© 2014 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
Staff Writer for The Texas Lawbook
(June 19) – Kelly Hart & Hallman announced yesterday it is expanding to New Orleans with five lawyers from Louisiana-based Gordon Arata. Oil and gas legacy litigation expert and former Louisiana state representative Loulan Pitre, Jr. will lead the Fort Worth-based firm’s first office outside of Texas.
Kelly Hart managing partner Dee Kelly, Jr. said the mid-sized firm had been looking to open its third office over the last six months. He said the firm is excited to have Pitre and his team’s oil and gas expertise on board.
“This deal came together quickly over the last month,” he said. “We will grow this office organically, like we have in Fort Worth and Austin, and keep our eyes open for other opportunities.”
Kelly and Pitre say it is a natural fit because they have a track record of working for common clients.
“We have worked together over several years for shared and complementary clients in the upstream oil and gas sector,” Pitre said. “We thought opening an office could add superior client service.”
The five lawyer-office is stacked with oil and gas litigators with an expertise in environmental damage litigation. The New Orleans-based lawyers joining Pitre are partners Aimee Williams Hebert and Demarcus Gordon and associates Kelly Ransom and Victor Jones.
Pitre, who served in the Louisiana House of Representative from 2000 to 2008, said the office’s immediate goal is to consolidate and deliver excellent service to its clients. Moving forward, he said the firm will look for opportunities to expand the office’s practice areas.
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