Chris Flood |

After only five months, Chris Flood has left Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and returned to Flood & Flood in Houston, where he will resume practice with his brothers.

Flood, a veteran white-collar crime defense lawyer in Houston, made the move to Orrick's growing Houston office in December but returned to Flood & Flood on May 1.

“Orrick is a great firm, especially the Houston office. However, I decided to resign because it was not working as either the firm or I had hoped,” Flood said in a statement. “I am happy to be rejoining my brothers at Flood & Flood, the firm I started 20 years ago.”

Flood declined further comment.

When he joined Orrick, the Texas attorney said the large, full-service firm would provide him opportunity to build his white-collar defense practice and his Latin American client base.

Orrick also issued a statement about Flood's quick departure, reiterating Flood's comment.

“Chris recognized that it was not working as either the firm or he had hoped and expected it would, and he has decided to resign,” the firm said.

Flood founded Flood & Flood 20 years ago. He resumes practice with his brother Charles in the Houston office, while his brother John practices in the firm's Corpus Christi office.

California-based Orrick, which opened its Houston office in January 2016, now has about 50 lawyers in Houston. It was able to ramp up quickly by making lateral hires from a number of Texas firms. Most recently, it landed 20 public finance lawyers who departed Andrews Kurth Kenyon before it merged with Hunton & Williams.