BakerHostetler has recruited two name partners from Dallas litigation firm Carter Arnett Bennett & Perez.
Courtney Barksdale Perez and Joshua Bennett, who were minted name partners at Carter Arnett in March, have departed for a larger, national platform at the Washington, D.C.-based BakerHostetler. Their first day at the new firm is Monday.
“I tremendously enjoyed my experience the last 12 years and the opportunity to work for one of the best trial lawyers I have ever seen [in Leon Carter],” Perez said.
“The Dallas market is changing and I’m incredibly excited to be able to expand our platform. It’s all upside as far as I see it.”
Bennett was the first associate hired at Carter Arnett in 2012 and rose through the firm to eventually lead its commercial and intellectual property practice groups. Perez, who also started at the Dallas firm in 2012, was the head of its employment litigation practice.
Shawn Cleveland, Dallas office managing partner at BakerHostetler, said Bennett and Perez have “outstanding” practices in two core areas for the firm: commercial litigation and labor and employment. Plus, he said, they are “great leaders and great people.”
Perez said she has taken note of how Cleveland, who helped launch the BakerHostetler Dallas office in 2020 with 16 lawyers, has grown the office to 45 lawyers now. The firm has more than 110 lawyers in Texas and ranked 29th in the Texas Lawbook 50’s annual headcount report for 2023.
“The Baker team in Dallas and across the firm is a great group of people and it attracts other great people to join the firm,” Cleveland said. “It’s a powerful dynamic.”