Winstead expanded its litigation and corporate capabilities this week with the addition of two new shareholders in DFW.
Former Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann partner Joshua Sandler joined Winstead Oct. 24 to co-chair its fiduciary litigation practice with David Johnson. Sandler and Johnson have a history of working together.
Sandler’s practice focuses on working with businesses and high-net-worth individuals on fiduciary, trust and estate litigation as well as commercial litigation, including business and employment disputes and commercial real estate matters.
Sandler said Winstead demonstrated its entrepreneurial spirit in working through the conflicts process of moving his cases over. He also noted that Winstead’s larger platform was attractive.
“A lot of times in fiduciary cases we settle, and when we settle out of an estate we ask what are the tax implications. We have tax lawyers here that can handle that,” Sandler said. “That is invaluable for our clients.”
Sandler added that he is excited for the opportunity to co-lead the firm’s fiduciary litigation practice as “we are in the midst of what is likely to be the largest generational wealth transfer of all time.”
On the commercial side, Sandler was on the team that obtained a $12.6 million judgment in a breach of contract case for Arcosa Wind Towers in a Zoom trial at the end of 2020.
Before his nearly seven-year tenure at Lynn Pinker, Sandler practiced at Gruber Hurst and Kane Russell Coleman & Logan (KRCL).
On Friday, Winstead announced that Fort Worth corporate shareholder Jarratt Watkins has joined the firm from Kelly Hart & Hallman.
“It is an opportunity to work with fantastic lawyers in a firm with such a great focus on being entrepreneurial. It was also really important to me that Winstead is committed to growing its platform in Fort Worth,” Watkins said.
Watkins has represented clients on business acquisitions in the manufacturing, aerospace, technology, retail goods, financial services, energy and entertainment sectors. He said the breadth of deals he has worked on is a testament to the broad nature of the North Texas economy.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Watkins took a brief leave of absence from Kelly Hart to lead Fort Worth Now, a 12-month task force of business and community leaders created early in the virus-induced shutdowns to focus Covid-19 relief and economic development opportunities.
Watkins said two of his proudest achievements at Fort Worth Now were helping distribute half-a-million masks to local businesses as Tarrant County was implementing its mask mandate and securing an investment from Texas A&M to establish the A&M Research and Innovation Center in downtown Fort Worth.