Lauren Black, formerly a partner at BoyarMiller, has joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings as a partner in its Houston office, the firm announced Thursday.
As part of the litigation practice group, Black brings experience representing clients in areas of energy, construction, manufacturing, healthcare, shopping, technology and logistics, according to the firm’s announcement.
“Lauren has made a name for herself in the Houston legal community by being creative, smart and well prepared, and we are thrilled to welcome her to Bradley,” said Bradley Houston office Managing Partner James A. Collura. “Her depth of experience and the breadth of her practice will be an immediate benefit to our clients, while expanding our litigation capabilities throughout Texas.”
Black previously worked with Philip A. Dunlap and P. Cyrus Chin, two former BoyarMiller lawyers who joined Bradley as partners last year. Their good word about the firm encouraged Black, who said she was drawn to a deep bench of subject matter experts and strong office culture.
“It’s enabling me to just broaden my practice with a deeper bench,” Black told The Texas Lawbook.
Black said she enjoys complex commercial litigation and weaving together a complicated set of facts into a narrative, as well as interacting with witnesses. Business divorces have especially been keeping her practice busy lately, she said.
But she’s seeing a continued push toward early mediation, a trend she expects will “always” continue.
“Pre-trial settlements are as high as they’ve ever been,” Black said. “Almost 100 percent of cases settle and that’s always the goal for our clients – to get things resolved favorably before a lot of cost impact occurs.”
She said she’s fascinated with the Texas business courts, set to open in September, but she won’t be off to the races to file in those courts. Rather, she’ll be a sideline observer paying close attention to how the mechanics come together, she said.
“I want my clients to get into the most efficient procedural process possible,” she said.
Black was with BoyarMiller three and a half years, according to her LinkedIn. She previously worked for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and Locke Lord, her profile shows. Black obtained her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 2011.