The End of the Bar Year

This marks the end of the bar year and the conclusion of another volume of The Houston Lawyer. To round out Volume 61, the theme of this issue was initially planned as “transactional law.” However, with an editorial board full of litigators, it quite frankly became more like everything-but-litigation—in a good way! We were eager to learn about topics outside of our practice areas, and I believe that we have accomplished that—for all of our readers—through this issue.

Martin Buzak and David Rusk discuss contractual drafting considerations in a post-COVID world. Amy Wolfshohl and Cornelius Sweers overview engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts. Four attorneys share their experiences with secondments, both with clients and outside law firms. Madison guerinot offers her opinions on what to expect in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) trends. Courtney Ervin, Colin Watterson, and D. Ryan Cordell, Jr. outline frequently litigated provisions in oil and gas contracts. Jaclyn Barbosa provides an inside look at legal considerations surrounding Houston’s winning bid to host the FIFA world cup. Dasha Hodge discusses best practices in due diligence. And Mark Yablon reviews options to transfer real property outside of probate.

Anna Archer has recorded the final episode of season three for our companion podcast Behind the Lines. “We WON’T See You in Court” features lawyers who charted career paths outside of litigation with interviews on ChatGPT, real estate law trends, and establishing a non-litigation centric law firm. It also includes young lawyer spotlights, a wellness break, and a segment with the Dispute Resolution Center.

Thank you to all members of The Houston Lawyer editorial board for your service this year. This publication is truly a team effort, from brainstorming content through editing submissions. And a special thank you to the guest editors of this issue, Maggie lu and lane Morrison, and the associate editors of Volume 61: Elizabeth Furlow Malpass, Andrew pearce, Carly Milner, nikki Morris, Ryan Kent, and Anna Archer. Each has spent countless hours curating, writing, and editing content for their respective columns (and the podcast), in addition to working on the articles in each issue. I look forward to seeing what future editorial boards accomplish, especially next year’s board, who will be marking the 60th anniversary of the publication under the leadership of Elizabeth Furlow Malpass.

When I first joined the editorial board, Tara Shockley was the managing editor of The Houston Lawyer. With her tenure at the HBA, and specifically with the magazine, she always knew the answer to any question—or exactly where to find it—and carefully molded the publication into what it is today. My dear friend Anietie Akpan asked me to succeed her as editor in chief, and my first question was “who will be succeeding Tara as managing editor after her retirement?” I was nervous to take on this role with anyone else by my side. Then, Maggie Martin joined the HBA as communications and marketing director. As part of her job, Maggie has been the magazine’s managing editor for the past two years, and she has beautifully and seamlessly transitioned into this role, bringing with her a wealth of experience. Without Maggie’s dedication to the editorial board, this publication would not be possible. Thank you to Maggie and Tara for your time spent on The Houston Lawyer

And, thank you all for reading The Houston Lawyer.

By DaviD rusk