Willkie Farr & Gallagher continues to expand the Dallas office it opened a year ago, this time by hiring three veteran private equity dealmakers as partners, the firm announced Tuesday. The move by the trio of transactional lawyers — Jesse Betts, Jessica Hammons and Nathan Meredith — bolsters Willkie’s corporate & financial services vertical and its PE, M&A and capital markets capabilities.
McGuireWoods Names Tyler VanHoutan as New Houston Office Managing Partner
Keeping with McGuireWoods’ practice of alternating people in its leadership roles, the firm has also appointed new office managing partners in Atlanta, Baltimore and San Francisco. The new appointments took effect this month.
Former Texas Solicitor Aaron Nielson: ‘Kirkland is the Perfect Place for Me’
Aaron Nielson, who resigned last month as Texas solicitor general, is joining Kirkland & Ellis’ Austin office as a partner in the firm’s appellate practice. A 2007 graduate of Harvard Law School and a former clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Nielson has argued six cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and a dozen cases at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Kirkland now has four former U.S. Supreme Court clerks in its Texas offices.
Reed Smith Beefs Up Global Regulatory Enforcement Group, Hires V&E Partner
Rebecca Fike, formerly senior counsel with the SEC, officially made the move to Reed Smith July 1. In an interview with The Texas Lawbook after one week on the job, she said she knew joining Reed Smith was the right move for her after meeting lawyers in the firm’s Dallas office during the interview process.
Rey Anaya Valencia Begins Deanship at South Texas College of Law Houston
Valencia, who was selected earlier this year after a nationwide search, is the 13th president and dean of the 101-year-old law school. He said he has been “absolutely overwhelmed” by the welcome he has received from students, staff, administrators and faculty.
Willkie Adds Blake Winburne to its Houston Office
Winburne was global head of the energy and infrastructure group at Orrick where he worked for more than nine years. He has been named co-chair of Willkie’s energy and infrastructure practice.
Hines CLO Joins Greenberg Traurig in Houston
After 18 years as an in-house counsel and more than four years as the chief legal officer at real estate giant Hines, Richard Heaton is returning to practice law. Greenberg Traurig announced that Heaton has joined the firm’s Houston office as a shareholder in its real estate practice.
Thomas Verity Vaults to Norton Rose Fulbright
The energy-focused corporate securities partner leaves Latham & Watkins where he was a frequent contributor on some of Latham’s largest transactions.