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Caldwell Cassady, Norton Rose Fulbright Add Partners, Hedrick Kring Opens in Houston

January 26, 2021 Natalie Posgate

The Texas corporate partner lateral market nearly evaporated in 2020 and the flood of new law firm openings dried up due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but business law firms are showing hints that activity could be returning, especially in the world of litigation.

Norton Rose Fulbright made the first move, announcing that a labor and employment pro has joined its Dallas office. Dallas litigation boutique Caldwell, Cassady & Curry said it has nabbed an IP lawyer from a Big Tex firm. And another Dallas litigation shop, Hedrick Kring, confirmed Tuesday it has hired a commercial litigator and former general counsel to open its Houston outpost.

Caldwell Cassady & Curry Hires IP Litigator from Baker Botts

Dallas litigation boutique Caldwell Cassady & Curry has added as a principal, Brian D. Johnston, until recently a partner in Baker Botts’ intellectual property department. 

Johnston spent more than a decade representing plaintiffs and defendants in high-profile IP disputes, including patent, trade secret and copyright lawsuits and cases before U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. 

“Brian is a top-flight lawyer who has proven himself in important cases again and again with his engineering background and his keen understanding in all aspects of litigation, from pre-suit investigations and early case strategy through jury trials and appeals,” said name principal Jason Cassady.

A New York University School of Law-trained lawyer, Johnston spent two years earlier in his career clerking for Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis in the Eastern District of New York. He began his career at Sullivan & Cromwell. 

Hedrick Kring Opens in Houston

Dallas-based litigation boutique Hedrick Kring has touched down in Houston. 

The firm announced Tuesday that it is opening its second office with the lateral hire of Kevin Corcoran, who spent the last five years at Mills Shirley.

Corcoran has also served as general counsel of Tex-Star Testing and Inspection and LHR Technologies, a startup tool company founded by two former NASA research scientists who developed a computerized woodcarving tool. For two years in the early 2000s, Corcoran also served as president of Anime Network, the first 24-hour anime television network available in the U.S.  

At Hedrick Kring, Corcoran said his practice will be based on his decades of experience as a trial lawyer, which has led him to represent clients in complex commercial disputes and catastrophic claims in the high tech, energy, retail, consumer product, maritime, manufacturing, trucking and media and entertainment industries. 

Hedrick Kring says its goal is to add five to 10 full-time lawyers to its new Houston office by the end of 2021. 

“Opening a branch of Hedrick Kring in Houston is crucial so we can continue serving our clients at the highest level possible,” Corcoran said. “I am humbled to spearhead this extension.”

NRF Nabs Employment Litigator in Dallas

Veteran labor and employment litigator Tom Reddin has joined Norton Rose Fulbright’s Dallas office from Polsinelli. 

Reddin, a partner, has spent more than 30 years trying cases filed under the anti-discrimination statutes (Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discimination Act and Equal Pay Act) and other employment-related statutes, including FMLA, FLSA, OSHA and ERISA. 

Reddin is part of of Norton Rose Fulbright’s efforts to beef up its labor and employment practice. He is the third partner the firm has hired in this area since the pandemic began. 

“With the global pandemic and uncertainty it causes businesses, employment lawyers are in high demand,” said Shauna Clark, Norton Rose Fulbright’s global and U.S. chair who also leads the firm’s U.S. labor and employment practice. “Tom’s practice covers the full spectrum of employment and labor law, and our clients will appreciate his ability to manage the numerous risks in the workplace today.”

Natalie Posgate

Natalie Posgate covers pro bono work, public service and diversity within the Texas legal community.

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