© 2015 The Texas Lawbook.
By Mark Curriden
(June 22) – For more than three decades, the name Bickel & Brewer instilled fear in business leaders and disgust in opposing counsel. The Dallas litigation boutique gained a national reputation for its abrasive, brass knuckles, confrontational style.
Founders Bill Brewer and John Bickel were seldom mentioned separately. They were the bad boys of the legal profession.
“New branding and new name, still great lawyers and same great results for clients,” Brewer said in an interview with The Texas Lawbook Friday. “We were slow to change a brand name that worked for so many years and in deference to our good friend, John.”
The name change was required after Bickel officially invoked the partnership retirement clause last March 31 at the law firm the two men started in 1984. Bickel, who is 66, is now senior counsel at Fish & Richardson in Dallas.
Lawyers familiar with the split said Brewer and Bickel reached a final settlement agreement earlier this year after several months of mediation. Neither lawyer wanted to discuss the exact financial terms.
“I will always appreciate the time we had together and the success we experienced during the past 30 years,” Brewer said. “We never really felt there was a dispute between us. We are good friends and Godfather to each other’s children. We had lunch together just recently.”
Brewer who is 63, said he has no plans to retire anytime soon.
“I have six kids, ages seven to 26, so no one is letting me stay home for a long time,” he said. “I have no plans to go anywhere. Our best days are still ahead of us.”
Brewer said the firm, which has offices in Dallas and New York, has six new lawyers joining before the end of July and is seriously looking to open offices in London and California.
“Our lawyers currently have litigation pending in nearly every corner of the United States and several international arbitration matters underway across the globe,” he said. “I spend more time in New York, California and London than I do in Texas.”
Brewer said the firm recently promoted three senior attorneys – Farooq Tayab, Jack Ternan and Jeremy Camp – to partner. It also hired 10 lawyers in India to handle its litigation research and the discovery process in an effort to save clients money. He said the lawyers in India work for a fraction of the $450 an hour charged by associates at U.S. law firms.
He said that large full service law firms that cut back their litigation departments present opportunities for litigation boutiques such as Brewer to grab experienced trial lawyers seeking firms that have lots of cases.
“We live in the rarefied air of handling big ticket items that attract really great lawyers,” he said. “If you are a buyer – and we are – it is a conspiracy of riches right now.”
Brewer said the firm next week moves its offices from the 48th and 49th floor of Comerica Tower in downtown Dallas up the elevator to the 59th and 60th floors. The new offices, which were designed by Staffelbach architecture firm, include state‐of‐the art conference facilities, a gym for employees, an internal cafeteria and a modern courtroom to conduct mock trials.
In addition to the firm changing the name of the firm’s two public service outreach efforts – the Bickel & Brewer Foundation and the Bickel & Brewer Storefront – to reflect the new branding. The Brewer Storefront handles a slew of legal pro bono projects, including successfully representing residents of Irving and Farmers Branch in immigration and Voting Rights litigation. The Brewer Foundation creates, funds and manages educational programs for public school students.
“The truth is, I am so excited about where we are and the opportunities for our firm,” he said.
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