Oil and gas companies, as well as the retail industry, are the worst hit sectors in the COVID-19 pandemic that swept through businesses in Texas, bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers say. According to data provided exclusively to The Texas Lawbook by Androvett Legal Media research, more than 545 companies of all sectors in Texas filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors between January 1 and May 5, 2020. This is a surge of 133 percent compared to the same period of 2019, Mark Curriden at The Texas Lawbook writes in Houston Chronicle . Within Texas, Houston is the center of the wave of bankruptcies, which include many names in the retail and oil industries, according to the data and to bankruptcy partners at law firms. In April, companies such as Diamond Offshore Drilling and Whiting Petroleum filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. U.S. shale gas pioneer Chesapeake Energy said in […]