Katten Muchin Rosenman has added five lawyers to its recently launched Dallas office, including a white-collar defense team and a former federal judge.

Jorge Solis, former U.S. District chief judge for the Northern District of Texas, joined the firm as special counsel on Wednesday, two years after he retired from the bench. Litigation partners Barrett Howell and Brandon McCarthy, who do white-collar crime and fraud defense work, came from Bracewell.

Aaron Pinegar.

In addition, the firm announced that Greg Hidalgo joined as a corporate partner late last month and Aaron Pinegar joined as special counsel in the firm's transactional tax planning practice in March. Before joining Katten, Hidalgo was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery and Pinegar was an associate with Baker Botts.

Katten chairman Roger Furey said in a statement that the firm is committed to growth in Dallas and the new lawyers bring a “wealth of knowledge and deep ties to the Dallas business community.”

“Collectively, these exceptionally talented attorneys will help deepen Katten's relationships in Dallas and invigorate our office,” Dallas managing partner Mark Solomon said in the statement.

With the latest lateral hires, Katten now has 19 lawyers in Dallas and a total of 34 lawyers in Texas. The firm also has offices in Houston and Austin.

Brandon McCarthy.

The move by Howell and McCarthy to Katten Muchin comes only a year and a half after they joined Bracewell from K&L Gates. Bracewell did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

McCarthy said they could not pass up the opportunity to build a white-collar defense group at Katten Muchin, which has a large health care industry practice along with more than a dozen former federal prosecutors among its ranks.

“Our singular goal is we want to build up a white-collar section in Dallas,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy said he and Howell were not looking to leave Bracewell, but they were approached by a recruiter for Katten Muchin and “it became an offer we couldn't refuse.”

Howell also noted that he's known Solomon, the Dallas office managing partner, for two decades. He said he met him at Arter & Hadden's Dallas office when he was a summer associate.

Howell said their practice area, which includes fraud and white-collar crime defense work and investigations in health care and securities, is in high demand in Dallas because a “flurry of activity” related to health care companies has come out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.

McCarthy and Howell said they are excited to practice with Solis. McCarthy noted that during his tenure as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Texas, he handled dozens of cases in front of the judge. He also worked as a prosecutor in the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.

Howell has experience defending companies and executives before federal agencies, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

McCarthy and Howell declined to identify their clients.