© 2015 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
(July 30) – The remaining law firms that had not announced their partner-level promotions for 2015 did so by the end of the summer.
With some firms gearing up to make announcements for their 2016 promotions in the fall, The Texas Lawbook has provided a short bio of each of the 145 newly minted partners and shareholders in the class of 2015 below.
The 48 firms featured in the article include most of the large Texas-based firms, mid-sized Texas firms, national firms with a significant presence in the state and larger litigation boutiques that have announced their new partner and shareholder classes. For law firms outside of the state, only Texas-based partner and shareholder promotions were mentioned.
Akin Gump
Shubi Arora, a member of the firm’s oil and gas and India practices, primarily works with clients in the energy industry on M&A, private equity investments and joint ventures. In 2012, he advised a sovereign wealth fund in the United Arab Emirates. He is the co-president of the Houston Chapter of the Vanderbilt Alumni Association.
Lacy Lawrence, a member of the firm’s litigation practice in Dallas, has developed a niche in the areas of financial restructuring and energy-related cases. She is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Eric Muñoz, a University of Houston Law Center graduate, is a corporate and securities lawyer in the firm’s oil and gas practice. He is a member of the Houston office’s diversity and pro bono committees.
Iain Wood is a member of the corporate practice in Dallas and focuses his practice on M&A, specifically for financial sponsors, including private equity and hedge funds.
Andrews Kurth
Sarah Kittleman, based in the Houston office, focuses her practice on commercial real estate and banking and finance transactions. She recently represented a publicly-traded midstream energy company in connection with a $500 million credit facility secured by assets located in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota and Texas. In another recent deal, she represented a Houston-based developer in the acquisition, construction and financing of multiple assisted living facilities.
William Moore, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is a trial lawyer in Dallas. He represents clients in the energy, oil and gas, real estate, financial services and telecommunications industries. In the past year, Moore obtained a $2.8 million jury verdict for an international alternative investment firm and a $4 million summary judgment on fraud claims asserted on behalf of a real estate partnership.
AZA
Elizabeth “Lizzie” Fletcher, a fourth-generation Texas trial lawyer and a native Houstonian, has represented companies and individuals in internal investigations, shareholder derivative cases and class actions. She has also tried cases involving employment, antitrust, securities, real estate and trademark matters. In 2014, she obtained a dismissal of a multimillion-dollar breach of contract and fraud lawsuit against a Houston investment banker.
Baker & McKenzie
Dr. Guy Birkenmeier, a partner in the firm’s IP practice in Dallas, concentrates his practice on patent matters related to biochemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemistry and plant sciences. He counsels clients on efficient portfolio growth and management, invalidity opinions and reexamination strategies, patent monetization strategies and developing and implementing validity and infringement strategies during litigation.
Jordan Faykus, a University of Houston Law Center graduate, is a partner in the firm’s compensation and employment practice in Houston. He represents clients in all types of labor and employment law, but he has significant experience defending employers in matters involving employee discrimination, including claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the FMLA, the ADEA and the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act.
Baker Botts
Preston Bernhisel is a corporate lawyer in the firm’s Dallas office. He focuses his practice on capital markets, M&A, SEC reporting and compliance and corporate governance matters. He also represents investment banking firms and issuers in equity and debt securities offerings.
Amy Hefley, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is a litigation partner in Houston. She focuses her practice on IP, securities and appellate litigation.
Matt Hunsaker is a Dallas tax lawyer who represents clients on a variety of state and local tax issues. He has advised clients engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, alternative energy, health care, manufacturing, insurance, retailing, professional athletics, telecommunications and technology.
David Jetter, a global projects partner in Houston, represents clients in project development and international business transactions. He focuses on LNG and other energy infrastructure projects in the U.S. and Latin America.
Jim Marshall, a corporate lawyer in Houston, advises issuers and investment banking firms in equity and debt offerings. He also represents clients in takeovers, private sales and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances.
Jon Nelsen focuses on federal income tax matters in the firm’s Austin office. The University of Texas School of Law graduate represents clients in tax controversy matters and planning domestic and international M&A, reorganizations, MLPs and other joint ventures. He also advises clients hoping to take advantage of energy tax incentives, including production and incentive tax credits.
Nick Schuneman is in the firm’s IP practice in Austin. He focuses primarily on patent infringement litigation. He is listed as a co-inventor on four issued U.S. Patents related to his work on ultra-broadband array technology while he was designing high-performance antenna rays at Raytheon earlier in his career.
BakerHostetler
James Phillips, a member of the firm’s litigation group in Houston, focuses on products liability, construction and oil and gas matters. He is a University of Texas School of Law graduate.
J. Keith Russell, a University of Houston Law Center graduate, is a litigation partner in Houston. He focuses on motor vehicle franchise litigation.
Gregory Saikin, a former U.S. Assistant Attorney, focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations and related civil and administrative matters. He represents healthcare clients regarding fraud and kickback allegations brought by governmental agencies. He is a University of Texas School of Law graduate and member of the firm’s business group in Houston.
Beck Redden
Alex Roberts, a University of Houston Law Center graduate, represents clients in the energy, legal, financial and real estate sectors in a variety of business disputes.
Bell Nunnally
Heath Cheek, a Baylor School of Law graduate, represents clients in litigation involving securities, real estate, health care, internal investigations, labor and employment, trusts and estates, media law and patent and trade secrets litigation.
Bracewell & Giuliani
Rebecca Baker is a Houston-based employment law partner. She also works with management clients to draft employment policies and employee handbooks and to address issues related to the hiring, retention and termination of employees.
Brad Chin focuses his practice on patent and trademark prosecution, client counseling, licensing and technology transfer. He is based in the firm’s Houston office.
Emily Leitch, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, advises and represents business clients on securities matters, corporate finance and general corporate transactions. She focuses specifically on capital markets, where she represents issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings of equity securities, high-yield debt securities and investment-grade debt securities. She is based in Houston.
Blair Loocke focuses on litigation matters arising in the energy industry, prosecuting mass torts and disputes involving alleged violations of securities laws. She is a University of Texas School of Law graduate and is based in the firm’s Houston office.
Michael Tankersley, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, provides advisory and transactional services to public and private companies, financial institutions, boards, management and investors. In 2007, he was appointed by President George W. Bush, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as the first Inspector General of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. He is based in the firm’s Dallas office.
Herman “Trevor” Wommack focuses his practice on syndicated lending in the energy space, particularly in the area of upstream exploration and production reserve-based financings. He is based in the firm’s Houston office and is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Cox Smith
Matt Cole advised clients in complex commercial litigation. One month after being named a shareholder, he moved in-house to Sexing Technologies in Navasota, Texas to serve as its chief litigation counsel.
Matthew Crowell primarily represents landowners and upstream oil and gas operators in oil and gas related matters. He is based in the firm’s San Antonio headquarters and is a graduate of Baylor School of Law.
Lisa Donaldson is a member of Cox Smith’s immigration and international trade practice. She is based in the firm’s El Paso office.
Aaron Kaufman, a University of Houston Law Center graduate, is a Dallas-based shareholder in the firm’s bankruptcy and creditors’ rights practice.
Tyler Peace advises clients on matters related to estate planning, probate and wealth transfer law. He is in the San Antonio office and is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Fish & Richardson
David Conrad, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, focuses his practice on business litigation, patent litigation and trade secret litigation with experience in computers, software and engineering. He is based in the firm’s Dallas office.
John Sanders, a Dallas-based attorney, has tried cases involving partnership disputes, theft of intellectual property, breaches of contract and fiduciary duties, business torts, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, corporate espionage, whistleblowing and securities fraud. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Gardere
Nanette Beaird is a government affairs attorney in the firm’s Austin office. She represents national and international clients in all regulated industries before state agencies.
Matt Crockett, a member of the firm’s banking and finance team in Dallas, represents regional banks and corporate and private equity clients in financial transactions. He has particular expertise in the areas of real estate finance and acquisition financing.
Mary Elizondo Frazier is a member of the firm’s energy litigation team in Houston. She is a graduate of South Texas College of Law.
Adam Hull, an attorney in the firm’s corporate practice group in Dallas, advises public and private companies on M&A, securities, private equity and venture capital financing matters.
Eunice Song is a corporate attorney in the firm’s Houston office. She focuses on the energy industry, where she has experience working on energy construction projects and negotiating EPC agreements for power plants.
Godwin Lewis
Lon Loveless is a member of the firm’s family law section in Dallas.
Israel Silvas is a Dallas-based commercial litigator. He is a member of the firm’s Halliburton trial team, and he is involved in all civil litigation and investigations stemming from the 2010 BP Macondo oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.
Gray Reed
Jason Brookner is a Houston-based attorney and focuses his practice on advising companies, buyers, creditors, trustees, committees, lenders and other constituents in all aspects of distressed, insolvency and restructuring matters.
Julia Palmer, a South Texas College of Law graduate, focuses her practice on marine and energy litigation and insurance issues. She is a shareholder based in the firm’s Houston office.
Lindsey Postula concentrates her commercial real estate law practice in the preparation and negotiation of retail, office, medical, and industrial leases. She is based in the firm’s Houston office and is an SMU Dedman School of Law graduate.
Haynes and Boone
LeAnn Chen is a member of the firm’s finance practice group in Dallas. She represents banks, broker-dealers, mutual funds, private equity funds, hedge funds and corporations in a wide range of financial transactions, including syndicated financings, margin lending, prime brokerage, repo transactions, swap transactions, securitizations and DIP financings.
Kendall Hollrah, a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, is a member of the firm’s capital markets and securities practice group in Houston, where he represents publicly traded and privately held companies in the energy industry. He is a member of the board of directors of Theatre Under the Stars.
Christina Marshall, an SMU Dedman School of Law graduate, primarily represented technology-based companies in transactional matters. Shortly after being named partner, she went on to become general counsel at Genghis Grill.
Joseph Mencher is a member of the firm’s IP and social media practice groups in Austin, where he focuses his practice on patent prosecution and portfolio strategy and trademark law. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Tom Tippetts, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is a partner in the corporate and securities practice group in the Dallas office. He has represented companies and private equity firms on a variety of transactional matters.
Greg Webb, a member of the firm’s IP practice group in Richardson, focuses his practice on patent portfolio development, post-grant review proceedings at the USPTO and counseling clients on business risks associated with third party patents. He is a University of Texas School of Law graduate.
Kenya Woodruff is co-chair of the healthcare practice group in the Dallas office and counsels clients on ACO regulations and guidance; HIPAA/HITECH compliance; and fraud and abuse laws. She has served as a public member of the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners since 2005 and is a member of the board of directors of AIDS Arms, Inc.
Hunton & Williams
Tara Elgie, a Dallas-based attorney, focuses her practice on compliance and litigation for financial institutions related to consumer protection laws and the Bankruptcy Code.
Lindsay Ferguson is a Dallas attorney with expertise in M&A, including private equity sponsored buy-outs, public and private securities offerings, securities regulations compliance and corporate governance.
Jay Mower focuses his practice on complex commercial real estate finance and capital markets transactions. He is based in the firm’s Dallas office.
Jackson Walker
Chevazz Brown is a litigation partner in Houston. He is a graduate and valedictorian of Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
Alden Crow, an SMU Dedman School of Law graduate, counsels clients on M&A, debt and equity securities offerings and general corporate matters. He is based in Dallas and has significant experience counseling clients in the health care sector.
Anna Irion, an energy partner in Houston, focuses her practice on oil and gas transactions, with an emphasis on advising clients on financing, acquiring and disposing of E&P properties, midstream properties and natural resource companies; interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines, liquids and crude oil pipelines; and midstream gathering and processing contracts. She is an SMU Dedman School of Law graduate.
Ashley Martzen is a Dallas-based real estate transactions partner. She also has extensive experience in the master and special servicing of securitized and non-securitized loans, including loan assumptions, workouts, foreclosures, receiverships and REO dispositions.
Brad Nitschke, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is a member of the firm’s litigation and construction sections in Dallas.
Jorge Padilla focuses his litigation practice in Austin on partnership and fiduciary issues, trust litigation, media litigation, healthcare litigation and real estate disputes. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Michelle Moore Smith, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is a real estate partner in Austin. She represents commercial real estate clients in the acquisition, disposition, financing and leasing of office buildings, shopping centers, condominium projects and unimproved land.
Nate St. Clair focuses his IP litigation practice in Dallas on IP licensing and portfolio management, infringement and invalidity analyses, patentability studies, risk assessments and general IP counseling, particularly in the electrical and mechanical arts.
Jay Wieser, a graduate of SMU Dedman School of Law, focuses his litigation practice on breach of contract issues, fraud matters, eminent domain and condemnation, and real estate, corporate, fiduciary, and oil and gas related disputes. He is based in the firm’s Fort Worth office.
Jones Day
Michael Considine, a partner in the M&A practice, focuses on representing public and private companies and private equity firms and has advised on a wide range of corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures (including split-offs and reverse Morris Trust transactions), joint venture formations and buy-outs, debt/equity restructurings and distressed asset sales. He is based in the Dallas office and is a member of the firm’s pro bono nonprofit corporations practice.
Louis Jenull, a tax partner in Dallas, represents clients in most phases of federal income taxation with a particular emphasis on real estate (including domestic and cross-border real estate transactions), oil and gas and a wide range of tax credits.
David Kern, a partner in the capital markets practice, has experience representing issuers and underwriters in initial public offerings and other equity offerings, high yield and investment-grade debt, convertible securities, medium-term note offerings, follow-on offerings, global bond offerings and various types of exchange offers. He is based in the firm’s Dallas office.
Elizabeth Myers focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, including breach of contract, securities, officer and director liability, M&A and environmental claims. She is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law and works out of the Houston office. Myers is a member of the Friends of Fondren Library Board of Directors.
J. Laurens Wilkes, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, is a litigator and represents clients in the construction, software and financial industries, and has taken a lead role in breach of contract, copyright, eminent domain, products liability and tort matters as well as internal and governmental investigations. He is based in the firm’s Houston office.
K&L Gates
Alfred Cheng advises clients on information technology outsourcing, business process outsourcing, technology licensing, cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS) arrangements, technology development and services, product manufacturing, data privacy and electronic commerce. Cheng, a graduate of SMU Dedman School of Law, has since joined Kopion Asset Management as an analyst.
Clayton Falls, an SMU Dedman School of Law graduate, is a Dallas-based litigation partner and advises on claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, deceptive trade practices, unfair competition, theft of trade secrets, fraud and negligence.
Jordan Klein focuses his practice on structuring, negotiating and documenting complex credit transactions and negotiating and documenting troubled loan workouts and restructurings. He is in the Dallas office and is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Kelly Hart
Brandon Hill, a Texas Tech University School of Law graduate, represents lenders, borrowers and investors in interim, permanent, construction, tax-exempt bond and other types of financing transactions. He is based in the Fort Worth office.
Darren Keyes focuses his practice on real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, leasing and development of real estate projects for owners, investors and Fortune 500 companies. He is a graduate of SMU Dedman School of Law and is based in the Fort Worth office.
Evan Malloy, a partner in the firm’s Fort Worth office, advises clients on various aspects of corporate and securities laws, including financial reporting, SEC compliance and corporate governance matters. He is a Texas Tech University School of Law graduate.
Richard McMillan II, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, focuses his practice on oil and gas and energy litigation and transactions. McMillan represents landowners and exploration companies in the negotiation of matters such as surface use disputes, lease termination disputes, as well as other issues pertaining to land and mineral ownership. He is based in the firm’s Fort Worth headquarters.
Derek Montgomery represents manufacturers, individual investors and investment firms, on-line travel companies, oil and gas operators, mineral owners and working interest owners in complex commercial litigation matters. He is based in Fort Worth and is a graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Law.
Jody Sanders, a University of Houston Law Center graduate, represents clients in a variety of administrative and arbitration proceedings. He is based in the firm’s Fort Worth office.
King & Spalding
Vera De Brito de Gyarfas, an energy transactions partner in Houston, focuses her practice on energy projects in Latin America and Africa, representing companies in upstream E&P projects, LNG and other gas projects; power companies in the construction of generation, transmission and distribution facilities; and petrochemical companies in the development of specialized plants under joint ventures, profit sharing agreements, operating services agreements, EPC contracts, and oilfield service contracts.
Angus McFadden focuses his practice on helping owners and developers with all aspects of their global construction projects, representing clients in a variety of industries on projects such as LNG liquefaction and export terminals, LNG import terminals, power and water projects, ports, natural gas pipelines, natural gas storage facilities and sports stadiums. He is based in the Houston office.
KRCL
Aaron Speer, a Texas Tech University School of Law graduate, focuses his litigation practice on representing businesses facing high exposure and catastrophic losses. He is based in the firm’s Dallas office.
Brian Stork is a Dallas attorney in the firm’s litigation and labor and employment practice groups. He is a graduate of the St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Latham & Watkins
John Greer is a Houston attorney who focuses his practice on representing issuers and underwriters in public and private offerings of equity and debt securities, representing both sponsors and portfolio companies in private equity transactions and advising public and private clients in M&A transactions. He is a University of Houston Law Center graduate.
David Miller is a Houston attorney who represents financial institutions and companies in a wide variety of financial transactions, including secured and unsecured high-yield debt offerings, initial public offerings, bridge lending and loan commitments. His practice focuses primarily on the energy industry.
Debbie Yee, who is based in the firm’s Houston office, represents companies and investment banks in equity and debt capital markets transactions. She focuses her practice on representing corporate and MLP clients in the energy industry.
Littler
Alexis Knapp, a shareholder in the Houston office, represents employers in all areas of labor and employment law and appears in state and federal courts and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center.
Locke Lord
Johnathan Collins, an SMU Dedman School of Law graduate, focuses his practice on commercial and financial services litigation. He is based in the Dallas office.
Jennifer Kinney Parnell focuses her practice on consumer finance and business litigation representing a variety of commercial institutions, including insurance companies, national banks and mortgage servicers. She is in the Dallas office and is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Susan Rainey, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is a Dallas environmental lawyer. She focuses on analyzing and managing environmental risks and liabilities for real property acquisition and disposition; lending, foreclosure and corporate transactions; as well as analyzing environmental insurance availability and coverages.
Brandon Renken, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is a litigator in the Houston office. He has recently represented clients in matters involving breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and breach of contract, maritime and domestic and international arbitration and defense of SEC investigations.
Michael Rose focuses his labor and employment practice on litigation involving the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), primarily collective actions and other multi-plaintiff lawsuits, as well as on wrongful termination, discrimination and retaliation lawsuits under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal and state employment statutes. He is based in the firm’s Houston office.
Amy Gremminger White focuses her practice on the representation of lenders, borrowers and investors in permanent, construction and other types of financing transactions secured by real property. She is a University of Texas School of Law graduate and is based in the firm’s Dallas office.
Kimberly Williams represents employers in employment litigation involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wrongful discharge claims. She is a Baylor University School of Law graduate and is based in the firm’s Dallas office.
Tammy Ward Woffenden, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is an Austin-based health care partner. She represents health care providers, managed care organizations and other businesses governed by health care laws on transactional, regulatory and administrative matters providers.
Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown
Jessica Crutcher is a Houston-based litigation partner who advises clients on energy industry litigation, securities litigation, banking litigation, shareholder derivative claims, failed business transactions, failed companies, business torts, commercial contract disputes and directors’ and officers’ liability. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center.
McDermott
D. Jeremy Harrison focuses his practice on preparing and prosecuting foreign and domestic patent applications in the mechanical, electrical, computer and chemical fields. He is based in the firm’s Houston office.
McKool Smith
Gretchen Curran focuses on patent, bankruptcy and commercial litigation in the firm’s Houston office. She is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Munsch Hardt
Devon Sharp focuses her labor and employment practice on advising clients on non-compete agreements, protection of confidential information and trade secrets, development of employee handbooks and policies and general compliance with state and federal employment laws and regulations. She is a graduate of Baylor Law School and is based in the firm’s Dallas office.
Norton Rose Fulbright
Shafeeqa Watkins Giarratani handles employment and labor, commercial litigation and appellate matters. She is based in the firm’s Austin office.
Natasha Khan represents domestic and international clients in a variety of industries in connection with initial public offerings, public and private issuances of equity and debt securities, exchange offerings, joint ventures, mergers, acquisitions and dispositions. She is based in the firm’s Houston office.
Daniel Leventhal, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, concentrates his practice on patent litigation and counseling, with a focus on telecommunications, electronics and Internet matters. He is in the firm’s Houston office.
Robert Morris is a Houston-based tax partner. He represents clients in all phases of tax controversies: during examinations, in administrative appeals and in litigation.
Nicholas Morrow, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is a Houston-based trial lawyer who has handled a variety of business and personal injury disputes, ranging from nine-figure breach of contract cases to catastrophic mass tort lawsuits. He has represented banks, common carrier airlines, commercial tenants, energy companies, liability insurers, maritime transport companies, offshore drillers and product manufacturers.
Ron Scharnberg focuses his practice on a wide range of tax matters, with particular emphasis on the federal tax planning and structuring of domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, tax-free reorganizations, spin-offs and divestitures, joint ventures, restructurings, financial instruments and financing transactions. He is based in the firm’s Houston office and is a University of Texas School of Law graduate.
Daniel Tristan is a Houston-based finance partner. He advises borrowers and financial institutions in connection with domestic and international financing transactions, including working capital credit facilities, asset-based financings, acquisition financings, project finance and commercial paper programs.
Jeffrey Webb is a San Antonio-based litigator. He concentrates his practice on complex and high-stakes litigation, including oil and gas, product liability and commercial litigation.
Porter Hedges
Mandy Diaz, a University of Houston Law Center graduate, focuses her practice on income taxation, transfer taxes, employee benefits, executive compensation and general corporate matters.
Derek Forinash focuses his practice on IP matters and has represented clients in a wide range of technologies and industries including upstream oilfield technology, rotating equipment, petrochemical technology, offshore platforms, mechanical devices and computer software and hardware. He is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center.
Anders Gibson represents agents, lenders, participants and borrowers in a variety of energy and commercial financing transactions. He received the firm’s 2011-2012 Pro Bono Award.
H. McCaleb Marshall focuses his corporate practice on a wide range of energy-related projects located onshore, offshore, upstream, midstream and internationally. He is a University of Houston Law Center graduate.
Kate Wade, a University of Texas School of Law graduate, is a litigator and has handled matters involving contract disputes, fiduciary duties, insurance coverage and bad faith, oil and gas exploration and production equipment and technology, products liability, personal injury, trade secrets, construction disputes, and non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.
Amy Wolfshohl, a University of Houston Law Center graduate, represents subcontractors, owners, general contractors, homeowners and others in disputes related to commercial, industrial, pipeline and residential construction. She serves on the firm’s Diversity Committee and Women’s Initiative program.
Shannon Gracey
Eamonn Wiles represents clients in complex insurance coverage disputes and commercial litigation matters. He is a SMU Dedman School of Law graduate and is based in the firm’s Fort Worth office.
Sidley
Kelley Conaty focuses her practice on intellectual property law issues, including patent infringement litigation in telecommunications, software, semiconductor and computer architecture, semiconductor fabrication, consumer electronics and various associated business torts. She is based in the firm’s Dallas office and is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Sara Garcia Duran focuses her practice on complex corporate and transactional matters, including representation of private equity firms and public companies in connection with public and private acquisitions, divestitures and investment transactions. She is based in Dallas and is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Paige Holden Montgomery is a Dallas-based litigator and has handled cases involving breach of contract, misrepresentation and fraud disputes; fiduciary duty obligations; securities class actions; actions under federal and state securities laws; bankruptcy-related matters; fraudulent transfer cases; multi-jurisdictional disputes; copyright disputes; and investigatory proceedings by the National Association of Securities Dealers, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures & Trading Commission. She is a SMU Dedman School of Law graduate.
Simpson Thacher
Matthew Einbinder focuses his practice on representing borrowers and lenders in banking and credit transactions, including acquisition, energy-related and project financings. He is based in the firm’s Houston office.
Skadden
Eric Otness, a Houston-based corporate attorney, represents public and private companies, private equity firms and hedge funds, investment banks and financing sources in a variety of U.S. and international transactions, primarily in the oil and gas sector.
Strasburger & Price
Jeremy Kell, a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, is a San Antonio-based corporate, securities and transactional lawyer whose practice focuses on entrepreneurs and small- to mid-market companies. He counsels and advises clients on forming new enterprises, mergers and acquisitions, dispositions of assets, joint ventures, financing transactions, restructurings and reorganizations, private placements of securities, corporate governance and general contract matters.
Brad Oxford is a San Antonio-based tax attorney who practices in the areas of employee benefit law, executive compensation and estate planning. He is a graduate of SMU Dedman School of Law.
Chip Sugg, a St. Mary’s University School of Law graduate, represents and advises clients on a variety of real estate matters, including acquisitions and sales, leasing, financing, development and construction transactions, farm and ranch transactions, loan workouts and foreclosures. He is based in the firm’s San Antonio office.
Martin Thornthwaite, an SMU Dedman School of Law graduate, primarily represents business clients in employment law and commercial litigation matters. He is based in the firm’s Frisco office.
Thompson & Knight
Jesse Betts is a Dallas-based corporate and securities partner. He advises clients with respect to mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, internal restructurings, compliance with securities law, securities offerings, venture capital investments and other general corporate governance matters.
Rick Haan, a Texas Tech University School of Law graduate, is a Dallas-based real estate and banking partner. He focuses on the representation of mortgage lending clients in interim, permanent, and construction financings secured by or involving real estate, including retail, office and multifamily projects.
Todd Lowther is a Houston-based tax partner and focuses his practice on the taxation of natural resources, partnerships, international joint ventures and other transactions common in the petroleum industry.
Sam Merrill is a Dallas-based tax partner and focuses his practice on oil and gas financing and joint venture transactions, partnership taxation and private equity fund formation and operations. He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Thompson Coe
Jessica Childs, a Dallas-based litigator, focuses her practice on defending premises liability, products liability, construction defect and general negligence cases. She is a graduate of the Texas Tech University School of Law.
Christene Wood, a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, represents domestic and surplus lines insurers with an extensive representation of syndicates in the London market. She is based in the firm’s Houston office.
Vinson & Elkins
David Cole handles tax aspects of domestic and international matters for corporations, partnerships and high net worth individuals. His experience includes providing tax advice on Seadrill Partners’ $220 million IPO; Seadrill Partners’ $380 million second equity offering; and KNOT Offshore Partners’ $180 million IPO. Cole graduated from the University of Texas School of Law and is based in the firm’s Houston office.
John Grand is a Dallas-based partner and focuses his practice on private equity investments and energy transactions. He has worked on some of V&E’s largest energy deals, including representing Pioneer Natural Resources in its $1.8 billion joint venture with Sinochem Petroleum and Denbury Resources in its $2 billion exchange with Exxon Mobil and XTO Energy. In the private equity space, Grand advised TPG Capital in its $1.8 billion purchase of Jonah Field operations from Encana Oil & Gas.
Devika Kornbacher, a Houston-based attorney, focuses her practice on obtaining, licensing and enforcing IP rights, with a particular emphasis on IP law in the context of M&A and other business transactions. She currently counsels sports leagues, a cable network and early stage companies regarding open source software, digital media and other information technology issues.
Kai Haakon Liekefett is a Houston-based partner and focuses on M&A and shareholder activism. He advised on some of V&E’s largest M&A transactions in 2014, including representing Oiltanking Holdings Americas in its $4.41 billion sale of the general partner and its limited partner interests in Oiltanking Partners to Enterprise Products; C&J Energy Services in its $2.86 billion merger with Nabors’ completion and production businesses; and Energy XXI in its $2.3 billion acquisition of EPL Oil & Gas.
Russell Oshman advises private equity investors, REITs, hedge funds, developers, financial institutions and energy firms in complex commercial real estate transactions, including forming joint ventures and acquiring, financing, developing and selling commercial real property. He is based in the firm’s Dallas office and is a graduate of SMU Dedman School of Law.
Winstead
Jason Bernhardt, a Baylor Law School graduate, is in the firm’s litigation section in Houston, where he primarily represents clients in the energy, banking and real estate sectors.
Sargon Daniel focuses his transactional practice in Dallas on M&A, stock and asset purchases and sales, restructurings, joint ventures, partnerships, private placements and growth equity investments. Prior to joining Winstead, he was general counsel of Greenbacker Group, a renewable energy finance company, and assistant general counsel of Prospect Capital Corporation, a mezzanine debt and private equity firm.
Matt Foytlin focuses his commercial litigation practice in Houston on bankruptcy, construction litigation and insurance defense matters.
Kara Grimes, an SMU Dedman School of Law graduate, is a member of the firm’s commercial litigation and real estate litigation practice groups. She is based in Dallas.
Lloyd Lim, a Dallas-based attorney, has represented national banks and lenders, commercial landlords and Chapter 7 Trustees in a variety of bankruptcy and litigation issues. He is a graduate of SMU Dedman School of Law.
Sean Milligan, a St. Mary’s University School of Law graduate, is a member of the firm’s commercial litigation practice group, where he has a particular focus on the insurance industry. He is based in Houston.
Adam Plumbley focuses his practice on energy litigation and eminent domain matters. He is a Texas Wesleyan University School of Law graduate and practices in the firm’s Fort Worth office.
Karl Seelbach is an Austin-based attorney who focuses his practice on commercial litigation, personal injury and property damage litigation. He announced earlier this year the opening of a new boutique law firm in Austin called Doyle Seelbach PLLC and is no longer with the firm.
Jeff Tinker is a Dallas-based intellectual property attorney and focuses on patent and trademark law. He is a graduate of SMU Dedman School of Law and co-authors the firm’s WinTech blog, which provides legal insight for start-up and established technology companies.
Winston & Strawn
Dustin Edwards is an intellectual property attorney in the firm’s Houston office, where he focuses on patent litigation. He also has experience in trade secret litigation and handles matters involving a wide array of technologies in the oil and gas and technology and telecommunications sectors.
Sheryl Falk, a University of Houston Law Center graduate, is a commercial litigator who focuses on digital evidence and emerging technology issues. She counsels clients on data security and privacy matters.
Yetter Coleman
Christopher Porter focuses on business litigation, representing plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts.
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