McGuireWoods is rotating veteran IP partner Tyler VanHoutan into the office managing partner role in Houston, the firm announced Wednesday in a news release.
Keeping with McGuireWoods’ practice of alternating people in its leadership roles, the firm has also appointed new office managing partners in Atlanta, Baltimore and San Francisco. The new appointments took effect this month.
VanHoutan, an intellectual property partner at now-dissolved Howrey and later Winston & Strawn, joined McGuireWoods in the same capacity in March 2017. He replaces veteran trial lawyer Yasser Madriz, whose experience includes complex, high-stakes litigation.
A 2001 graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, VanHoutan advises clients on intellectual property matters, including litigation, prosecution, counseling and portfolio management. His expertise includes industries involving microprocessor and graphics processor design, telecommunications, oil and gas, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, according to the release.
VanHoutan’s experience spans bench and jury trials, ITC investigations and binding AAA arbitrations. He has extensive litigation experience in federal district courts of the Western and Eastern Districts of Texas, which are prominent centers for patent litigation.
VanHoutan has also handled global patent and trademark portfolios for a variety of corporate clients.
According to the Texas Lawbook 50, McGuireWoods increased its Texas lawyer headcount 4.2 percent last year to 75. The firm’s Texas revenue increased 14 percent to $90.6 million in 2024.