A judge has signed an agreed judgment between Dallas firm Dehay & Elliston and its former managing partner W. Scott Berry, which results in a judgment of “common-law fraud, fraud by non-disclosure, actual fraud, false pretenses, theft and breach of fiduciary duty” against Berry.

Rising client demands and a market offering abundant lateral hiring opportunities helped swell the number of lawyers at two Texas firms by more than 40 percent during 2012. Meanwhile, percentage drops at firms losing lawyers were much lower than they were two years ago in 2010.

Energy work, both transactional and litigation, is a main driver behind strong 2012 financials at large Texas firms, although firm leaders also cite lateral hiring, a strong Texas economy, attention to collections and client year-end tax planning as major contributors.

Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, who is serving a 45-day jail sentence after pleading guilty to driving while intoxicated, received amicus brief support from 172 lawyers.

Congratulations, the phone is ringing, and a new client is calling. But don’t go celebrate with an early lunch just yet. Unless the client is an individual or sole proprietor, the wise attorney must make sure that the engagement letter identifies exactly who the client is, especially if room exists for interpretation or doubt.