© 2015 The Texas Lawbook.
By Mark Curriden
(March 3) – Former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell once told me that trial lawyers make the best law firm managers because they have a combined passion for the practice of law and a need for justice.
Bell, a former federal judge in Atlanta and partner at King & Spalding, passed away in 2009, but he would have approved of the appointment of Tracie J. Renfroe to lead his firm’s Houston office.
“I’m taking over at a really neat time,” Renfroe told The Texas Lawbook in an interview. “Our Houston office epitomizes our firm’s global strategy.”
King & Spalding has 900 lawyers in 18 offices globally, annual revenues of more than $1 billion and is the long-time outside counsel for Coca-Cola Co. The firm has 84 lawyers in its Houston office.
“We are definitely seeking strategic opportunities to grow our Texas practices,” Renfroe said. “We added four new partners last year organically and one partner through a lateral hire.”
A great example is Jeremiah Anderson. King & Spalding recruited Anderson while he was a student at the University of Chicago School of Law. Anderson was a good fit because he attended Emory University in Atlanta and was obviously very familiar with the firm’s Georgia roots.
Anderson, who specializes in environmental litigation, joined King & Spalding’s Houston office in 2003 and became a partner a few years ago. Despite being a young partner, he has gained the confidence of the firm’s clients, including Chevron Senior Corporate Counsel Kevin O’Neal, who sings Anderson’s praises.
The 130-year-old law firm has many high-profile lawyers, including Bell, former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia, former Florida Sen. Connie Mack and former Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson, who later became the general counsel of PepsiCo.
Renfroe joined King & Spalding in 2006 after a 21-year career at Bracewell in Houston. She has represented Shell Oil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil Company, Westlake Polymers and Cooper Industries in environmental, toxic tort and commercial lawsuits across the country.
In 2010, Renfroe defended Shell Oil, which was accused by the City of Redlands of contaminating its drinking water. The city sought $46 million in actual damages and even more in punitive damages. But she won a complete defense verdict after a 4-month jury trial in California.
Renfroe also is active in the community. She chaired the board of the Houston Food Bank, the Houston Bar Foundation, and co-chaired the Gulf Coast United Way Law Firm Initiative.
While the firm’s Houston office has a significant strength in litigation, Renfroe noted that its corporate M&A and project finance practices have grown significantly.
“Houston attorneys have handle transactional construction projects in 35 countries with a combined value of $125 billion,” she said.
Renfroe says the impact of the crisis in the oil patch has not yet affected King & Spalding.
“We have not seen any downturn in work,” she says. “Knowing what we have in the pipeline, I don’t foresee a slowdown for our lawyers anytime soon. We are in a market where all firms are not going to come out equally, but I certainly think our firm’s future here looks very positive.”
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