© 2018 The Texas Lawbook.
By Brooks Igo
(May 3) – Shearman & Sterling announced Thursday that it has officially planted its flag in Houston with six partners from Baker Botts, Jones Day and Thompson & Knight.
The New York law firm, which has more than 850 lawyers across 22 offices worldwide and 2017 revenues totaling $917 million, has assembled a corporate powerhouse team that includes Hugh Tucker, Jeremy Kennedy and Coleson Bruce from Baker Botts; Sarah McLean and Todd Lowther from Thompson & Knight; and Omar Samji, who will soon join from Jones Day.
The ex-chairman of the Baker Botts Oil & Gas and Projects practice groups, Tucker will lead Shearman’s Texas operations. McLean, who advised on the most M&A deals of any lawyer in Texas last year according to The Texas Lawbook’s Corporate Deal Tracker, joins as deputy head of the Texas practice.
“The opportunity to be a part of Shearman’s global energy team, the complementary fit to the skill sets we bring in Houston and Austin, the opportunities it presents for the younger lawyers in our group to be successful and, for me, the challenge of growing an office in a very competitive marketplace here in Houston were key,” Tucker said.
The six-partner group has significant expertise advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures and project-related work across the oil & gas spectrum.
“This is really important for our energy group,” David Beveridge, Shearman & Sterling’s senior partner, said in an interview with The Texas Lawbook. “We already have a strong practice in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Europe, so this completes the loop for us.”
Beveridge noted that the firm’s long-term plan is to grow its Texas headcount to 50 to 60 lawyers, including 20 partners.
Shearman exploded onto the Texas scene in March with a group of 20 former Andrews Kurth Kenyon lawyers from Austin known for its work for emerging growth companies. McLean and Bruce will split their time between the Houston and Austin offices.
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