Houston-based Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea, BenMaier & Eastham announced the launch of a Dallas office Tuesday with the addition of six new partners who joined from Hartline Barger.
Firm leaders have long eyed Dallas as a spot to office, SBSB Eastham Managing Partner John Schouest told The Texas Lawbook. The firm, now in its 10th year, started as an insurance defense firm, Schouest said, and many of its clients have headquarters or regional operations in North Texas, he added.
“Given the amount of work we already do in North Texas, this is a prime opportunity to move forward and turn that goal into a reality,” Schouest said.
SBSB Eastham now has three offices in Texas and offices in Illinois, Milwaukee, Louisiana and Florida.
Tom Jacks will lead the Dallas team. The group will focus on construction defect litigation, personal injury defense and employment and labor law, Jacks said.
Joining him are Trevor Brown, J. David Henderson, Reid Hudgins, Pryce Tucker and Rasha Zeyadeh. All six lawyers worked together at Hartline Barger.
SBSB Eastham’s national platform and support from attorneys across the country attracted the six partners, Jacks said. The response from their existing clients has been great, he told The Lawbook.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to work with this amazing team of lawyers,” Jacks said. “I appreciate the firm’s commitment to establishing and growing its presence in North Texas and look forward to being an integral part of its expansion.”
Jacks’ practice has focused on representing companies against construction defect and personal injury claims. He obtained his law degree from the University of Denver in 2005.
Tucker worked at Hartline Barger nearly 25 years and was a partner, according to his LinkedIn profile. Like Jacks, Tucker’s practice includes defending against personal injury, wrongful death and property damage claims. He also boasts 25 years of products liability experience, according to his bio. He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 1997.
Like his fellow partners, Hudgins has concentrated his practice on the areas of product liability, personal injury and construction defect, among others. A 2014 graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law, Hudgins clerked for Justice Mike Wilson of Texas’ Eleventh Court of Appeals.
Brown’s practice has been concentrated on defect and personal injury claims and much of his experience has been in defending people and companies who build homes, schools and businesses, according to his bio. He obtained his law degree in 2016 from the Texas Tech University School of Law.
A 2017 graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law, Zeyadeh’s practice focuses on labor and employment law. She has advised and defended clients against claims of discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and other employment-related disputes.
Henderson’s practice is focused on construction defect claims. He graduated in 2017 with both a law degree and master of business administration from Texas Tech.