JD Journal » University of Houston

John O’Quinn, Prominent Texas Lawyer, Dead at 68

joshua — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:06:18 +0000

John O’Quinn, one of the country’s most successful trial lawyers and classic car collectors, died yesterday when the SUV he was driving lost control and hit a tree. Also killed was Johnny Lee Cutliff, an employee at his firm that frequently worked as O’Quinn’s assistant.

O’Quinn was revered as a litigator and reviled by the corporations he sued. He was the lawyer behind the $17.3 billion settlement between the tobacco companies and the state of Texas and the $1 billion dollar verdict against Wyeth for the diet drug fen-phen. His philanthropic work includes causes like the Children’s Museum, Feed the Hungry, and Women’s Center, Children’s Assessment Center (to prevent child abuse) and the University of Houston, and is capped off by the The John M. O’Quinn Foundation, established in 1986, which focuses on helping children, public education and the environment.

He was also well known for his love of sports cars and classic cars, amassing a collection of over 800 vehicles. His reputation included a penchant for driving fast and was cited in the 90′s for a dui and later for evading arrest after an officer attempted to stop him for a suspected illegal U-Turn.

He was a giant man both personally and professionally and his footsteps will not easily be filled.

Baker & McKenzie Hires Energy Team from Thompson & Knight

Erik Even — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:30:44 +0000

Chicago’s Baker & McKenzie has hired a seven-lawyer energy law group from the crosstown office of Thompson & Knight.

The team includes partners Michael Byrd, Louis Davis and Ben Welmaker; Glen White as of counsel; and associates David Wildes, Cody Carper and James Sonnier.

They will support Baker’s Houston-based Major Projects/Energy practice.

Byrd represents clients in all phases and sizes of acquisitions and divestitures of producing properties and oil and gas companies. He earned a JD with Honors from the University of Texas School of Law.

Davis handles transactional matters regarding oil and gas exploration and production. He was the Oil and Gas Practice Leader at Thompson & Knight. His JD is from the University of Houston.

Welmaker represents oil and gas companies in international and domestic transactions. He received his LL.B from The University of Texas School of Law.

Baker & McKenzie was founded in Chicago in 1949 by Russell Baker and John McKenzie. One of the first law firms to be truly global, it employs more than 3,900 lawyers in more than 70 offices in 38 different countries.

Cox Smith Adds Health Care Team to Austin Office

Erik Even — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:38:30 +0000

Texas’ Cox Smith Matthews has added two health care regulation experts to its Austin office, Kathy Poppitt and Catherine Greaves.

Poppitt, formerly of Thompson & Knight, will focus on health care regulatory law, health care litigation and administrative law. She received her JD from the University of Texas in 1988.

Also formerly with Thompson & Knight, Greaves advises clients involved in all aspects of the health care industry. Her JD is from the University of Houston, 1985.

Founded in 2004, Cox Smith Matthews is headquartered in San Antonio, with offices in Austin, Dallas and McAllen. The Firm employs 130 attorneys with diverse experience in 17 primary practice areas and more than 25 areas of specialization.