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Firm Management

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.

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.”

Law Firms Promote Twice as Many Men as Women in 2023-24 Partnership Class

The new partnership class of 2023-24 in Texas is big on litigation and trial lawyers, leans heavily toward Houston offices and is overwhelmingly male-dominated. Business law firms have voted 143 Texas lawyers into their partnerships during this partner promotion season — down slightly from the 146 the same firms boosted into their elite ranks a year ago, according to data collected by The Texas Lawbook. Fifty-two law firms have announced their new partnership classes during this cycle. Half of the 52 firms promoted more attorneys than they did last year, while 17 firms named fewer new partners and nine named exactly the same number as a year ago. The Lawbook has the details.

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