Eduardo Rodriguez & Sons Join Atlas & Hall

By Mark Curriden

Two of the most influential law firms in South Texas are joining forces.

Prominent Texas trial lawyer and former State Bar President Eduardo Rodriguez of Brownsville announced Monday that he and his legal team have joined McAllen-based Atlas & Hall effective immediately. The new firm, which will have 36 lawyers, is called Atlas, Hall & Rodriguez.

“Eduardo and I have known each other for many, many years and have tried cases with each other and against each other,” says Gary Gurwitz, managing partner of the new firm. “We wanted an office in Brownsville and they wanted a full-service law firm to help their clients with needs beyond litigation. We discovered very few conflicts and we are very excited.”

The new firm, says Gurwitz, is the largest south of San Antonio. Michael Rodriguez, who is Eduardo’s son, will serve on the law firm’s management committee.

“The discussions started a year ago when I called Gary to explore the possibility of getting together,” says Rodriguez, a 1968 graduate of the University of Texas Law School. “It’s a great fit. Our firms have a great relationship and we are good friends.”

Lawyers at other major law firms who frequently work with Rodriguez & Rodriguez and Atlas & Hall say the consolidation of the two firms makes sense. And they say the addition of Eduardo Rodriguez is a coup for the law firm.

“Eduardo is not a litigator; he’s a trial lawyer, and he does it with great honor and integrity, ” says Baker Botts partner James Maloney, who has tried cases with Rodriquez for three decades. “A lot of friends call him ‘Pee Wee,” but I’ve only called him Eduardo or sir. He has this booming voice that you can hear throughout the courthouse.”

Former State Bar President Terry Tottenham of Fulbright & Jaworski in Austin agrees.

“This will be a great combination – a win-win,” says Tottenham. “Pee Wee is the go-to lawyer in South Texas on major cases. These two firms teaming up will make a great fit.”

Rodriguez has won many prominent honors. He is a past recipient of the Texas Appleseed Good Apple award and was named by Texas Lawyer as one of the “25 Greatest Texas Lawyers of the Past Quarter Century.”

Prominent Texas trial lawyer Eduardo Rodriguez of Brownsville has announced that he and his legal team have joined McAllen-based Atlas & Hall. The new firm, which will have 36 lawyers, is called Atlas, Hall & Rodriguez. It is now the largest law firm in South Texas.

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