Seyfarth Shaw announced Wednesday the launch of an energy transition practice in Houston with the addition of a three-lawyer team poached from Polsinelli led by partner Chris Cottrell.
Cottrell, a former landman with Hilcorp, joins Seyfarth after only a little over 18 months as a shareholder at Polsinelli. He brings with him associates Michael Szymanski and Xiaoming Gao. Their arrival brings to 45 the number of lawyers in the Seyfarth Houston office. The firm also has 10 lawyers in its Dallas office, which opened last year. Seyfarth has had a presence in Texas since 1995. Seyfarth is a Chicago-founded firm with 18 offices worldwide.
“Chris brings a unique combination of legal acumen, deep industry knowledge, and an unwavering commitment to client service,” said Steven Meier, chair of Seyfarth’s Corporate department. “His addition marks a significant milestone as our first Corporate partner with a dedicated energy focus, positioning us to expand our department’s capabilities in a key economic sector.”
At Polsinelli, the three focused their practice on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and general corporate and commercial matters for a wide variety of oil and gas industry clients: exploration and E&P companies, oilfield technology service companies, mineral and royalty acquisition companies, midstream companies, family offices, and private equity clients.
“This team has a proven track record of handling complex transactions for a diverse range of clients,” said Mark Coffin, managing partner of Seyfarth’s Houston office. “Their passion for the law and dedication to delivering superior client service make them a great fit for us.”
Before their brief run at Polsinelli, Cottrell and Szymanski had history. Both worked at Hilcorp; Symanski as a lease analyst and land tech, Cottrell as senior landman. Both joined Polsinelli in March 2023.
Cottrell earned his JD in 2012 at the South Texas College of Law in Houston. He left Hilcorp in 2018 to become an associate at Paul Hastings but moved on to Winston & Strawn’s Houston office in 2019, where he stayed four years before landing at Polsinelli.
Szymanski, a former seismic analyst and a 2019 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, left Hilcorp for a three-year stint tenure at McGinnis Lochridge before joining Cottrell at Polsinelli.
Xiaoming Gao earned his JD from the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University, an LLB from Beijing Normal University and an LLM from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. He’s been licensed to practice in Texas since 2021.
“Joining Seyfarth presents a unique and timely opportunity for our team to offer clients a more innovative approach to legal services,” said Cottrell. “Energy clients continue to be focused on efficiency and generating cash flow, and many are frustrated with the traditional big law model.”
“Launching our new Energy Transactions practice in Houston is executing upon our strategic plan,” added Lorie Almon, Seyfarth’s chair and managing partner. “We are committed to expansion in Texas, both in growing our Houston office, where we have been for 30 years, and in launching our new Dallas office, which is already thriving. We are excited to welcome this talented team to Seyfarth, and to continued market leadership the Lone Star State.”