Ann Al-Bahish Ann Al-Bahish of Haynes and Boone. Courtesy photo.

After 10 years at two firms, litigator Ann Al-Bahish has returned to Haynes and Boone as a partner in Houston, coming from Kelley Drye & Warren.

Al-Bahish boomeranged earlier this month to Haynes and Boone, where she had practiced for a decade earlier in her career. She left Haynes and Boone in 2009 to join environmental litigation boutique Jackson Gilmour & Dobbs, which merged with Kelley Drye in 2016. That merger provided Kelley Drye with offices in Houston and Austin.

Al-Bahish said she “really loved” the people at Kelley Drye, but decided it was a good time to return to Haynes and Boone, because she can work again with friends, including partner  Michael Mazzone, who is co-chairman of the firm's litigation group, and senior counsel John Eldridge.

“The collaboration among partners was really special and that is something you have a great appreciation for the more senior you become,” she said.

The litigator said she stayed in close contact with former colleagues and mentors from Haynes and Boone throughout the past decade.

“Even if we were technically competitors, I would have lunch with people at Haynes and Boone,” she said.

In a press release, Mazzone wrote that Al-Bahish is an “exceptional lawyer” who is an asset to the firm and clients.

“Ann's tenacity, intelligence, and meticulous attention to detail have served her well throughout her career and are of tremendous benefit to her clients,” Mazzone wrote.

Al-Bahish, who does environmental, commercial and tort litigation, declined to identify her clients. According to Haynes and Boone, her most recent trial was a $90 million environmental allocation claim lodged against her client in federal court in Tacoma, Washington, which ended in a defense judgment. The firm also noted that she has tried cases in Delaware, New Mexico, Texas and Washington.

William Jackson, managing partner of Kelley Drye's Houston office, did not immediately respond to a request for a comment on Al-Bahish's departure.

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