One month after bringing on corporate partner Jonathan Newton, King & Spalding announced Tuesday two more signings from Baker McKenzie that worked closely with Newton.
Newton says partners Heath Trisdale and Michael Hamilton will enhance the firm’s capital markets capabilities and corporate governance capabilities in Houston. With these two additions, the Atlanta-based firm has now added nine attorneys to its corporate, finance and investments practice this year.
Trisdale focuses his practice on energy-related deals but also has extensive experience advising health care, manufacturing and technology businesses on transactional matters. He noted King & Spalding’s deep Texas roots and practice capabilities as reasons he made the move.
The South Texas College of Law Houston alumnus co-led a deal with Newton in 2019 for Dallas-based Freeman Co. and Encore Event Technologies that involved selling Encore’s business to the Blackstone Group-backed PSAV.
Trisdale also worked with Newton on Weatherford’s $287 million rig sale to ADES International in 2018.
Hamilton represents companies from a variety of industries – including energy, chemicals, life sciences and real estate investment trusts – in corporate and transactional matters and counsels borrowers and lenders in connection with commercial financing. He received his law degree from the University of Texas.
“The opportunity was fortuitous to continue working as a team and the platform is fantastic for our practice,” said Hamilton, who considers Newton a mentor. “It is also an opportunity to grow and round out the corporate group here in Houston.”
Last year, Hamilton was part of the Baker McKenzie deal team that advised Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck in its nearly $2 billion purchase of Alder BioPharmaceuticals.
Newton says their clients are still navigating an “extremely volatile” environment with energy prices, COVID-19 and the upcoming election.
While almost all clients are dealing with the day-to-day contingencies and risks related to work-from-home and return-to-work, Newton points out that each individual client faces unique challenges. Some clients are facing new opportunities while others are facing significant financial strain. And then there are companies that are using the current moment to pivot and retool.