Jared Harris as Valery Legasov in HBO’s “Chernobyl”
There was recently a smallish but nonetheless startling fire at the Castañeda household. There’s no use pointing fingers, but suffice it to say, mistakes were made. Fortunately, it was quickly doused and there was little damage. And, most importantly, nobody was hurt.
I have new a new perspective on such mishaps these days, after having watched HBO’s “Chernobyl,” a five-part miniseries that dramatically re-enacts the 1986 explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the former Soviet Union, as well as the trial of those accused of causing it.
Watching the miniseries yields important lessons on how to present scientific evidence at trial. Read more
The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens – The Best Three Minutes I’ve Ever Worked For Free
/in Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens /by Chrysta Castañeda(The following is an excerpt from The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens by Stoney Creek Publishing. Copyright 2020 Chrysta Castañeda and Loren Steffy.)
I took a deep breath as the elevator doors rolled open to reveal the lobby of the Best Western Swiss Chalet. I’d long since gotten over the irony of the name. The Swiss Chalet was located in the most un-Switzerland-like spot on earth. Pecos, Texas, sits on the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, tucked under the arm of New Mexico, and its barren vistas, tumbleweeds, and blazing heat reinforce almost every Hollywood stereotype of Texas. Read more
T. Boone Pickens’ Trial Lawyer Releases Dramatic Account of His Final Court Battle
/in Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens /by The Castaneda Firm‘The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens’ recounts the story of Pickens’ $146 million verdict at age of 88
Chrysta Castañeda, the lead trial lawyer for T. Boone Pickens in his winning trial about an oil deal gone wrong, has written her first-person account of the final legal battle in his long and storied career.
The Last Trial of T. Boone Pickens (Texas A&M University Press, Feb. 2020) 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 life, and the woman determined to help him make one final stand for justice. Read more
‘Use Your Superpowers for Good,’ Castañeda Advises KSU Class of 2019
/in Awards and Recognition /by The Castaneda Firm“The advice to ‘follow your passion’ I have found is mostly useless,” she told graduates. “You earn your passion through hard work. Passion follows effort, not vice versa.” Read more
Chrysta Castañeda to Run for Texas Railroad Commission
/in Texas Railroad Commission /by The Castaneda FirmChrysta Castañeda has announced her candidacy for the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates one of the largest drivers of the Texas economy ― the oil and gas industry. The contest for Texas Railroad Commission will be the top state race on the November 2020 ballot. Read more
Castañeda Firm’s $145 Million Verdict Named to Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame
/in Awards and Recognition /by The Castaneda FirmChrysta Castañeda
Mesa Petroleum Partners LP v. Baytech LLP, et al. is #2 Contracts Verdict, According to VerdictSearch
The $145 million verdict in Mesa Petroleum Partners LP v. Baytech LP, et al., handed down by a Pecos jury in November 2016 has been named to Texas Lawyer’s Texas Verdicts Hall of Fame, which recognizes the Lone Star State’s largest verdicts from 2014-2018, as reported by VerdictSearch.
The jury’s award was the second largest contracts verdict in the state during that time, according to VerdictSearch. Read more
Super Lawyers Selects Chrysta Castañeda
/in Awards and Recognition /by The Castaneda Firm“This has been a wonderful year for me and my firm, and I’m grateful to my colleagues, clients and peers for making it possible,” said Ms. Castañeda. Read more
Chrysta Castañeda Honored at DBJ’s Women in Business Awards Luncheon
/in Awards and Recognition /by The Castaneda FirmIn addition to the luncheon, Ms. Castañeda and the other honorees were profiled in a special edition of the Dallas Business Journal. Her firm is also featured in a Digital Spotlight on the DBJ website. Read more
‘Chernobyl’ Finale was Great TV, and a Master Class in Presenting Complex Evidence
/in Trial Strategy /by Chrysta CastañedaJared Harris as Valery Legasov in HBO’s “Chernobyl”
There was recently a smallish but nonetheless startling fire at the Castañeda household. There’s no use pointing fingers, but suffice it to say, mistakes were made. Fortunately, it was quickly doused and there was little damage. And, most importantly, nobody was hurt.
I have new a new perspective on such mishaps these days, after having watched HBO’s “Chernobyl,” a five-part miniseries that dramatically re-enacts the 1986 explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor in the former Soviet Union, as well as the trial of those accused of causing it.
Watching the miniseries yields important lessons on how to present scientific evidence at trial. Read more
D Magazine Selects Chrysta Castañeda for 2019 ‘Best Lawyers in Dallas’
/in Awards and Recognition /by The Castaneda FirmSince launching her own firm in 2014, Ms. Castañeda has been honored with numerous awards, including a prestigious Elite Trial Lawyers recognition from The National Law Journal, as well as winning one of the country’s largest jury verdicts of 2016 in Mesa Petroleum Partners v. Baytech et al. She has also been previously recognized by D Magazine, named as one of the country’s top lawyers by Super Lawyers, and received the “Women in Energy” Award from Texas Lawyer in 2016. Read more
SCOTX May Look for New Evidence to Rewrite Your Contract
/in Commercial Litigation /by Chrysta CastañedaNever heard of this phenomenon? Don’t know about this risk? The issue has flipped several recent cases in the oil and gas industry.
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