It’s the opening day of the largest livestock exhibition and rodeo in the world, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has a new general counsel.
Native Houstonian Chris Atmar has joined the senior management team and will steer legal affairs, risk management, and corporate governance for the Rodeo. Atmar was previously a corporate associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and has also practiced at Kirkland & Ellis and Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
“It is an honor to join the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and support an institution with such a longstanding commitment to Texas youth, agriculture and Western heritage,” Atmar said in an official statement. “I look forward to working with the leadership team to help advance the mission and support the work that takes place year-round.”
Atmar appeared in The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker Weekly Roundup column five times in 2025, most recently for his involvement on the team advising Andros Capital on a $2 billion continuation vehicle closed by EnCap Investments for PennEnergy Resources. He was also on the Gibson Dunn team that guided Elk Range Royalties in its acquisition of mineral interests for $905 million from Occidental.
Atmar is a 2018 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center. Prior to pursuing a career in the law, Atmar served in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret with the Fifth Special Forces Group.