Front row from left: Jessica McGlynn and Steven Fleckman; Back row from left: Andrew McKeon, Jason Blair, and Bill Raman (not pictured, John Cain and Melissa LaBauve).
Munck Wilson Mandala has more than doubled its footprint in Austin by combining with Fleckman & McGlynn, PLLC, a seven-lawyer law firm.
The merger gives Munck Wilson one of the largest trademark/soft intellectual property practices in the Southwest with more than 10,000 active trademark matters, says managing partner Bill Munck. Fleckman & McGlynn’s international trademark practice spans the U.K., Sweden, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium, India, Japan, Mexico and Brazil.
“Like MWM, F&M earned its reputation representing disruptive, market-creating companies that influenced the evolution of business and technology in Texas, nationally and internationally,” Munck said. “Steve [Fleckman] and Jessica [McGlynn] built a law firm of people that love what they do, and we are ecstatic to have them all.
“From a business perspective, both law firms have Texas roots but we also have strong international practices.”
Fleckman is longtime friends with Austin-based Munck Wilson partner Rob Linkin, who jump-started the merger conversations. Fleckman says his firm has been approached by many larger firms over the years, but in the past few years they started giving more serious consideration to opportunities to broaden their practice for their clients.
“I wanted to make sure a merger would be for the right reasons and handled in the right way,” Fleckman said. “We liked the people we met [at Munck Wilson] and we sensed that this would be a very good cultural fit. Both firms value collaboration. Their skills and areas of focus both augment and complement our practice areas.”
In addition to the obvious IP synergies, Fleckman said Munck Wilson’s corporate, dispute and trial practices mesh well with his firm’s capabilities.
The complete Fleckman & McGlynn roster includes Jessica McGlynn, who has practiced with Fleckman for more than 30 years; partners John Cain, Melissa LaBauve and Andrew McKeon; principal attorney Jason Blair; and of counsel Bill Raman.
Munck Wilson is also establishing a Houston office, which will be led by trademark expert John Cain, with the new additions.
Fleckman said the highlights of running his own firm for three decades have been the clients, contributing to the development of younger attorneys and collaborating with smart and capable colleagues.
“I believe that adults are self-managing; we have never had quotas, suggested hourly requirements or sought to oversee the schedules of attorneys or our staff,” Fleckman said. “Watching our entire staff collaborate and contribute for the benefit of our clients has been a delight for me.”
Though Fleckman says it is difficult to single out the most interesting matters his firm has handled, there is one in particular that he recalls fondly.
Long before the “Me Too” movement, two men sought Fleckman’s counsel after a competitor was exploiting the fact that they fired a young woman from a “very public position” in their company. It quickly became clear to Fleckman that the woman had been the subject of sexual overtures from a male employee whom the two men considered more important to their business.
“It was 4:30 [p.m.],” Fleckman said. “I advised them to get back to their office by 5:00 and fire the guy, and to apologize to the woman the next day in person and rehire her at a higher salary. And that’s what they did.”
When he is not practicing law, Fleckman heads up the Austin Jazz Band, playing the trumpet and saxophone. The band plays in jazz festivals and jammed regularly on Monday nights pre-pandemic at the Elephant Room, an underground jazz bar in Austin. Fleckman’s musical inspirations include Bobby Shew, Blue Mitchell, Bobby Hackett, Clifford Brown and Sonny Stitt.
Fleckman is not the only attorney from his firm with an artistic muse. Jessica McGlynn is a competitive ballroom dancer. But the two have never collaborated before.
“Jessica and I have enjoyed our outside interests tremendously over the years,” Fleckman said. “We have an agreement. I don’t dance and she doesn’t play the trumpet.”