Publisher’s Note: Katten is a sponsor of The Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker page. This Q&A is an associated thought leadership piece.
When Mark Solomon and six corporate partners from Andrews Kurth Kenyon launched Katten’s Dallas office in February 2018, they trusted in the Chicago firm’s leadership and commitment to growth.
Five years later, the Dallas team has grown to 65 lawyers across an array of practice areas and become Katten’s third largest office behind Chicago and New York. Dallas partners hold positions on the firm’s executive committee and board of directors and lead firmwide practices, and one partner serves as the firm’s deputy general counsel and chairs its Women’s Leadership Forum.
So what’s next?
“Our mission has not changed — to be recognized among the most in-demand law firms for top talent and clients in Dallas,” Solomon said in an interview with The Texas Lawbook. “I think we have a good thing going here, and our goal is to continue to build on it. We are well on our way to becoming one of the most consequential firms in Dallas, and that is something to celebrate.”
In an in-depth Q&A with The Lawbook, Solomon highlights a few of the office’s major successes, identifies significant challenges facing the firm, surveys the lay of the land for deal activity and shares his favorite features of the firm’s new digs at PwC Tower. Plus, a windup about those damn Yankees because baseball is back.
Texas Lawbook: What are you most proud of at Katten’s five-year mark in Dallas?
Mark Solomon: Reaching our goal of becoming one of Dallas’s fastest-growing law firms has been the best way to commemorate this important milestone for our office.
In 2018, Katten expanded its presence in North Texas with a group of seven new corporate partners focused mainly on private equity work and based in Dallas. Today, we have an extraordinary group of 65 top attorneys practicing not only in private equity but also in the areas of finance, M&A, health care, white collar and criminal defense, insolvency, real estate, corporate, private wealth and litigation. We are immensely proud of that growth in such a short period. In fact, Katten’s Dallas office is now the third largest office at Katten, behind Chicago and New York.
Our success is a testament to the great people we have working here. When we look to grow, we always look to add leading attorneys in key practice areas and those who can contribute to a quality culture centered on exceptional client service and a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion.
And, our people have quickly become a part of the fabric here at Katten and in our community. For example, several members of our Dallas team have leadership positions across the firm in addition to sitting on the firm’s executive committee and board of directors. Lisa Genecov and David Washburn help lead the Health Care and M&A/Private Equity practices, respectively. In addition to serving as deputy general counsel and HIPAA privacy officer, Kenya Woodruff chairs the firm’s Women’s Leadership Forum, whereas Cheryl Camin Murray is the newly appointed president of the Dallas Bar Association. From a pro bono standpoint, our attorneys volunteer their time, resources and talent to providing legal assistance to the less fortunate, helping to ensure that individuals and organizations in need receive access to the justice system.
Katten partners mark the firm’s five-year anniversary in Dallas. From left, 1st row: Victor Zanetti, Lisa Atlas Genecov, Mark Solomon, Kenya Woodruff, Peter Bogdanow, Dilen Kumar; From left, 2nd row: John Mitchell, Barrett Howell, Brandon McCarthy, Greg Hidalgo, Ryan Meyer, David Washburn
The Lawbook: Can you share a few of the office’s major achievements?
Solomon: Our corporate group continues to represent Trinity Hunt Partners, LP, a longtime Dallas-based private equity firm client of Vic Zanetti. Last year, we helped represent them in more than 25 corporate transactions. We also represent longtime private equity client Highlander Partners in its ongoing acquisitions.
Under the leadership of Brandon McCarthy and Barrett Howell, our White Collar and Internal Investigations team has handled some of the most high-profile matters and complex investigations in this area, including receiving an appellate victory for a business executive charged with conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud and federal-program bribery, and a recent victory for a prominent pain management physician who was accused of health care fraud.
During the height of the pandemic, health care partner Kenya Woodruff assisted eTrueNorth, an innovative health care technology company that enables laboratory testing at retail pharmacies, with a public-private partnership between the US Department of Health and Human Services; several national pharmacy chains such as Walmart, Kroger and Health Mart; and swab-processing laboratories to facilitate the opening of hundreds of drive-through COVID-19 testing sites.
In 2022, Kevin Keen joined Katten to help establish Private Wealth as a significant new client offering in North Texas, and John Mitchell’s Insolvency and Restructuring group continues to advise leading Dallas-based client Energy Transfer in numerous ongoing Chapter 11 and Chapter 7 proceedings pending across the country. Ryan Meyer and Grace Caputo also worked with a team of pro bono attorneys from McDonald’s to help secure asylum for a Salvadoran mother and her two children.
Finally, one of our goals when we opened the office was to become one of the more consequential offices in the metroplex. We think we are well on our way. In addition to being named among the Best Places to Work in North Texas for three consecutive years, we ranked in the top two tiers in the metropolitan area in more than seven practice areas by U.S. News, had 11 attorneys named as Best Lawyers in Dallas by D Magazine, and had eight attorneys ranked in Texas by Chambers across five practice areas. Moreover, Dilen Kumar was named a “40 Under 40” honoree in Dallas and Kenya Woodruff was selected as a Best Mentor in Texas. The ABA also recognized Lisa Atlas Genecov as a Champion of Diversity and Inclusion and Yelena Archiyan as a Rising Star.
The Lawbook: How has your message changed in recruiting five years ago to today, if at all?
Solomon: We have always led with an emphasis on a collaborative, entrepreneurial culture. We look for people who are not only terrific attorneys but who also take a pragmatic, business-oriented approach in addressing legal issues, who enjoy and excel at business development and who are decent, personable people who enhance our culture and embrace our diversity and inclusion efforts. Throughout the recruitment process and beyond, we make every effort to make sure Katten is a place where people say to themselves, “Hey! I want to work here.”
In this new world of hybrid working, we are also committed to flexibility and adaptability. And, our focus on well-being goes beyond education, raising awareness and encouraging conversation about mental health. We’ve updated several policies designed to assist with employee well-being, ensure that remote work locations are set up efficiently, and ease the transition back into the office for those wanting to physically return to the office. For example, we reimburse up to $500 for home technology equipment and office furnishings and another $500 for the cost of resources to help support individual well-being such as fitness classes, gym equipment, massage therapy or supplies for creative hobbies like gardening.
Last year, we also expanded Kattalyst, our sponsorship program that pairs diverse attorneys with senior-level partners to help enhance leadership and business development skills. At Katten, we want people to like coming to work and our candidates seem to appreciate this approach.
The Lawbook: How does 2023 look for the office?
Solomon: Our firm strategy is simple — to provide the highest levels of client service, while handling sophisticated transactional and litigation matters. We will also continue to take a people-first approach and invest in the well-being of our attorneys and business professionals.
Earlier this year, the firm launched an ESG Risk and Investigations practice group, which is focused on establishing programs and assessments to impact client racial equity, civil and human rights, workplace culture and gender pay parity. Johnjerica Hodge, based in Dallas and Washington, DC, is co-leading that effort with India Williams, who recently joined Katten from Kirkland & Ellis. Together they are working with clients to address the myriad of white collar, compliance, corporate and insolvency needs often faced by public and private companies in the United States and abroad.
The Lawbook: What are the most significant challenges facing the firm this year?
Solomon: We still live in uncertain times. Throughout the last few years, we’ve shown we can adjust and adapt in the face of breathtaking challenges. Moreover, we are confident that we can help our valued clients be ready for whatever comes next in the days, months and years ahead.
With that in mind, we have a full-time innovation team that generates efficiencies and adds value for the firm’s clients by leveraging decades of experience in law firm operations, process improvement, data analytics and legal technology. One example of this is the team’s capability to review large sets of client data to find anomalous patterns and trends wherever they exist. We believe this value add is distinctive among law firms and allows our attorneys to develop new and more timely insights than traditionally delivered in our industry.
For our attorneys, we recognize that the hybrid work environment has presented new challenges for development. We recently introduced a shadowing program, where first-, second- and third-year associates receive encouragement and incentives to participate in intentional connection, learning and collaboration. This is just one example of how our wellness efforts will continue to be a major priority.
The Lawbook: How would you describe the current deal environment?
Solomon: Earlier this year, Katten released a 2023 Middle-Market Private Equity Report, which surveyed 100 middle-market private equity professionals in the U.S. to better understand how funds can unlock value amid global economic headwinds and identify where growth opportunities lie in the year ahead.
While respondents were generally split on their outlook for the 2023 M&A market — with 40 percent expecting deal activity to remain steady, 33 percent anticipating an increase and 26 percent predicting a slowdown — they identified several areas of opportunity. Financial services was selected by 54 percent of dealmakers as the industry of greatest opportunity this year, followed closely by technology (47 percent). Further, respondents were also optimistic about deal activity in key sectors such as tech, finance and healthcare, which is good news for North Texas.
Overall, we are anticipating an up-and-down year, but we also expect middle-market dealmakers to remain resilient by continuing to create opportunities by embracing alternative approaches and quickly adapting to the rapidly changing market.
The Lawbook: Has the rollout for the new office space been worth the wait?
Solomon: A few weeks before the start of the pandemic, we moved into our spectacular offices in PwC Tower in Park District. Even though the original timing was not ideal, today the office space has become a draw that encourages people to return to the office. The space is geared toward what the next generation of attorneys wants — a high-tech, flexible, sustainable and efficient use of space. Additionally, the opportunity to be located next to Klyde Warren Park puts our attorneys, business professionals and clients closer to the communities where they live and work, something that we value.
Last fall, we held our long-awaited grand opening with close to 300 attorneys, business professionals and clients in attendance. As we celebrate our fifth anniversary in Dallas, this office is a symbol of our investment to further strengthen our foothold in the North Texas region and attract and retain top talent at the firm. It’s important to firm culture to spend time together in person, so this office has been like a magnet to bring everyone together again.
The Lawbook: What are your favorite features/amenities of the new office?
Solomon: The office, designed with heavy attorney and staff input in collaboration with global architecture firm Gensler and furniture by Knoll, includes a flexible and efficient use of space, creating a more modern and healthy work environment. The design centers on the unique location of Klyde Warren Park and reflects the synergy between people, nature and art. I enjoy how the space incorporates elements of nature, such as Japanese maple trees and integrated planters, to help infuse the office with the urban park landscape. At the same time, central gathering spaces like conference centers and lounges welcome guests and employees with stunning panoramic park views.
The workplace also features universally-sized offices, floor-to-ceiling glass fronts with access to natural light and park and city views throughout the office, ergonomic workstations with standing desks, one-of-a-kind art installations, a convenient grab-and-go café and flexible conference facilities with state-of-the-art audio-visual systems. The design invites workers and guests to interact, inspires and fosters creativity, and provides an atmosphere to enhance well-being and boost productivity. We also have various pieces of art on display, including one in particular by Aspen and Chicago artist Paula Crown called “Freezing Rain,” a personal favorite of mine.
The Lawbook: What are your goals in leading the office over the next five years?
Solomon: Our mission has not changed — to be recognized among the most in-demand law firms for top talent and clients in Dallas. We have created an office culture centered on exceptional client service, outstanding teamwork and a deep commitment to diversity, inclusion, health and wellness. We work well together. We support one another. I think we have a good thing going here, and our goal is to continue to build on it. We are well on our way to becoming one of the most consequential firms in Dallas, and that is something to celebrate.
The Lawbook: How are you feeling about your New York Yankees this season?
Solomon: I am a native New Yorker and Yankees fan for life. I have our box seats from the old Yankee Stadium outside my office. One of the highlights of last year’s games was seeing Aaron Judge hit number 62 in person. They’ve got a solid roster and I’d love to see them win the pennant this season! I have high hopes for this year… just like every other year.
Publisher’s Note: Katten is a sponsor of The Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker page. This Q&A is an associated thought leadership piece.