© 2014 The Texas Lawbook.
By Natalie Posgate – (July 15) – After a successful first seven years, Morgan Lewis’ Houston office has a new managing partner.
On July 1, Hugh Tanner became the office’s second managing partner since its 2007 inception. He replaces Brady Edwards, who practices commercial, product liability complex mass tort and toxic tort litigation at the firm.
Tanner will continue to build on the success of the Pennsylvania-based firm’s second Texas office, which has grown from four to 72 lawyers since it first opened.
He will contribute to expanding Morgan Lewis’ Texas footprint as well as the Houston office’s status as the firm’s gateway to Latin America. He will also continue the momentum of the Houston office’s growth.
Tanner said he was recently asked by Morgan Lewis chair-elect, Jami Wintz McKeon, to become Houston’s new managing partner and he accepted the opportunity with enthusiasm.
“In just seven years, we’ve gone from a mere concept to the fifth largest office within Morgan Lewis,” Tanner said. “I am so very pleased with what we have accomplished in Houston. It is truly an honor to have been asked to follow Brady as its Managing Partner.”
Tanner joined the firm in early 2008 from Fulbright & Jaworski, where he was a litigation partner. Today, his practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, with a focus on the oil and gas industry. He is also the chair of the firm’s oil and gas litigation practice initiative – a role he will continue to maintain in addition to being Houston managing partner.
One of the biggest successes of his career came last year, when Tanner was successfully able to obtain a federal court dismissal of all cases filed against Houston-based Schlumberger Limited’s subsidiary, M-I SWACO, which was part of the massive litigation that resulted from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon offshore rig blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. Tanner served as lead trial counsel for the global drilling fluid systems supplier.
The 1985 University of Mississippi School of Law graduate handled all aspects of the multi district litigation, as well as congressional and executive branch investigations.
Edwards said Tanner’s leadership in the Deepwater Horizon litigation – perhaps the biggest collection of lawsuits in U.S. history – and other leadership roles give him confidence that he will do great as Morgan Lewis’ new Houston managing partner.
“Hugh is going to do a great job in his own shoes, not filling in mine,” he said. “There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s fantastic in leadership roles and will do a wonderful job as the office managing partner in Houston.”
Tanner said he would like to see continued growth in Houston and add more young lawyers as well as seasoned professionals. He said that Morgan Lewis is not targeting any firms in particular for lateral hires, but rather likes to target individuals or small groups of attorneys that would be a good fit.
Another goal Tanner has is to increase the firm’s Houston lawyers’ presence in local pro bono efforts. A community man himself, Tanner currently serves as the chairman-elect of the Little League Baseball International Board of Directors. He also founded the Challenger Baseball Program at West University Little League, which serves children with physical and mental challenges.
“I want our lawyers to be involved in the Houston community, giving back in as many ways as we can to show our gratitude for the myriad of successes this young office has enjoyed,” he said.
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