For Premium Subscribers
Jeff McNabb’s destiny to be a trial lawyer started in the first grade. Decades later, McNabb is head of litigation for Patterson-UTI Management, where he won two major courtroom victories in 2022 — one against former employees who allegedly took the company’s confidential information and the other involving an insurance coverage dispute for several underlying worksite injuries.
Citing McNabb’s leadership in those cases, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter and The Texas Lawbook him as a finalist for the 2023 Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Midsized Legal Department.
Mark Curriden, founder of The Lawbook, asked McNabb to share some of his thoughts about hiring outside counsel and the role of diversity in whatever he requires.
Texas Lawbook: What do you look for in hiring outside counsel? Do you have specific criteria?
To read Mark Curriden’s full-length profile of Jeff McNabb Click Here
Jeff McNabb: We do not have any formalized, specific criteria. Generally, I’m looking for very smart lawyers who are excellent communicators, who can serve effectively both as advocates and advisors, and who prioritize the client’s interests. Otherwise, it depends on the case — what’s at stake, what’s the jurisdiction, does it require subject matter expertise, etc. I handle a lot of different types of cases in different jurisdictions (it fluctuates, but we have had matters simultaneously pending in around 10 states and at least one foreign country), and so I work with a lot of different lawyers and law firms.
Lawbook: What does outside counsel need to know about you?
McNabb: I try to be very reasonable and pragmatic in how I think about and approach a dispute or lawsuit. I encourage counsel to let me know if I seem headed in a direction that is not. I want to be part of the team and actively involved in developing the strategy. I like to have an opportunity to review and weigh in on virtually everything that is filed or served, particularly if it is something that advances our argument before the court. On a related note, it helps to give enough lead time when something is not urgent and unexpected. Getting drafts of motions and discovery responses that are due the next day or even the same day is sometimes unavoidable, but it’s better to have some more lead time if possible.
Lawbook: How important is diversity within your legal department [and] in determining your outside counsel?
McNabb: Diversity and inclusion are very important to Patterson-UTI, and we have a diverse legal department. I don’t have any specific criteria for determining outside counsel. We try to select the best lawyers for the particular case, and as a result I have had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of lawyers. I have found that having a team with diverse perspectives helps bring creativity and success.