Texas Law Schools Rise and Fall in U.S. News’ 2024 Rankings
The 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Law Schools Rankings show Texas A&M, SMU and Baylor among those rising in the list, while Texas Tech and UH are with those sliding back.
A New Shift in Candidate Assessments
Recent trends show that firms are facing a new wave of lawyers doing more due diligence of firms prior to accepting (and even rejecting) offers. While law firms scrutinize resumes of potential candidates, they may themselves be subject to deeper review.
Susman Godfrey’s 2023: The Best Financial Year Ever for a Texas Law Firm
Susman Godfrey co-managing partner Vineet Bhatia told The Texas Lawbook that the Houston-based firm "had a pretty good year in 2023.” In fact, it was the single best financial year for any law firm's Texas operations in history. Texas Lawbook 50 data research shows that the 110 lawyers for Susman Godfrey in Texas doubled their revenue and nearly doubled their profits per partner over 2022. Keep in mind, 2022 was also a record financial year for the firm.
The firm's Texas lawyers scored some monumental courtroom victories — most of them coming with hefty contingency fee paydays. Bhatia called it "an alignment of the stars" and added, “We had a lot of happy partners.”
Three Partners Named to Lead Simpson Houston Office
There's a change coming in the Houston office of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett. The firm announced this morning that Houston managing partner David Lieberman is stepping down and will be succeeded by a trio of partners: Matthew Einbinder, Breen Haire and Christopher May.
Nelson Mullins Pulls from Five Firms for Houston Office Launch
The South Carolina-based law firm has recruited a total of 10 laterals from King & Spalding, Foley & Lardner, Frost Brown Todd, Hicks Thomas, and Platt Richmond.
Munsch Hardt Begins Transition to New CEO
The Dallas-based firm announced key leadership changes this week. Phil Appenzeller, the longest serving CEO in Munsch Hardt’s history, informed the firm of his decision to transition out of leadership at its annual management meeting at the end of January.
Paul Hastings Chair: ‘A Ton of Opportunity for Us in Texas’
As eight new corporate finance partners settle into their new Houston and Dallas digs at Paul Hastings this week, the law firm’s leader told The Texas Lawbook that “we are not going to stop there.”
“There are other practice areas we are exploring,” Paul Hastings chair Frank Lopez said in an interview. “There’s a ton of opportunity in Texas. Texas may be our No. 1 priority. It is fertile ground for us.” Just six months ago, Paul Hastings operated a sleepy Houston outpost of 22 lawyers. Since September 2023, however, the law firm has been on a hiring spree in Texas, nearly doubling their numbers in the state with lateral hires from Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Akin Gump and Vinson & Elkins. And firm leaders believe they could be at 60 lawyers in Texas by summer and possibly 100 attorneys within a year.
Q&A with John Polzer of Duane Morris
In this Q&A, Polzer dishes on transitioning from a regional firm like Cantey Hanger to an AmLaw 100 firm, describes the uniqueness of the Fort Worth market, encourages resilience in networking, and talks Buc-ee's and specialized business courts.
The Corner Office: Q&A with Michael Holmes
In this Q&A, the V&E lifer and securities litigation pro shares his observations on which areas of litigation are busy, reflects on the rewards of staying at one firm for your career, and offers encouragement for young attorneys.
Vartabedian & Hester Announces New Name Partner, New Offices, 2 More Additions
The energy-focused team from Alston & Bird that launched a new firm in Fort Worth late last month has added Craig Haynes from Holland & Knight to become Vartabedian, Hester & Haynes. The firm has also officially opened an office in Dallas and is in the process of opening an office in West Texas.
What to Publish on Your LinkedIn Page: A Guide for Small and Mid-Size Law Firms
While large firms — with their hundreds of lawyers and hefty marketing departments — can churn out news on the regular, small and mid-size firms often struggle with keeping their LinkedIn pages populated. This article offers a roadmap to humanize your brand, connect with your audience, and establish credibility in the legal landscape. Publisher's Note: This content is premium subscriber thought leadership and is published outside of our paywall.
Steptoe Acquires Smyser Kaplan & Veselka ‘Lock, Stock and Barrel’
Craig Smyser, who cofounded SKV in 1995, said his firm had been approached several times over the years by national and international firms looking to expand into Texas. There’s one reason in particular why the negotiations with Steptoe, which began in May, ended with this merger: Steptoe was willing to take on every member of the SKV team.
“It’s an amazing law firm with a lot of magic,” Gwen Renigar, Steptoe's chair, said in an interview with The Lawbook. "The magic they had is magic I did not want to disturb."