Willkie Farr, Greenberg Traurig, McKool Smith, Munck Wilson, Perkins Coie, Blank Rome, Womble and Eversheds Sutherland announced new lateral partner hires this week in their Texas offices. The nine lawyers on the move came from Baker Botts, King & Spalding, Winstead, Norton Rose Fulbright, Gray Reed, Shore Chan and in-house.
Willkie Farr
The Houston office of Willkie Farr & Gallagher, which has witnessed some high-profile partner departures recently, bounced back with two significant hires this week: debt finance lawyer Andrew Thomison and energy M&A lawyer Brad Honeycutt. Both were previously at Baker Botts.
Thomison represents borrowers, financial institutions, capital companies and private equity funds involved in acquisition and debt financings, including bridge loans, asset-based financings, secured and unsecured term lending and reserve-based lending. Honeycutt advises energy companies and private equity investors in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private financing transactions, joint ventures and corporate reorganizations. Earlier in his career, Honeycutt served as general counsel of Houston-based Castleton Resources.
“Andrew and Brad are immersed in the finance and energy sectors, having acted for a range of lenders, investors and sponsors, as well as energy companies financing growth transactions,” said Archie Fallon, a Managing Partner of the Houston office. We are thrilled to welcome them to our team.”
Eversheds Sutherland
Environmental and energy law partner Marcella C. Burke has joined the Houston office of Eversheds Sutherland as a partner in the Houston office after a nearly three-year stint as a lawyer at King & Spalding.
A former deputy general counsel for the U.S. Environmental and Protection Agency and senior counsel at the U.S. Department of Interior, Burke advises clients on matters ranging from energy technology and carbon capture to conventional oil, gas, mining and hydraulic fracturing issues, as well as crisis management, criminal environmental enforcement and environmental investigations.
Burke is on the board of the Houston ESG Council and serves on environmental committees and advisory councils at the State Bar of Texas, the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law and the Institute for Energy Law.
“Marcella is a highly accomplished partner who has made a name for herself as a go-to attorney for environmental health and safety compliance and incident response,” said Eversheds Sutherland partner Lino Mendiola III, an Austin lawyer who co-leads the firm’s global energy practice. “She will enhance our strengths in advising clients on critical corporate, regulatory and enforcement issues related to oil and gas, mining, and renewable energy.”
Blank Rome
The Houston office of Blank Rome announced Friday that commercial litigator Gregory J. Moore has joined the office as a partner.
Previously a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright, Moore handles complex commercial business for plaintiffs and defendants in large-dollar disputes involving class actions, breach of contract claims, personal injury and professional services.
Moore has scored significant trial successes involving oilfield services companies in arbitration claims and class action lawsuits under the Fair Labor Standards Act and involving breach of alleged employment contracts, breach of contract claims and contractual indemnity claims.
Susan L. Bickley, who leads Blank Rome’s Houston office, said Moore’s “breadth of Greg’s practice brings a level of insight into multiple key industries that will be beneficial to both our clients and practices.”
“Greg has almost two decades of leading trial experience in Houston that will bring great value to our clients looking for strong and successful trial skills in this market,” Bickley said.
Moore is active in pro bono and charitable initiatives, notably representing immigrants seeking asylum in the United States and disadvantaged clients in landlord-tenant disputes. He is the vice-chair of the Texas Medical Center Board of Directors and is vice president of the Houston Bar Association.
Greenberg Traurig
Denis Braham, a Houston attorney who specializes in sports business and real estate law, has joined the Houston office of Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder.
Braham was a lawyer at Winstead for 33 years, including a few years when he served as the firm’s chief executive officer.
“Denis has a truly impressive reputation,” said Shari L. Heyen, managing shareholder of the Greenberg Traurig’s Houston office. “His approach to the practice of law, coupled with his exceptional knowledge of transactions and unmatched negotiation skills, make him an ideal addition to Greenberg Traurig. Our clients and the firm will surely benefit from his vast insight.”
Munck Wilson Mandala
Munck Wilson opened a Waco office this week with the addition of patent litigation partner David G. Henry from Gray Reed, where he chaired the IP litigation section. The 90-plus-lawyer firm now has offices in seven cities.
Henry represents clients in a variety of technologies in patent, trademark, and copyright infringement litigation. The Baylor grad is also a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force’s Auxiliary, serving as a public affairs officer for his unit that flies humanitarian, search and rescue and disaster relief missions for the U.S. Air Force and a variety of federal and state emergency services agencies.
“David is a perfect fit for our team with his diverse practice and commitment to his clients and community,” William A. Munck, managing partner of Munck Wilson, said in a statement. “His combined patent litigation and prosecution experience and his impressive involvement as a Baylor Law School professor and mentor make him an outstanding addition to our team.”
Womble Bond Dickinson
Houston corporate securities lawyer Francisco Balduzzi started his new partnership at Womble Bond Dickinson this week.
Formerly the head of legal for Barrick Gold Corporation, which is one of the world’s largest mining companies, Balduzzi has more than 25 years of international experience as a senior legal executive and in private practice, particularly in Latin America.
Womble leaders say they hired Balduzzi because of his strong experience in cross-border M&A, transactional, and dispute practice within the energy and natural resources and mining sectors.
“From project development to mergers and acquisitions, energy and mining are globally important and increasingly diverse sectors undergoing massive sea changes,” said Jeff Whittle, who is Womble’s managing partner in Houston and co-leader of the firm’s energy practice. “Francisco’s in-house experience and institutional knowledge will be of tremendous value to our clients, both in Houston and across the firm’s international footprint.”
Balduzzi is fluent in Spanish and speaks and reads Portuguese, and has managed legal matters in diverse jurisdictions, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Suriname, the United States and Venezuela.
McKool Smith
Prominent Dallas patent litigator Alfonso Chan, who also specializes in university intellectual property law, has joined McKool Smith as a principal.
Chan, who previously practiced at Dallas litigation boutique Shore Chan (where he was a name partner), focuses on litigating and licensing complex intellectual property cases on behalf of universities, research institutes and technology companies. Most of his cases involve semiconductor and electronic technology as well as biomaterials and medical devices. He has handled disputes in China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Europe.
Before practicing law, Chan served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and a nuclear propulsion engineer at Naval Reactors Headquarters.
McKool Smith managing principal David Sochia, who practices in Dallas, said the firm has “been very focused on bolstering our university offerings.
“Alfonso’s experience and track record are a wonderful fit for the firm,” Sochia said. “Our clients will benefit from his industry insights, technical savviness, and his considerable experience across the major IP forums.”
Perkins Coie
Former Dickinson Wright partner Dan Austin, an expert in emerging companies and venture capital partner, has joined the Austin office of Perkins Coie.
The former general counsel of venture capital-backed insurtech company Life by Spot, Austin advises entrepreneurs, investors and companies on a range of transactional and corporate governance matters. His clients span emerging industries, including fintech, healthcare, digital media, cybersecurity, life sciences, energy and transportation.
“We’re excited to welcome Dan and his clients to our fast-growing office,” said Andrew Smetana, Perkins Coie’s Austin office managing partner. “We continue to build our Austin presence and attract new talent amid robust demand for our legal services backed by our global platform and long experience in key technology centers such as Seattle and Silicon Valley.