Phoenix-based Fennemore is entering the Texas legal market by combining with a San Antonio-based litigation and labor and employment firm. The move to tie up with Schmoyer Reinhard gives Fennemore its first major presence in the Lone Star State. Home to some of the world’s largest public and private companies, Texas offers a mix of practice work that aligns with the firm’s existing client base, Fennemore announced Monday in a news release.
Women-owned Schmoyer Reinhard, whose website is now completely rebranded, brings 11 lawyers to 140-year-old Fennemore with specialty practice experience in employment, labor, business, construction and more.
“At Fennemore, our growth has always been about people — our clients and our team,” said James Goodnow, CEO of Fennemore, in the release. “Expanding into Texas allows us to bring innovative, practical solutions to one of the nation’s fastest-growing markets, alongside leaders who share our passion for collaboration and forward-thinking service. Schmoyer Reinhard shares our entrepreneurial DNA, and together we’re building a modern law firm by redefining what clients can expect from their legal partners.”
Co-founding partners of Schmoyer Reinhard, Shannon Schmoyer and Christine Reinhard, left Akin Gump in March 2008 to launch their own labor and employment firm in San Antonio.
A San Antonio native, Reinhard met Schmoyer in 1999 when she took a summer clerkship in Akin’s Dallas office. She eventually moved back to San Antonio to join Akin’s labor and employment practice there. Reinhard was later joined by Schmoyer, who moved to San Antonio to lead the practice. The decision to found their own office together was made in a brief conversation in 2007.
“She comes into my office and is like, ‘We probably could do this on our own,’” Reinhard recalled in an interview with The Texas Lawbook’s Krista Torralva earlier this year. “And I’m like, ‘Yes, we can,’ and that was about the extent of it.”
The duo stayed at Akin for several months to finish projects and left on exceptional terms, to the point that Akin has even been a client for Schmoyer Reinhard. Now, they’re part of Fennemore’s larger national footprint, with 23 offices across the country, including Boston, Chicago and Washington, D.C., which includes more than 300 lawyers nationwide.
“As the largest women-owned law firm in San Antonio, our culture has always been rooted in collaboration, integrity, and opportunity,” said Reinhard in the release. “Fennemore shares those same values. By combining, we’re creating new and growing possibilities for our clients and our people.”
Schmoyer added, “Our clients face complex, evolving workplace challenges, and this combination allows us to support them with the resources and reach of a national platform. Fennemore’s commitment to innovation and client-centered service makes this a natural fit for our team and the clients we serve.”
Krista Torralva contributed to this report.
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