Harvard Club of Dallas

From the Courtroom to the Boardroom: How Texas is Rewriting the Rules of Business

A Conversation with Judge Bill Whitehill, Shane Goodwin and Linda McMahon, moderated by Chris Babcock (JD '11)

Hosted by The Harvard Club of Dallas and the Harvard Business School Club of Dallas and Welcoming the Harvard Law School Association of Dallas-Fort Worth

 

Join the Harvard Club of Dallas and the Harvard Business School Club of Dallas for a can't-miss conversation on one of the most significant shifts in American corporate law and business in a generation. As companies reassess traditional centers of incorporation and Texas advances specialized business courts alongside major statutory reforms, the legal and business landscape is evolving in real time.

Our distinguished panel will examine what these changes mean for boards, executives, investors, entrepreneurs and counsel, offering perspectives from the bench and the boardroom on efficiency, predictability, and the emerging competition among states for corporate domicile (DExit). This is an opportunity to engage with those directly involved in shaping the conversation, offering clear-eyed analysis of what is changing, what remains uncertain and why it matters for leaders across industries. Last, the evening will present an opportunity to connect with fellow alumni invested in the future of business and governance in Texas. 

A portion of the proceeds from this event will support the Texas Business Court International Fellowship in Corporate Governance. 

 

About the Speakers

  

 

 

Bill Whitehill is an inaugural Judge of the Texas Business Court First Division, Dallas.  He came to the Court from Condon Tobin Sladek Thornton Nerenberg PLLC, where he led the firm’s Appellate Section. Before joining the Business Court, Bill served as a Justice on the Texas Fifth District Court of Appeals, where he authored over 600 substantive opinions.

Bill was an associate and partner at Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP, now known as Foley & Lardner, LLP for thirty-three years.  At Gardere, he handled commercial, antitrust, securities, intellectual property, and fiduciary trials and appeals.

He is a sustaining life fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and fellow of the Dallas Bar Foundation. He is a homeless kitchen volunteer for Cornerstone Baptist Church and is a former co-teacher and mentor at Cornerstone Crossroads Academy.

Bill received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor with honors from the SMU Dedman School of Law and an Order of the Coif member.

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Shane Goodwin is the Executive Director of the SMU Corporate Governance Initiative and holds joint appointments as a Professor of Practice in Finance at the SMU Cox School of Business and an Adjunct Professor of Law at SMU Dedman School of Law. He previously served as SMU Cox's Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, driving a strategic overhaul that boosted the school's MBA ranking into the top 30 in Bloomberg Businessweek.

His corporate career spans nearly 25 years in investment banking, including executive leadership roles at Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo Securities, where he advised on over $50 billion in M&A transactions. He also serves on several corporate and fund boards, including Principal Financial Group funds and Truist Financial Corporation, and frequently acts as an expert witness in major corporate litigation.

Dr. Goodwin holds a Ph.D. in Finance, an LL.M. in Corporate Law, an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School, and completed postdoctoral research at Harvard Business School. Before his academic and corporate career, he was an NCAA Division I football player and CFL draft pick who has been inducted into two athletic halls of fame.

  

 

 

 

Linda McMahon serves as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the Dallas Economic Development Corporation (DEDC), leading efforts to market the city globally, attract major corporate investments, and serve as Dallas's public developer. Appointed unanimously in 2024, she focuses on expanding the city’s tax base, driving job creation, and fostering inclusive growth across all neighborhoods.

Her career spans over four decades in commercial real estate, economic policy, and banking. From 2010 to 2024, she served as President and CEO of The Real Estate Council (TREC), Texas's largest commercial real estate organization. Prior to TREC, she spent over 30 years in commercial banking, including 15 years as a senior executive at JPMorgan Chase handling complex development financing.

A long-time champion for North Texas, McMahon holds a degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin. She has heled raise over $30 million for Southern Dallas through the GrowSouth initiative, championing local housing funds, and led Dallas's 2018 bid for Amazon’s HQ2.

 

 

 

Christopher J. Babcock is a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP in Dallas and co-chair of the firm’s Texas Corporate Governance Team. He focuses on corporate governance, public and private mergers and acquisitions, and securities matters, regularly advising Fortune 500 companies, private equity funds, and boards on complex transactions and activist defense.

Chris also serves as President of the Alliance for Corporate Excellence, a non-profit advocating for shareholder-led corporate governance, and helped draft and pass Texas Senate Bill 29 in 2025. Babcock is a widely published author and speaker on Texas corporate law, serving as an outside editor for Thomson Reuters O’Connor’s guide to the Texas Business Organizations Code.

Before his legal career, Babcock served as a captain and instructor-qualified airborne intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force. He earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Baylor University and his Juris Doctor cum laude from Harvard Law School.

 

 

About the Texas Business Court International Fellow for Corporate Governance

Judge Whitehill created the Texas Business Court International Fellow for Corporate Governance—a pioneering role open exclusively to graduates of Harvard Law School’s LLM program in corporate governance law and policy. Each Fellow serves for six months after graduation as an unpaid attorney, contributing directly to the resolution of complex business disputes before returning to their home countries. The Fellows bring sophisticated prior professional and academic experience along with a truly global perspective on business and governance issues that enriches the Court’s work.

This unique cross-cultural program elevates the Fellows’ professional development while significantly strengthening the Texas Business Court. By connecting the Court with top international talent, it advances Texas’s leadership in sophisticated commercial dispute resolution and expands its influence far beyond state borders.​

To sustain this unique fellowship, funding must be secured each year to cover housing costs for the International Fellows for six months. If you are interested in supporting this effort or exploring ways to help fund the Fellowship, please contact Shikha Sethi.

 

 

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