Former Howrey chairman Robert Ruyak is joining Winston & Strawn's Washington DC office, six months after presiding over the dissolution of the firm he led for 11 years, reports The Am Law Daily.

Ruyak (pictured), an antitrust and intellectual property (IP) specialist, is returning to his trial lawyer roots by joining Winston as an equity partner in the firm's global litigation practice. He officially joined the US firm on 5 September.

His move to the firm that he and others within Howrey once hoped would rescue them from insolvency comes as the Howrey estate continues to wind down its affairs in federal bankruptcy court.

Winston chairman Dan Webb said that the hire represents a "major coup" and that Ruyak's stewardship of a firm now mired in bankruptcy presented "literally no risk whatsoever" to Winston. Ruyak's hire – which, according to Webb, is not subject to a contract – was approved by a vote of Winston's partnership.

"Bob is truly an outstanding first-chair trial lawyer," said Webb, adding that Ruyak's "contacts with general counsel and major decision-makers in corporate America are really second to none."

Forty-five lawyers left Howrey to join Winston shortly before their former firm's official demise, including the majority of the Houston office and a handful of IP partners in Washington DC and Chicago. Those moves came after a unsuccessful effort by the two firms to execute a merger that was largely doomed by client conflicts, according to lawyers at both firms.

Ruyak's run as Howrey's CEO, managing partner, and chairman began in 2000 and effectively ended on 15 March, about a week after partners officially voted to dissolve the 55-year-old firm, amid declining revenues and a spate of high-profile defections.

Ruyak said that he is eager to get back to trial work, which often took a back seat to management duties. Given the relatively small amount of time he has spent in court of late, Ruyak said he knows he needs to rebuild his book of business. "I don't have the practice I had before," he said.

In his new position, he will forego any management role in favour of doing what he says he does best – trying cases. Over the years, he has represented clients including Apple, American Airlines, General Electric Healthcare, Intel, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble.

Since Howrey's dissolution, Ruyak said he has had little time to reflect on what, if anything, could have been done differently to prevent the firm from going under.

"I can't quite get my mind around that part of it yet," he said. "I think at some point maybe I will. It was a very tough time for everybody, tough decision-making. I don't have any regrets."

The Am Law Daily is a US affiliate title of Legal Week.