Insider's guide to law firms in the region, an unbiased, investigative and comprehensive look at the top law firms in the country, based on surveys of hundreds of lawyers.

Welcome to the third edition of the Vault Guide to the Top Texas & Southwest Law Firms, now expanded to include Phoenix, Las Vegas and other major legal markets in the southwestern U.S.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Pilots and accountants have long relied on checklists to avoid omissions. Your legal work deserves the same care, especially if you handle a variety of practice areas. These checklists break big jobs like probating a will, filing a divorce, forming a corporation, preparing for a trial, and dozens more into manageable tasks. They will allow you to bring order and method to your practice, tackle new areas with confidence, and avoid omissions and wasted effort.

T. Boone Pickens, legendary Texas oilman and infamous corporate raider from the 1980s, climbed the steps of the Reeves County courthouse in Pecos, Texas in early November 2016. He entered the solitary courtroom and settled into the witness stand for two days of testimony in what would be the final trial of his life. Pickens, who was 88 by then, had made and lost billions over his long career, but he’d come to Pecos seeking justice from several other oil companies. He claimed they cut him out of what became the biggest oil play he’d ever invested in—in an oil-rich section of far West Texas that was primed for an unprecedented boom. After years of dealing with the media, shareholders and politicians, Pickens would need to win over a dozen West Texas jurors in one last battle. To lead his legal fight, he chose an unlikely advocate—Chrysta Castañeda, a Dallas solo practitioner who had only recently returned to the practice of law after a hiatus borne of disillusionment with big firms. Pickens was a hardline Republican, while Castañeda had run for public office as a Democrat. But they shared an unwavering determination to win and formed a friendship that spanned their differences in age, politics, and gender. In a town where frontier justice was once meted out by Judge Roy Bean—“The Law West of the Pecos”—Pickens would gird for one final courtroom showdown. Sitting through trial every day, he was determined to prevail, even at the cost of his health. The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens is a high-stakes courtroom drama told through the eyes of Castañeda. It’s the story of an American business legend still fighting in the twilight of his long career, and the lawyer determined to help him make one final stand for justice.

A trial lawyer by trade, a Christian by heart--author Mark Lanier has trained in biblical languages and devoted his life to studying and living the Bible. Living daily with the tension between the demands of his career and the desire for a godly life, Lanier recognizes the importance and challenge of finding daily time to spend in God's Word. He credits the Psalms in particular for his continued growth in faith, obedience, wisdom, and understanding. In Psalms for Living, Lanier shares a year's worth of devotionals gathered over a lifetime of walking with the Lord. For each day of the year, Lanier reflects on the words of the Psalter, relates them back to the struggles facing Christians today, and concludes with a prayer connected to the day's insights. His engagement with the Psalms offers fellow Christians the opportunity to receive the gifts of grace and guidance that come from daily immersion in scripture.