King & Spalding lost two of its Houston-based partners this week: a finance lawyer to Bracewell and an IP trial lawyer to Arnold & Porter.
The IP trial lawyer is Abby Parsons, who had been at K&S for nearly 12 years — the last two as a partner. Her arrival at Arnold & Porter gives its Houston office 21 attorneys, eight of them partners.
Her practice has covered a wide variety of IP issues, from pharmaceuticals and medical devices to high-tech patents, leading trial teams in federal district courts and before International Trade Commission.
In 2020, she was on the trial team that pursued a trademark infringement case on behalf of Chevron U.S.A. against Houston-based Sariel Petroleum. Trial evidence showed Sariel blatantly and consistently tried to portray itself to potential vendors that it had a relationship with Chevron. A jury award of $1.1 million was increased by the trial judge to $15.6 million, noting in his ruling, that the Sariel defendants had unnecessarily prolonged the discovery process.
Sariel’s principal, Arael Doolittle, is now serving time in FCI Reno after pleading guilty to a $317 million N95 mask sales scam.
Parsons was also involved in first-ever class action by transgender prisoners against the Illinois Department of Corrections. Her clients won at trial, winning court-ordered medical and mental health treatment under the Eighth Amendment.
Parsons earned her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law and her B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa, summa cum laude.
The announcement of Parsons’ lateral to A&P in Houston included that of another King & Spalding trial attorney, Brent Ray, to the firm’s Chicago office.
Dina Hayes and Doug Winthrop, co-chairs of the Arnold & Porter’s intellectual property practice, said: “Abby’s creative and pragmatic approach to handling patent litigation matters in the life sciences sector will be an asset to our team.”
Meanwhile, Bracewell announced the addition of former King & Spalding finance partner Susan Ormand Berry to the firm’s Houston office. Berry had been a partner at K&S since 2018.
“We are thrilled to welcome Susan to the firm,” said Bracewell Managing Partner Gregory M. Bopp. “Her extensive expertise in complex lending matters aligns perfectly with our market-leading finance practice.”
Berry received her J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 2005. She also earned her B.A. in political science, cum laude, and B.A. in public affairs, cum laude and with distinction, from Southern Methodist University in 2001.
Berry specializes in complex finance packages with a focus on the energy industry, both legacy and renewable. Berry also has experience with workouts and restructurings. “Susan’s practice is an ideal complement to Bracewell’s finance practice. Her broad experience in the energy and other industries brings additional strength to our ability to serve the needs of lenders and borrowers,” said Stephanie Song, chair of Bracewell’s business and regulatory section.