Andrews Kurth Kenyon, which has been hit by a spate of lawyer departures in Texas while the firm is in merger negotiations with Hunton & Williams, is expected to lose a group of public finance lawyers to Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

Neither Orrick nor Andrews Kurth would comment on a report by The Bond Buyer that as many as 25 public finance lawyers would move to Orrick, which opened an office in Houston in January 2016. However, a spokeswoman for Eric Johnson, who is of counsel in Dallas in the Andrews Kurth public finance group, confirmed he will join Orrick by the end of the month. Johnson, a Texas state representative, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Orrick is also expected to open a small Austin office in conjunction with the lateral moves, according to a source close to the situation.

Andrews Kurth's website lists 20 lawyers in the public finance group in Houston, Austin and Dallas. Andrews Kurth was among the nation's top firms for municipal bond work in 2016, according to the American Lawyer's Corporate Scorecard 2017.

Carlos Treistman, the partner in charge of Orrick's Houston office, could not be reached for comment.

Departures from Andrews Kurth Kenyon in recent days include seven partners in Dallas who left to open a Dallas office for Katten Muchin Rosenman and three partners who left the Dallas office to join DLA Piper's Dallas office. Other deals are in the works, including reports that New York firms Shearman & Sterling and White & Case will open offices in Texas with Andrews Kurth lawyers.