State Bar of Texas Podcast

In the wake of the incredible harm caused by the opioid crisis, the outcome of the Purdue Pharma case argued in the United States Supreme Court garnered national attention. What impacts might this case have in bankruptcy court proceedings in the future? To unpack the details and gain understanding of the bankruptcy issues at play, Rocky Dhir talks with attorneys Elias Yazbeck and Michael Wombacher. They discuss the backstory of Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, the journey of the case through the courts, and insights into the reasoning behind the Supreme Court’s decision, with a particular focus on the conflict over nonconsensual third-party releases.   Learn more about the case here: 23-124 Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P. (06/27/24)   Elias M. Yazbeck is an associate attorney in the Houston office of McGinnis Lochridge, LLP.   Michael Wombacher is an associate attorney at McDermott Will & Emery in Dallas, Texas.   Michael represented the Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the Robertshaw case:  Case number: 8:23-bk-80004 - Ebix, Inc. - Texas Northern Bankruptcy Court.

At the 2024 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, Scott C. Skelton’s session on the ethical handling of mistakes in legal practice was immensely helpful to attendees. Rocky Dhir welcomes Scott to the podcast to discuss his session and get more details on this important topic. If you think you’ve committed malpractice, what should you do? Scott shares experiences from his own career and explains how honesty, transparency, and graciousness in legal practice can help attorneys move forward from mistakes with integrity.   Scott C. Skelton is a founding member of Skelton Slusher Barnhill Watkins Wells.

There is no way to truly prepare a client for life following a criminal conviction, and the aftermath of a defendant’s guilty verdict can be incredibly complex. Rocky Dhir welcomes Professor Lee Kovarsky to learn from his wealth of expertise on post-conviction law, mitigation investigations, capital defense teams, and more. They discuss nuances in this area of the law to help attorneys understand processes and needs for clients navigating this segment of our justice system. Lee Kovarsky is the Bryant Smith Chair in Law and the Co-Director of the Capital Punishment Center at the University of Texas School of Law.

Lawyers long considered the legendary Clarence Darrow to be an attorney to emulate, but closer examination of his career shows a condemnable pattern of unethical tactics and empty courtroom arguments. To debunk the popular culture myths surrounding Darrow, Rocky Dhir welcomes author and attorney Mike Farris to discuss the facts in his book, Blowhard: Windbaggery and the Wretched Ethics of Clarence Darrow. Mike shares details from his research that uncover evidence of jury bribing, intimidating witnesses, and other unprincipled conduct throughout Darrow’s career in a time where ethics rules failed to hold him accountable.   Mike Farris is a writer and retired entertainment attorney in Dallas, Texas.