(Aug. 2) – Louisiana law firm Kean Miller has expanded its presence in the Houston area through a combination with Dupuis & Polozola, a 10-lawyer firm focused on upstream oil and gas exploration and production.
With the acquisition, Kean Miller launched offices in The Woodlands and Lafayette, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge-based firm entered Texas at the end of 2017 by absorbing Ogden Broocks & Hall. The firm now has 13 lawyers in the state serving clients in the energy, oil and gas and petrochemical industries.
“Lafayette is the hub of the south Louisiana energy corridor, and The Woodlands continues to experience unprecedented growth in corporate headquarters,” Blane Clark, managing partner of Kean Miller, said in a statement.
“Our two new offices strengthen our ability to offer strategic legal resources to our clients from east of New Orleans to the energy corridor of West Houston, and from the Gulf of Mexico to West Texas and beyond.”
James Dupuis, Jr. and Kyle Polozola join Kean Miller as equity partners and will lead The Woodlands and Lafayette offices, respectively. They founded Dupuis & Polozola in 2010 and developed client relationships with global exploration companies and small independents operating in Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, Kansas, North Dakota and New Mexico.
Dupuis says he and Polozola had been approached by several law firms about the prospect of combining since they opened up shop in 2010. He says Kean Miller is a “perfect match” of practice areas and strategic locations.
“The addition of our upstream oil and gas practice complements Kean Miller’s midstream and downstream expertise, so we can now service the needs of companies throughout the energy sector,” Dupuis adds.
“Also, the addition of our offices fulfills Kean Miller’s goals of further expanding its reach into Texas and having a presence in every major market in Louisiana.”
Kean Miller surpassed 160 lawyers firmwide with the combination and now have offices in seven locations, including New Orleans.