As special prosecutors prepare to go to a grand jury with an investigation against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, he has hired a well-known criminal defense attorney to represent him.

Joe Kendall, a former federal judge, will be Paxton's lawyer in the case that alleges that Paxton violated securities laws. The AG is also getting legal advice from other high-profile Dallas lawyers: Jones Day partner Matt Orwig and Bob Webster, partner in Fitzpatrick Hagood Smith & Uhl.

"I was hired to look into the matter this week, and I'm starting to do so," said Kendall, managing partner in The Kendall Law Group in Dallas. "I'm getting my arms wrapped around this case and getting documents."...

Attorney General Paxton could face first-degree felony case

The criminal investigation against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken a more serious turn, with special prosecutors now planning to present a first-degree felony securities fraud case against him to a Collin County grand jury, News 8 has learned.

Special prosecutor Kent Schaffer told News 8 Wednesday afternoon that the Texas Rangers uncovered new evidence during the investigation that led to the securities fraud allegations against the sitting attorney general.

"The Rangers went out to investigate one thing, and they came back with information on something else," Schaffer told News 8. "It's turned into something different than when they started."

Schaffer, a Houston criminal defense attorney, said the securities fraud allegations involve amounts well in excess of $100,000. He declined to comment specifics of the fraud allegations.

A first-degree felony conviction is punishable by up to life in prison...