Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
Regina A. Pearson will focus her practice on energy project development and construction matters across sectors such as liquefied natural gas, power, hydrogen and renewables. The move strengthens Baker Botts’ energy project development and construction capabilities in Austin.
After over seven years as in-house counsel, Steve Ryan has switched back to private practice at Fletcher Held in Houston. He said he was ready for a change and missed the courtroom.
Kilpatrick added another experienced energy attorney to its Houston office. Barclay Nicholson joined the firm’s construction and infrastructure team in December after nearly four years as a founding partner of the Sheppard Mullin office in Houston. Prior to that, he spent more than 21 years as an energy and commercial litigation partner with Norton Rose Fulbright.
Paul Weiss announced Tuesday that it has found the lawyers needed to open and run a new office in Houston, both from Kirkland & Ellis.
Prominent Dallas trial lawyer Tom Melsheimer, long-time law partner Steven Stodghill and seven other litigation partners from Winston & Strawn started their new positions as partners at King & Spalding in Dallas today. “I was on top of the mountain with Winston,” Melsheimer told The Texas Lawbook. “But then I saw another mountain. King & Spalding made an offer that I could not say no to, so I didn’t. King & Spalding understands that this is a war for the best talent because the best talent attracts the best clients. King & Spalding is in it to win this war.”
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and the first week of February has seen at least 20 business lawyers in Texas on the move, including a new Oil & Gas co-chair at Baker Botts.
When Weil brought intellectual property trial veteran Jeff Homrig back to the firm in August, there was speculation that the notable summer lateral would be its opportunity to open an Austin office. Six months later to the day, it’s official: Weil has a new office in Central Texas, its third in the state, the firm announced early Monday morning in a news release.
The new office will offer commercial litigation and corporate practices, with IP litigation serving as its initial focus, according to the firm.
International law firm Smith, Gambrell & Russell added Mitch Ackal on Monday and hopes to grow an office in the Houston market. Before joining SGR, Ackal spent two decades at Gray Reed.
Prominent white-collar defense and corporate securities lawyer Toby Galloway has joined Vartabedian Hester & Haynes, a 35-lawyer Fort Worth boutique that has witnessed significant growth since it was founded two years ago.
The Texas Lawbook interviewed Galloway about the move to VHH.
Russ Brown, cofounder and managing partner of Brown Fox, said the full-service business boutique wanted to be in the “nerve center of the top economic center in the country.” It is the latest instance of Uptown landing a law firm’s Dallas digs.
Chad Pinson, a former equity partner at Baker Botts, has joined the third-largest e-discovery services provider as its chief executive. He will take the helm of a company with growth aspirations in Texas and around the world.
Veteran corporate lawyers and dealmakers Wilson Chu and Joanna Lin have left McDermott to launch Dechert’s new Dallas office, following their high-profile work advising Tesla on Elon Musk’s $1 trillion employment contract. Their move was quietly noted in Dechert’s announcement of 20 partner hires for new offices in Dallas and Chicago, and existing ones in key U.S. markets, marking another shift amid McDermott’s ongoing post-merger reshuffling.
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