For three decades, Jim Reeder was a critical part of the litigation and antitrust practice at Vinson & Elkins. He has represented chemical manufacturers, oil and gas companies, healthcare systems and producers of Akaushi Beef in multimillion-dollar lawsuits.
On Thursday, Reeder starts a new chapter in his career, officially joining the Houston office of Jones Day as a partner.
“This is an opportunity to take on a new challenge at Jones Day, which operates a litigation practice on a more global scale,” said Reeder, who is chair-elect of the American Bar Association’s Litigation Section. “It is a very exciting more for me.”
“V&E has been my home and it is such a special place for me,” Reeder said, tearing up during the interview. “It was an incredibly difficult decision for me to leave, but I am so excited about joining Jones Day.”
A 1989 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, Reeder joined V&E as a rookie attorney and worked with some of the best trial lawyers in Texas history, including Harry Reasoner, David Harvin, Paul Stallings and John Murchison.
Reeder was part of the V&E team that successfully represented The Woodlands-based Huntsman Corp. in its $1 billion litigation over the failed 2008 merger with Apollo Global Management-backed Hexion.
In 2014, Reeder represented HeartBrand Beef of Flatonia, Texas, which had been sued by Bill Koch-owned Bear Ranch, which claimed that it had been improperly induced to buy more than 400 Akaushi cattle from HeartBrand.
HeartBrand countersued, claiming breach of contract and fraud.
A federal jury, after hearing four days of evidence, ruled in favor HeartBrand and awarded Reeder’s client $24 million in damages.
“To me, that case exemplifies what it means to be a lawyer and what a lawyer should do – help their client,” he said. “It was a great result.”
Earlier this year, Reeder, who is 57, did some soul-searching about the rest of his career.
“I love Vinson & Elkins, but I got to the point where I decided to look at what the next 10 years might bring,” he told The Texas Lawbook. “I started seeking out friends and colleagues to ask about their career developments.”
Reeder, who is an active board member for the Houston Botanic Garden, said that discussions with Jones Day started “organically.” Two former V&E lawyers – securities litigation partner Scott Fletcher and white-collar partner David Woodcock, who is the former regional director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Fort Worth office – are now partners at Jones Day in Texas.
Jones Day operates as a more traditional law firm, he said, which was what attracted him.
“The practice of law has changed dramatically during the past 30 years,” he said. “Today’s Texas law firms face more competition and are more bottom line oriented. Law firm management has implemented some of the best and some of the worst elements and practices of business.”
Jones Day, which has about 2,500 lawyers and 43 offices worldwide, now has 122 lawyers in Texas, including 70 in its litigation practice.
“We’re always interested in lawyers who can help us better serve clients, so when I started my new role leading the [Texas] region, which was also when Stephen [Olson] became partner-in-charge of Houston, one of our first orders of business was focused on lawyer additions that would create such an impact,” said Matt Kairis, partner-in-charge of Jones Day’s Texas region. “Jim’s reputation made it clear to us that he should be one of those additions, so Stephen reached out to others within the firm who knew Jim well enough to begin the discussions that started us down this path.”