Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Jen Smith has joined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in the corporate, M&A and securities group in Austin after about five years at Latham & Watkins, where she helped that firm open its office in the Texas capital.
Buena Vista Lyons, an employment litigation principal, has joined Jackson Lewis in Dallas from FordHarrison.
Baker Botts announced leadership appointments touching energy, infrastructure and tax.
McCall Grimes worked on several deals with Winstead leaders George Kraft and Jeff Matthews in his four and a half years as the top lawyer at the Houston-based family-owned real estate and development firm. He said Winstead was the obvious choice to land back in private practice.
Pillsbury’s latest partner addition in Texas came Wednesday morning, as the firm announced that Valeska Pederson Hintz has joined its Emerging Companies and Venture Capital as a partner in the Austin office.
Jeff Cody, Norton Rose Fulbright’s global and U.S. managing partner, said IP is one of the firm’s three core pillars.
Derek Lipscombe was managing counsel at Toyota North America for nearly 11 years, and before that he spent four years as senior managing counsel at J.C. Penney. Alex Pratt practiced law at Perkins Coie for nine years. This week, both lawyers joined the Dallas office of Haynes Boone as partners in its expanding labor and employment practice.
Legal industry analysts say the lateral hires give the Dallas-based corporate firm a distinct advantage in the labor side of the employment law practice — an expertise that they describe as often overlooked yet in demand.
Intellectual property lawyers Joshua Budwin, Richard Kamprath, Kevin Burgess, and John Campbell are bringing a new boutique powered by Big Law veterans to the market. “I tell my kids if you want to be truly successful you’ve got to work for yourself," Budwin said.
Shipman & Goodwin announced on Tuesday it opened a Dallas office with two restructuring attorneys from FBFK.
Jackson Walked picked up two new partners to their Houston office with the addition of an immigration lawyer from Foster LLP and debt finance lawyer poached from Kirkland & Ellis.
Heather Bethancourt has joined the corporate practice group of Sheppard in Dallas after more than 11 years at McDermott Will & Schulte.
Hope Shimabuku, who was a regional director for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the last decade, will lead the firm's sixth U.S. office.
© Copyright 2026 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.