MIPA. Partner Persis Dean and associate Kelly Swanson provide key details of the case as well as its potential implications.

View Story

Meet Summer Associate April Alex

April is a rising 3L at Duke University School of Law, where she serves as staff editor of Law and Contemporary Problems and as a research assistant for the Wilson Center for Science and Justice. Previously, she was a summer associate at a firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, that handles insurance, reinsurance, healthcare regulation, and employment disputes. She graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Political Science.

View Story

“A Great Place to Exercise Your Creativity”: A Q&A with Senior Associate Lori Arakaki

Lori C. Arakaki joined SHJ as a senior associate in March 2023. She handles complex commercial disputes before federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels. Previously, Lori practiced in the litigation group at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP’s San Francisco office. She also spent several years as an associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP’s Los Angeles office.

View Story

“Committed to ‘Paying It Forward’: A Q&A With Appellate Lawyer Katherine Ring

Fewer than 20% of U.S. appellate lawyers who argue high-dollar civil cases are female, according to a 2021 report from the American Bar Association. At SHJ, we’re proud to field a majority-women appellate team with an exceptional track record of success.

Senior counsel Katherine Ring has played a key role in our appellate practice since the firm was founded in 2007. Over the past 15 years, she and her colleagues, Marc Tabolsky and Penny Nicholson, have argued highly significant legal issues before federal courts and handled appeals involving hundreds of millions of dollars. We sat down with Kate to discuss her background, most interesting cases, and commitment to female mentorship in the profession.

View Story

Meet Summer Associate Matthew Hilley

Matthew is a rising 3L at Washington University School of Law, where he serves as an executive articles editor for the Journal of Law & Policy, the vice president of the Federalist Society, and the former vice justice of Phi Alpha Delta. Previously, Matthew worked as a law clerk in the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, General Litigation, and interned at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas. He graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A. in Physics and History.  

View Story

Meet Summer Associate Austin Fuller

Austin is a rising 3L at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he participates in the Virginia Journal of Law & Technology and the Extramural Moot Court Team. He also belongs to Lone Star Lawyers, UVA’s networking group for students interested in the Texas legal market. Previously, Austin interned at the Travis County District Attorney’s Office in Austin. He graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Social Studies.

View Story

Schiffer Hicks Johnson Earns 2023 Chambers Ranking

Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business announced today that Schiffer Hicks Johnson (SHJ) has been ranked as a leading law firm in the Texas Litigation: General Commercial practice area for 2023. Less than 1 percent of U.S. law firms receive this important distinction.

View Story

New Bill Will Streamline Civil Litigation in Texas Court

On Friday, May 12, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would create a specialized business court to oversee complex civil litigation. SHJ senior counsel Katherine Ring provides an overview of key changes proposed by the bill, which aims to streamline the resolution of high-stakes business disputes statewide.

View Story