What were the firm’s biggest or most important (non-client) achievements as a firm in 2020?
Early in 2020 before most businesses retreated to all-remote work environments due to COVID-19, Katten moved its office to the 10th and 11th floors of Park District’s PwC Tower. Katten’s new 56,000-square-foot office, designed in collaboration with global architecture firm Gensler, includes a flexible and efficient use of space, creating a more modern and healthy work environment preferred by workers. The office design centers on the unique location of Klyde Warren Park and reflects the synergy between people, nature and art. State-of-the-art audiovisual systems enhance remote collaboration with attorneys, business professionals and clients who continue to work from a distance. Last fall, Katten’s Dallas office was also named one of the Best Places to Work in North Texas in 2020 by the Dallas Business Journal.
During the public health crisis, Katten revised its remote work policy to reflect the firm’s current remote work environment and to allow for more flexible schedules to accommodate caregiving and distance-learning needs. The Parent Affinity Group also supported working parents dealing with pandemic challenges like balancing work, childcare and homeschooling.
Finally, in the wake of the tragic death of George Floyd and too many others, Katten added our collective voice to the call to end racial injustice and discrimination. As part of that effort, Katten is among more than 125 law firms that have formed a coalition called the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance to help identify and dismantle structural, systemic racism using pro bono resources in order to create lasting change.
As a firm, what were your biggest challenges and how did you address them?
Katten recently marked the firm’s third-year anniversary in Dallas. 2020 was not easy, however, Katten performed exceptionally well both as a law firm and as a community. We found ourselves in a challenging year due to the economic uncertainty and unprecedented business environment. Any slowdowns in deal-making were offset by clients’ need for counsel on the nuances of pandemic-related developments, such as PPP loans, employee issues, furloughs, etc. In 2020, our insolvency and restructuring attorneys regularly applied “out of the box” thinking to tackle the unique challenges posed by COVID-19. The pandemic also expanded our clients’ need for experienced counsel to ensure compliance with rapidly evolving laws and regulations, which we provided.
Additionally, when Katten moved to a remote work environment in March 2020, we did so quickly and seamlessly, leveraging advanced technology to work virtually. This new way of operating required a great deal of collaboration, flexibility and support, but by working together, we created a positive, productive and safe workplace for all our attorneys and business professionals. We have also been able to onboard new partners and our summer associates remotely, as well as our first-year associates.
We are proud and deeply appreciative of the ways our community has pulled together to get through these tough times. Our business professionals, attorneys and firm leaders have shown a greater sense of connectivity, flexibility and resiliency without sacrificing responsiveness and client service in this virtual environment. It has been truly inspiring, and we remain focused on the future.
What were three of the most important successes your firm’s Texas lawyers achieved for clients last year?
Partner Cheryl Camin Murray was honored as Katten’s 2020 Working Mother of the Year, not only for her career achievements as a health care attorney, but also for her commitment to mentoring female attorneys as the Texas co-chair of the Katten Women’s Leadership Forum, her involvement with Katten’s Parent Affinity Group, and through her leadership in the Dallas Bar Association.
Katten’s Dallas attorneys distinguished as Top Legal Talent in the 2021 Best Lawyers in America and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch lists included: Erin England, Lisa Genecov, Greg Hidalgo, Kelly Hine, Alison Krieser, Weston Love, Ryan Meyer, Ethan Post, Rachel Riley, Judge Jorge Solis, David Washburn and Kenya Woodruff.
The Texas Lawyer recognized Mark Solomon, Corporate partner and managing partner of the Dallas office, as a 2020 Texas Trailblazer for making a positive change on his practice from policy to technology. He also was named to the Dallas 500 by D CEO as one of the most powerful business leaders in North Texas in 2021. Dallas 500 is a special edition produced by D CEO that celebrates the most influential leaders in North Texas across various industries and is based off months of research, interviews and conversations with high-level business contacts in Dallas.
Who are two Texas lawyers – one partner, one associate – who really shined in 2020 and why?
Health Care partner Kenya Woodruff assisted eTrueNorth, an innovative health care technology company that enables laboratory testing at retail pharmacies, with a public-private partnership between the US Department of Health and Human Services; several national pharmacy chains such as Walmart, Kroger and Health Mart; and swab-processing laboratories to facilitate the opening of hundreds of drive-through COVID-19 testing sites. Kenya’s team also helped eTrueNorth navigate health care operational and privacy issues unique to the provision of health care in a mobile environment. Additionally, in her role as chair of the Katten Women’s Leadership Forum, Kenya organized a six-part business development boot camp for female attorneys, focused on empowering them to grow their client relationships so that they can be even more successful.
White Collar and Internal Investigations associate Rachel Riley worked alongside partner Brandon McCarthy to handle some of the most high-profile matters and complex investigations in this area, including:
- Obtaining the acquittal of Dr. Gregory Auzenne on various federal healthcare fraud charges at a multi-week jury trial;
- Representing a self-made billionaire in one of the most high-profile public corruption cases in the United States through trial and now into the appeal phase; and
- Representing a serial entrepreneur with decades of experience in the healthcare industry, in one of the largest healthcare fraud enforcement actions in US history, which is focused on the network of special pharmacies that the client allegedly owned and/or controlled.
What was the firm’s biggest pro bono/public service success in Texas of 2020?
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Katten stepped up to launch and participate in innovative remote legal clinics to address the COVID-19-related needs of vulnerable communities, and helping disadvantaged individuals who have struggled with the health and economic consequences of the global pandemic. Katten attorneys also addressed a range of problems posed by the pandemic from homelessness, foreclosure and eviction to providing career opportunities to disadvantaged students.
In 2020, more than 50 Katten attorneys, including partners and associates across practices in all US offices signed up to participate in voter hotlines run by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Known as Election Protection, the program trains attorneys to take calls from voters nationwide who have questions about their voting rights and opportunities.
Katten’s Dallas office is also a pro bono partner to the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP), which is dedicated to increasing and enhancing pro bono legal services to low-income people in Dallas through the recruitment, training, and support of volunteer attorneys. Associate Weston M. Love was named the DVAP Volunteer of the Month in January 2021 for his pro bono work regarding immigration cases and countless hours serving legal aid clinics across Dallas.
What was the firm’s most significant move forward in addressing diversity and inclusion in 2020?
Katten has long been recognized for our commitment to diversity and inclusion, but the tragic death of George Floyd and too many others in 2020 caused us to rethink our approach. To that end, we conducted internal “listening circles” where we shared personal and professional experiences of racism to build awareness and empathy among colleagues and enlist each other as allies in the fight to overcome this scourge. We became a founding member of the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance, which will help identify and dismantle systemic racism both within the legal profession and in the larger society. We also formalized an employee matching program to support organizations with an anti-racism agenda.
What is your No. 1 goal as a law firm for 2021?
The pandemic forced our attorneys and professional staff to adapt quickly to rapidly changing client needs, giving us new momentum in the market. Now our challenge is to sustain and build on the energy COVID-19 generated so that we can continue to manage our firm prudently and conservatively in order to emerge stronger from this crisis. This year we are recommitted to our goal to be among the most in-demand law firms for top talent and clients.