Partner Promotions

Jennifer Larson Ryback                                 [Photo Credit: Vanessa Gavalya.]

Matthew Staples was promoted to partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Austin, effective Feb. 1. Staples counsels companies in a number of industries regarding privacy, data protection, cybersecurity and other information security issues. His experience as a transactional attorney allows him to address privacy, data security, and other matters relating to data in the context of various transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, spin-offs, securities offerings, outsourcing transactions, strategic alliances and other corporate transactions. 

New Partner

Shook, Hardy & Bacon brought on David Morehan as a partner in the firm's Houston office as of March 1, 2019. He focuses on intellectual property litigation involving highly complex technical and legal issues. He has represented clients in cases involving a range of technologies and products, including telecommunications, computers, electrical engineering, medical devices and oil drilling. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Texas Tech University School of Law ( 2008), his M.S. in biotechnology from Texas Tech University Graduate School (2008), and his B.S. in chemistry and life science from the U.S. Military Academy (2000).

Senior Counsel

Former Texas Court of Appeals Justice Craig Stoddart has joined the commercial and real estate litigation firm of the Pettit Law Firm in Dallas as senior counsel. Justice Stoddart served on the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas from 2014-2018. He also represented the state of Texas in more than 140 appellate prosecutions before joining the Court of Appeals. Before his judicial career, Stoddart served as appellate prosecutor for the Rockwall County Criminal District Attorney's Office for 22 years. He has argued before appellate courts across the state, including the state's highest criminal court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He earned his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law and is a graduate of the University of North Texas.

New Hires

Andrews Myers, a corporate law firm with offices in Houston and Austin, announced the hiring of three trial lawyers in Houston to spearhead its new business litigation practice group. Leading the threesome is shareholder Hunter M. Barrow, who joins the firm from Thompson & Knight, after successfully teaming up with Andrews Myers on several matters over the past decade. Barrow will utilize his years of experience in commercial trial law. Alongside Barrow, trial lawyers Jim Aycock and Wade A. Johnson have also joined Andrews Myers to work in tandem with Barrow on the business litigation team. Aycock is a shareholder who has represented national and regional banks, private and publicly held energy companies, as well as private corporations and partnerships.His practice is focused primarily on financial litigation, energy matters, real estate disputes, and general business disputes in state and federal courts, and domestic and international arbitrations. Senior counsel Johnson, who practiced at Thompson & Knight with Barrow, focuses his practice on intellectual property issues. He is a commercial trial lawyer and licensed patent attorney whose practice involves representing clients in complex litigation matters in federal and state courts, arbitration proceedings and mediation. Prior to joining Andrews Myers, Johnson was the managing partner of litigation at a commercial and intellectual property boutique firm and AMLAW 200 firm partner.

Hiersche, Hayward, Drakeley and Urbach, P.C. in Addison welcomed commercial litigator Claire L. Wiswell, who joins the firm's commercial litigation group as an associate attorney after departing Thompson Coe. In this role, she will continue to advocate for clients in litigation involving business disputes, premises liability, construction defects, contract disputes, wrongful death, products liability, labor and employment issues, health-care liability, and medical malpractice, representing companies and individuals in litigation in state and federal courts. She has served as director at large of the Dallas Women Lawyers Association and as a member of the Dallas Bar Association and Dallas Association of Young Lawyers. She holds a Juris Doctor from Texas Tech University School of Law and is licensed in both the state of Texas and the state of New Mexico. While studying law, she clerked for Judge Sue Walker in the Second Court of Appeals of Texas and for Judge Leslie Hatch in the 237th Civil District Court.

McGinnis Lochridge welcomed Sophia Makris as an associate in Austin. She joins the firm's corporate and tax practice group, where she will represent clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions, corporate securities, banking matters and other commercial transactions. Makris was previously an associate with Alston & Bird's Dallas office. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Texas A&M University, and her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law. She currently serves as a Board Member on the Texas Aggie Bar Association and as Permanent Class President for The University of Texas School of Law Class of 2017.

Cameron Warr has joined Winstead's corporate, securities and mergers and acquisitions practice group as an associate in The Woodlands office. He represents public and private companies in a range of business transactions and other corporate matters. Warr received his J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law, and  his M.Acc., Taxation from Boise State University in 2018. Prior to joining Winstead, he was a mergers and acquisitions tax associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Houston. Winstead has offices in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and The Woodlands, Texas and Charlotte, North Carolina.

New Chief Business Development Officer

Professional services development veteran Todd Arritola has joined Winstead PC in Dallas as the firm's first chief business development officer. Arritola comes to the firm having served in marketing and business development leadership roles with some of the nation's largest accounting and consulting firms. His experience includes leadership positions responsible for planning and executing marketing, sales and business development initiatives for KPMG LLP and Deloitte & Touche, Thomson Reuters and Ryan. Arritola received his M.B.A. in corporate finance from the University of Dallas in 2006 and his B.S. in business administration and marketing from the University of Arizona in 1995. He resides in Garland, Texas, with his wife and two children.

Awards

Paul Yetter was honored by the Anti-Defamation League with its 2019 Karen H. Susman Jurisprudence Award in recognition of the work that he and his firm have been doing to reform the Texas foster care system. The award was given to Yetter, a name partner at Yetter Coleman LLP in Houston, at the 2019 ADL Jurisprudence Luncheon on March 6 at the Hyatt Regency in Houston. The Karen H. Susman Jurisprudence Award, named in memory of a distinguished former chair of the ADL regional board, salutes honorees' civic activities and their continued dedication to the mission of the ADL.

New Lease

Katten Muchin Rosenman has signed a long-term lease for approximately 56,340 square feet at PwC Tower at Park District, a 500,000 square foot Class A office tower located in the heart of Dallas' uptown submarket near Klyde Warren Park. Katten will occupy the entire 10th and 11th floors by the fourth quarter of 20019. Park District is a joint venture between Trammell Crow Company and MetLife Investment Management. The firm will be joining anchor tenant PwC, flexible work space Hana, and law firms Winston & Strawn, Barnes & Thornburg, and Caldwell Cassady & Curry at PwC Tower at Park District. The 20-story office tower features an executive lounge, first-class fitness facility, collaborative work spaces, on-site restaurants, outdoor amenity spaces, on-site banking and valet, along with 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail space and four levels of underground parking.