Publisher’s note: The following Q&A is the product of thought leadership series with Dallas legal recruiter Kate Cassidy of Lotus Legal Search. Cassidy started her career in Big Law with Weil Gotshal and Baker Botts before moving in-house to work for the Dallas Stars and later the Texas Rangers, where she was acting general counsel. In “The Corner Office” series, Cassidy will interview leaders in the Texas legal market.
Paul Hastings has made headlines this year for its expansion efforts in Texas, and it underscores why Paul Genender considered joining the firm last fall a “once-in-a-career” opportunity. In this Q&A, Genender, who leads the firm’s Texas commercial litigation practice and co-chairs its Dallas and Houston offices, describes why the move has been even better than imagined and shares what career fulfillment means to him and why he is proud to be a lawyer. Plus, with Game 3 of the NBA Finals tipping off in Dallas on Wednesday, Genender offers a basketball analogy for being in the office.
Kate Cassidy: You recently joined Paul Hastings and helped them open a new Dallas office. How was that process for you?
Paul Genender: I was excited to join Paul Hastings last September and the move has been even better than I could have imagined. The firm has been extremely supportive in many ways, starting with our leadership team and across the many functional areas that need to engage on such a transition, including talent (HR), business development, and communications, among others. As for the recent opening of our Dallas office, it has been a very fulfilling process made possible by what we believe to be the largest single practice group move from one firm to another in Texas in at least the last decade. Given that we had teams joining us in Dallas and Houston, the size and scale made the execution that much more important – but things went about as seamlessly as anyone could have asked.
Personally, helping lead the efforts to expand the Paul Hastings brand and platform in Texas is an exciting, once-in-a-career opportunity. I am from Dallas and it is where I have based my practice for almost 30 years, giving the situation added significance and making it even more gratifying. The response from clients has been incredibly positive, and there’s real enthusiasm and interest in the market around what we are doing in Dallas and Texas more broadly.
Cassidy: How is Paul Hastings doing nationally and in Dallas?
Genender: It’s no secret that Paul Hastings is on a clear upward trajectory with unrivalled momentum. The firm has achieved consecutive record years of profitability and shows no sign of slowing down. It’s a testament to firm leadership, Chair Frank Lopez and Managing Partner Sherrese Smith, who have positioned the firm for success now and in the future. With the recent lateral finance teams joining us in Dallas and Houston (from Vinson & Elkins), as well as the corporate team that recently joined in Houston (from Akin), we are now a major player in both Dallas and Houston — and the broader Texas market, which presents a huge opportunity for us. Similar to how Paul Hastings has been strengthening and building out in other key markets such as New York and London, we are attracting talent and gaining market share at the top of the market in Texas and remain committed to investing in our practices and platform here. It’s an exciting time for Paul Hastings in Dallas, Texas, and globally.
Cassidy: What is a trend you see in Texas commercial litigation?
Genender: I am seeing more strategic uses of commercial cases and an increased willingness to bring and defend litigation with an eye toward upholding a business principle or practice, even if it means taking the case all the way to trial. I believe in the notion that the best way to resolve a case is to prepare it for trial, and I have seen more conviction to that approach from clients in recent years. I have also seen changes in jury behavior since we have emerged from the pandemic and that has raised the stakes for cases throughout Texas.
Cassidy: What are your thoughts on the debate on attorneys working remotely vs. in office?
Genender: If you asked five people, you would get five different answers but here is mine for what it is worth. I analogize this to rebounds in a basketball game (I am long retired except for recent cameos in high school alumni games playing opposite and then alongside my younger son). Rebounds are like work opportunities for more junior lawyers and the office is the basket. It is important to get rebounds and you get more by being near the basket. That is how it has always worked. I look back at opportunities I was fortunate to receive 25 years ago because I was present, or near the basket. That said, there should be balance and it seems like most people have settled on a hybrid approach of three or four days per week in the office. I like the separation that working in the office provides but also the convenience of working from home early mornings, in evenings, and on weekends when necessary.
Cassidy: What do you enjoy most about the practice of law?
Genender: Two things: first, the relationships with people, whether it be clients, colleagues or opposing counsel; and, second, the rush of solving a problem, whether through negotiation or winning in court. Law practice affords amazing opportunities to meet a wide range of people at different points in their careers and lives and I get energy from that aspect of it. The exhilaration of trial outweighs the exhausting aspects of it. I still find the practice of law to be a noble profession and think lawyers play an important role in our society. Maybe I am an idealist or a bit naïve in saying that, but I will not sway from that belief.
Cassidy: What has led to your career success?
Genender: Success is a really subjective. I would say that my career fulfillment to date is owing to a few things. First, I have had great professional mentors and sponsors, including in the early years of my practice at Strasburger and then at Hughes & Luce, where I was able to work with and try cases with five different members of the American College of Trial Lawyers who provided me invaluable trial experience in the first part of my career. Second, I have been blessed to work with incredible clients who have been instrumental in providing me with both confidence and opportunities. Third, family. My parents instilled in me the value of hard work and always being there for family. My wife and three kids are my rocks in life and the best reminders of what really matters. Lastly, in recent years, my Peloton!
Cassidy: Any career advice for young attorneys?
Genender: Be proud of being a lawyer and treat every encounter with another person as an opportunity to learn something new, make a friend, or improve. I worked with a partner who would take me to meet someone at lunch and he always said “let’s go make a friend.” And, importantly, make yourself indispensable to others as that is the first step in becoming a trusted advisor.
Cassidy: What’s your favorite travel destination?
Genender: The California wine country, both Sonoma and Santa Barbara. And my wife and I have been trying to reschedule a trip to Italy for ten years!
Cassidy: What are you reading for fun right now?
Genender: The Fastest Tortoise by Ken Hersh. I highly recommend it.