In October, The Texas Lawbook reported exclusively that Midwest law firm Lathrop Gage was looking to open an office in Texas.
The 145-year-old Kansas City legal operation announced Thursday evening it is launching in Dallas with four lawyers and plans to have several more.
Robert Thackston, a recently departed partner at Hawkins Parnell Thackston & Young and nationally recognized toxic tort litigation specialist, will lead the new practice.
Lathrop, which describes itself as “the oldest continuously operating law firm west of the Mississippi,” has about 300 lawyers. Dallas is the firm’s 10th office.
“I’ve been looking to go to a law firm with a larger platform that broadens my potential client base and where I don’t have to be in a lead management role for a lengthy period of time,” Thackston told The Texas Lawbook in an interview Thursday evening. “Lathrop has offices in Los Angeles and St. Louis, which is great because we have litigation there.”
Thackston said that he has already received some interest from other Dallas lawyers about making a possible lateral move to Lathrop. Other lawyers joining Lathrop from Hawkins Parnell are associates Samuel Garcia, Ryan C. Hale and Lanita Morgan.
In December, Thackston won a major jury verdict in North Carolina on behalf of meat-processing giant Smithfield Foods, which had been sued by neighbors of the hog farms they operate over the foul odors omitted. Smithfield is also a client of Lathrop.
Lathrop managing partner Cameron Garrison pointed to Dallas’s booming legal economy as a motivating factor for the firm opening in Texas.
“Texas has been on our radar for sometime now, but we wanted to make sure that the move we made was successful and sustainable,” Garrison said. “This is that opportunity. We are excited to welcome our talented new team members in Dallas and Los Angeles. Together, they will bring our already robust toxic and mass tort expertise to another level.”
Garrison said the firm has no specific attorney headcount requirements, but “now that we are in Dallas, we definitely want to grow.”