© 2016 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
(Jan. 4) – Marianne Auld has been elected managing partner of Kelly Hart & Hallman, the Fort Worth-based firm announced yesterday afternoon. She succeeds Dee Kelly Jr., who served in the firm’s top leadership role for 11 years before stepping down at the end of 2016.
Auld is the firm’s third managing partner in firm history. Mark Hart was the first.
“I am deeply honored and privileged my partners have put me in this position,” said Auld, who also chairs the firm’s appellate section. “I want to continue to honor the vision and legacy of our founding partners, particularly Dee Kelly.”
Kelly Jr. will remain on the firm’s executive committee. During his tenure as managing partner, Kelly Hart saw revenue growth in each of the last 10 years, grew to 164 attorneys and opened offices in New Orleans, Midland and Baton Rouge.
“Marianne is a highly-regarded lawyer and partner,” Kelly Jr. said. “It is really important to me to see the firm transition well and continue to evolve. This is a great next step.”
In her new role as managing partner, Auld will provide strategic leadership and direction, manage over 350 employees and coordinate recruiting and community initiatives.
Auld, who graduated first in her class at Baylor University School of Law, started at Kelly Hart in 1989 after clerking for the Honorable Tom Reavley of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
She told Reavley about her desire to practice in Fort Worth, and the senior judge said she had to meet Dee Kelly. Auld joined the firm’s litigation section and worked closely with the late Lion of the Texas Bar.
In 1993, Baylor Law School called and asked Auld to become a member of the faculty. She left the firm to teach Federal Civil Procedure, Remedies, and Legal Analysis, Research and Communications.
While at Baylor, Auld continued to work on special projects for Kelly. She says it was a good change of pace from the academic experience.
Auld returned to Kelly Hart in the mid-2000s. She says Fort Worth has changed and developed considerably over the years, but has also stayed the same in many ways and remained true to its character.
She believes Kelly Hart is well-positioned to serve the evolving needs of its clients, in Fort Worth and elsewhere.
“My greatest goal is to continue to build the firm the way it has developed over its history,” she said. “The firm has always grown strategically according to the needs of clients.”
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