Spencer Fane has bolstered its litigation and dispute resolution practice group with three new partners and two of counsel attorneys in Houston, the firm announced Thursday.
The group joins Spencer Fane from Sheehy Ware Pappas Grubbs, now called Pappas Grubbs Price. The partners are Joseph A. Garnett, Raymond A. Neuer and R. Edward Perkins. The of counsel lawyers are James L. Ware and Jamie Guidry.
Garnett was with Sheehy Ware more than 37 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. His wide-ranging practice includes business fraud, commercial litigation, professional liability, products liability, personal injury suits, premises liability and property damage, according to his firm bio. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants. Garnett points to a $143 million plaintiffs’ verdict in 1996 on behalf of landowners who sued a natural gas storage facility as the case that cemented his reputation as a trial lawyer. He obtained his law degree from South Texas College of Law.
With more than three decades of experience, Neuer has devoted much of his practice to representing manufacturers, distributors, premises owners and contractors, third-party switching companies and track maintenance companies, according to his firm bio. He’s defended companies against catastrophic injury and death suits, Federal Employer’s Liability Act claims and in commercial matters. Neuer is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center.
Much of Perkins’ practice is dedicated to defending big national businesses and manufacturers in copyright and trademark disputes and against claims of fraud, product liability and personal injury, according to his bio. He was with Sheehy Ware for more than 33 years, according to his LinkedIn. Perkins graduated from the University of Houston Law Center.
Ware, who was a Sheehy Ware shareholder, had been with the firm about 27 years, according to his LinkedIn profile. Ware has twice served on the State Bar of Texas Administration of Rules of Evidence Committee. His practice includes handling personal injury claims, mass tort actions and other commercial litigation, according to his bio. Ware graduated from the University of Texas School of Law.
Guidry worked at Sheehy Ware twice, according to her LinkedIn profile: first from July 2017 to December 2019 and again from May 2023 to May of this year. She has also served as vice president of human resources and general counsel for Paul Davis Restoration of Greater Houston and as a labor and employment attorney for Germer Beaman & Brown. She obtained her law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law.
“The credentials and impressive track records of these attorneys will both reinforce and expand our litigation team’s capabilities, from well-established practices to its highly creative problem-solving,” said Brian Zimmerman, office managing partner for Spencer Fane in Houston.
The Kansas City-based firm entered Texas with Dallas and Plano offices in 2018, followed by the Houston office in 2019 and an Austin office in 2020. The firm now has 117 attorneys in the state.
Spencer Fane netted $61 million in revenues from their Texas operations in 2023, according to a Texas Lawbook 50 analysis, which was a 20 percent increase from the year prior.