Houston-based mid-size firm Chamberlain Hrdlicka celebrated its Diamond Anniversary this month.
Larry Campagna has been there for more than 50 of those years and his career has taken him from the mailroom to the boardroom. Campagna interviewed with two of the firm’s founders, George Hrdlicka and Bob Waters, and started working as a “gopher” in 1974. He is now the firm’s managing partner, a role he has served in since 2020.
Founded as a tax controversy boutique on Oct. 1, 1965 by Hrdlicka and Hank Chamberlain, alumni of the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the firm has built on that strong tax foundation (most recently adding former IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig and former IRS Chief of Staff Tom Cullinan) and grown into a 155-lawyer full-service firm with offices in San Antonio, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.
With 95 lawyers in Texas, Chamberlain Hrdlicka checked in at No. 34 on the Texas Lawbook 50 for 2024 headcount. The firm also ranked in the Lawbook 50 for Texas revenue of more than $70 million.
No one knows Chamberlain Hrdlicka better than Campagna, and so The Lawbook asked Campagna to reflect on the firm’s legacy, consider how the practice of law has changed, and elaborate on why being “mid-size” is just right for the firm.
The Texas Lawbook: You started at the firm as a mailroom clerk in 1974. How formative was that experience and please reflect on your career arc to now leading the firm.
Larry Campagna: That’s correct, and that experience was more formative than I could have imagined at the time. I had the opportunity to interview with two of the firm’s founders, George Hrdlicka and Bob Waters, both of whom became tremendous role models for me throughout my career. My time as a gopher taught me a lot about what it was like to work in a law firm. Most importantly, it introduced me to a group of people who were superb lawyers, caring people, and enjoyed practicing together. Those early lessons shaped the way I approached my career and ultimately my leadership role, where I try to be a servant leader who encourages hard work, shared success, and a deep respect for the firm’s culture.
The Lawbook: How would you describe the firm when you started compared to where it is today?
Campagna: When I first joined, Chamberlain Hrdlicka was a tax controversy boutique, known for its strength in representing clients before the IRS. The firm was just beginning to add corporate, litigation, and estate planning services. Today, while we remain nationally recognized as a leader in tax law, we have evolved into a full-service business law firm. Our attorneys handle sophisticated matters across M&A, commercial litigation, construction, data privacy and cybersecurity, intellectual property, labor and employment, real estate, trusts and estates, and more. The firm has grown in size and reach, but the heart of who we are has not changed: entrepreneurial, practical, and deeply committed to our clients.
The Lawbook: What do you consider to be the major milestones/inflection points over Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s 60 years?
Campagna: Several moments stand out. The opening of our Atlanta office in the mid-1980s was our first geographic expansion and set the stage for becoming a multi-office firm. The transition from our founding shareholders in the early 1990s was another defining moment, proving that Chamberlain Hrdlicka had grown into an institution that could thrive across generations. More recently, the addition of former IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig and former IRS Chief of Staff Tom Cullinan underscored that, although we are a mid-size firm, we have the capability and talent to compete with anyone in the country. These milestones reflect our ability to grow and adapt while staying true to our roots.
The Lawbook: Can you please describe three to five hallmark successes?
Campagna: There are many, but a few stand out.
Our tax litigation team achieved the largest judgment ever against the IRS for wrongful disclosure of confidential tax return information in Johnson v. Sawyer, demonstrating both our technical strength and our ability to protect clients at the highest levels.
Our transactional attorneys have guided clients through transformative deals, which resulted in our firm being named the 2024 M&A law firm of the year by M&A Advisor.
Our lawyers have also taken on high-profile pro bono matters, such as defending a death row inmate and going to bat for an immigrant father who was threatened with deportation, which exemplifies our commitment to justice and giving back to the community.
And time and again, we’ve been at the forefront of significant tax cases, for example serving as lead counsel in one of the largest project cases in the history of the U.S. Tax Court and establishing important precedents in many areas of the Internal Revenue Code.
The Lawbook: What have been the most profound challenges for the firm over the years?
Campagna: Every era has brought its own challenges. During the real estate and oil & gas recessions, many of our lawyers pivoted to new areas of practice, which ultimately made the firm more resilient and diversified. Like all firms, we’ve navigated periods of rapid growth and contraction, each of which required thoughtful leadership. The pandemic was perhaps the most profound recent challenge, forcing us to adapt overnight to remote work. But even that hardship revealed our strengths as we learned to be more efficient, more flexible, and more intentional about staying collaborative, even when we couldn’t be together in person.
The Lawbook: Who have been some of the firm’s longstanding clients?
Campagna: Out of respect for confidentiality, we generally don’t disclose client names. What I can say is that many of our client relationships span decades. We have represented some of the nation’s leading corporations, family-owned businesses, and high-net-worth individuals through multiple generations. That longevity is a point of pride for us because it reflects trust, loyalty, and our ability to evolve alongside our clients’ needs.
The Lawbook: I understand the desire is to stay a mid-size firm. Would you ever consider a merger for strategic growth? What’s the sweet spot when you say “mid-size firm”? What is it that you are trying to preserve?
Campagna: We remain very open to adding groups of talented attorneys who share our culture and values. But we are not interested in becoming a megafirm or trying to be all things to all people. For us, the “sweet spot” is maintaining a size that allows us to serve the mid-size corporate market and high-net-worth individuals with personal attention, while also representing some of the nation’s largest companies when the stakes are highest. We believe mid-size firms offer the best of both worlds: the sophistication and results of a large firm, with the efficiency, flexibility, and direct client engagement of a mid-size firm.
The Lawbook: Related, many global and national firms seem to resist being described as a firm based in a particular place. What do you think of this and how significant is it that Chamberlain Hrdlicka was founded and is based in Houston?
Campagna: Our roots in Houston are an important part of our story as this city shaped us and gave us our start. But today, we are truly a multi-office firm with a national reach. Our Atlanta office now has as many equity shareholders as Houston, and our San Antonio office has experienced the fastest growth in recent years. We have strong teams in Philadelphia as well. And while we’re proud of our Texas heritage, our cases literally are scattered from coast to coast. Lawyers today don’t need to be located near their clients to be cost effective. We handle matters across the country, and our reputation travels with us.
The Lawbook: What are you most proud of from your legacy at the firm?
Campagna: I have always believed in servant leadership. My role has been to listen, to understand what “we” as a firm wanted to achieve, and then work to put the structures and support in place to make those goals possible. Taking on the role of managing shareholder just a month before the pandemic was a trial by fire, but I am proud of how we adapted together and came out stronger. I am also proud of the strategic planning we have done to ensure that Chamberlain Hrdlicka is positioned for success for generations to come.
The Lawbook: How has the legal profession changed from when you started?
Campagna: The changes have been dramatic. I remember a case early in my career where I had to figure out how to use Mag card word processors to create a crude sort of spreadsheet to help manage thousands of documents in a complex case. Today, we are talking about artificial intelligence—which we have invested in—and how it’s transforming the way lawyers work. While the tools have changed, the mission remains the same: get great results for the clients.
Most importantly, as technology has evolved, lawyers have become more accessible to our clients and to each other. Responses often are expected in minutes or hours rather than days. We can help solve client problems from an airplane or from halfway around the world. Of course, all this comes at a cost, as a two-week vacation without a mobile phone and a computer is literally unthinkable for most of us.
The Lawbook: What is the vision for the future? Where do you see opportunities? What are your concerns?
Campagna: The value proposition for clients will always be the same. The clients want excellent legal advice and practical solutions. Some clients are price-sensitive while others are in “bet the company” situations where speed and expertise matter above all else. The tools we use will continue to evolve, with AI being the most recent example of a leap forward in productivity, but wisdom, judgment, and experience will always be essential. Our vision is to remain entrepreneurial, client-focused, and agile, seizing new opportunities while holding fast to the values that have guided us for 60 years.