Paul Hastings announced Tuesday that Vinson & Elkins litigation partner Manuel Berrelez has joined the firm’s Dallas office as a partner.
Since September, Paul Hastings has more than doubled its presence in Texas — growing from about two dozen lawyers to about 65, including eight corporate finance partners from V&E who joined in March. At the same time, the firm officially announced that it had opened an office in Dallas.
A 2005 graduate of Yale Law School, Berrelez is a 15-year veteran at V&E, where he specialized in representing financial institutions in complex commercial litigation and government investigations.
“I was not looking to leave V&E but the finance partners reached out to me to see if I was interested and these are lawyers that I have admired and worked with for many years,” Berrelez told The Texas Lawbook. “Other law firms have reached out but I was never interested, but this time was different. It is hard to ignore what Paul Hastings is doing in Texas. It is very impressive.”
“The firm’s broad platform is a game-changer for me and my practice,” he said.
Founded in 1951 by Los Angeles lawyers Lee Paul and Robert Hastings, the firm now has about 1,200 lawyers in 23 offices worldwide. Paul Hastings opened its Houston office in 2012.
The firm started its current growth streak in September by hiring Paul Genender away from Weil, Gotshal & Manges. In February, Paul Hastings added three securities and capital market partners from Akin Gump led by David Elder, Chris Centrich and Patrick Hurley. In March, eight corporate finance lawyers started at Paul Hastings: Brian Moss, Guy Gribov, James Longhofer, Alex Cross, Erec Winandy, Christopher Dewar, Bailey Pham and Rafael Alvarado.
“We seek litigators who are not only skilled and highly credentialed and accomplished in their practice, but also synergistic with our existing practices and clients, and a strong fit for our collaborative culture,” said Genender, who is co-partner-in-charge of Paul Hastings’ Texas offices. “Manuel checks all the boxes, making him a natural fit for our growing Texas litigation practice. His expertise in banking and regulatory matters as well as a broad range of commercial disputes will serve our clients well.”
“He also is a leader in the business and legal communities, a high-character person who benefits from being trained, mentored and sponsored by lions of the Texas bar in Bill Sims and Tom Leatherbury,” he said.