Husch Blackwell bolstered its public law practice in Houston by signing three new partners, the Kansas City-based firm announced today.
Robert Eckels – the former Harris County judge – and Thompson & Horton attorneys Arturo Michel and Sandy Hellums-Gomez are Husch Blackwell’s newest additions.
Eckels, who most recently practiced at Gray Reed, served as the county judge of Harris County from 1995 to 2007. He received national recognition for his role in providing shelter for more than 250,000 people affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Esquire named him a “Best and Brightest – Citizen of the Year” for his efforts.
A Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from 1983-1995, Eckels is the founder and director of Texas Central Railway, the company undertaking the development and operation of a high-speed passenger train line between Dallas and Houston.
Michel was a Houston City Attorney from 2004 to 2010 under then-Mayor Bill White, where he led the department on matters involving intergovernmental relations, governance and compliance, voting and elections and ethics. He oversaw the implementation of the City of Houston’s diversity program and the creation of Discovery Green, a 12-acre urban park in downtown Houston.
The Houston Independent School District, Houston Community College and the Tejano Center for Community Concerns regularly call on Michel as outside general counsel. He is a past winner of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s Attorney of the Year Award.
Hellums-Gomez represents educational institutions, from K-12 to colleges, and local governmental entities in governance and compliance matters, with an emphasis on complex public business and infrastructure matters. She recently oversaw the procurement and legal compliance of a $2 billion bond program for the largest independent school district in Texas.