McGinnis Lochridge recently announced that a team of five environmental lawyers from Winstead have joined the firm at its Austin headquarters.
The group includes partners Al Axe, Keith Courtney, Lisa Dyar and Derek Seal and associate Lecelle Clarke. Three of the attorneys – Dyar, Seal and Clarke – have state government experience.
“They’re excellent lawyers and practice in what is an important area, in Austin in particular,” Doug Dodds, managing partner at McGinnis Lochridge, said. “To have environmental lawyers of their quality will be a great asset for us.”
The new hires come less than one month after the firm added two estate and probate lawyers – Doug Paul and Emily Franco – in Austin. Over the past two years, McGinnis Lochridge has increased its headcount by more than 40% from 49 to 73 attorneys. The growth spurt has included the opening of outposts in Dallas and Decatur, a move to larger offices in Houston and the signing of a lease for new space in Austin.
Axe is the most senior of the Winstead group with more than 40 years of experience. He focuses his practice on environmental and administrative litigation and has guided clients through government enforcement actions and citizen suits, private party environmental claims and investigations and contested administrative permit proceedings.
Courtney concentrates his practice on matters related to air quality and represents clients in the chemical manufacturing, aggregate mining and processing, midstream and upstream oil and gas operations, and electricity generation industries.
Dyar is a former senior enforcement attorney in the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s litigation division.
Prior to private practice, Seal had served as general counsel of TCEQ and the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in the Texas Legislature.
Clarke is an alumna of the Texas Attorney General’s Office, where she served as assistant attorney general in the environmental protection division.
Dodds attributes the “pretty remarkable growth” his firm has experienced to being opportunistic and offering an attractive alternative to the big firm and boutique models.
“We’re in a unique position. We are over 90 years old and we have been in Texas a long time,” Dodds said. “We have had opportunities to talk to bigger firms that wanted to merge with or acquire us, but we want to remain independent.
“We have more rate flexibility, fewer conflicts and can control our own destiny better compared to larger firms, and we have more depth and administrative support compared to the boutiques.”