Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson/courtesy photo Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson/courtesy photo

Dallas Mayor Joins Locke Lord as Partner

Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson has joined Locke Lord's Dallas office as a partner in the firm's Public Finance Practice Group. On June 17, 2019, Johnson became only the second elected African American mayor in Dallas history. Before becoming mayor, he served nine years in the Texas House of Representatives. During his tenure in the Texas Legislature, he served on 20 major legislative committees and as the chairman of the Dallas Area Legislative Delegation. Johnson most recently worked at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, and prior to that at Andrews Kurth Kenyon, where he helped establish both firms' presence in the North Texas public finance market. He received a bachelor's degree with honors from Harvard University, a master's degree in public affairs from Princeton University and a juris doctor degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. In addition to his role as mayor of Dallas and a partner at Locke Lord, Johnson is the regional chairman of the Princeton Prize in Race Relations and serves on the board of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. "I have long respected Locke Lord, its lawyers, its public finance practice, and its deep ties to the Dallas community," Johnson said in a statement. "To Dallas' residents, I want to say that my duties as mayor will always come first. As a practicing lawyer in my early forties, however, it is also important that I maintain my law license and continue to practice law as time allows," Johnson continued. "And I will always do so in accordance with all applicable laws, as well as the ethical standards of the legal profession, with respect to conflicts of interest."

Partners

George Hinchey has rejoined Haynes and Boone as a partner in the firm's San Antonio office. A San Antonio native, Hinchey represents private and institutional parties with the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing and development of commercial properties. "I am excited to return to Haynes and Boone, where I have many close colleagues," Hinchey said in a statement. "The firm has a phenomenal real estate practice that is competitive in the Central Texas market and has the bandwidth to serve clients nationwide."

"George has extensive experience in commercial real estate and represents many leading businesses, which routinely seek out his insight and counsel," said partner Frank Ruttenberg, the head of Haynes and Boone's San Antonio real estate practice, in a statement. "He perfectly complements our real estate practice and will help us expand the practice in Texas and beyond."

McGuireWoods has brought on board partner Patrick Knapp. Knapp joins the firm from Robert Anderson Law and will be based in McGuireWoods' Dallas and Houston offices. Knapp, who joins the mergers and acquisitions practice, structures commercial, corporate and financing transactions for upstream, midstream and downstream companies. He represents producers, marketers, logistics providers and refiners in the United States, Canada and Mexico in complicated international deals. Before private practice, he served as managing counsel for Bridger Logistics, a division of Ferrellgas Partners, where he led a series of high-profile mergers and acquisitions transactions.

Shareholders

Langley & Banack Inc. in San Antonio announced that Allen M. Debard and Tanya E. Feinleib have been promoted to shareholders. Debard has a broad background in financial restructuring and creditors' rights matters. Some of his representative matters include serving as counsel to lenders, official creditors' committees, debtors, retail lessors, and purchasers of assets, in energy, banking, retail, and construction industries. He received a bachelor's degree from Washington and Lee University, where he was a member of the all-academic football team, and his law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law.

Feinleib practices in the areas of estate planning and probate law. She is board certified in estate planning and probate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Feinleib received a bachelor degree from Trinity University in San Antonio and her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. She is an engaged volunteer in the San Antonio Bar Association's Community Justice Program. Feinleib is a member of the San Antonio Estate Planners Council, the San Antonio Bar Association, and the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.

ABA Judicial Division Chairwoman

Elizabeth Lang Miers, a partner in Locke Lord's Appellate Practice Group in Dallas, was sworn in as 2019-2020 chairwoman of the American Bar Association's (ABA) Judicial Division during the ABA's annual meeting, held in San Francisco from Aug. 8-13. She was sworn in on Aug. 10. Lang Miers, who is also Locke Lord's director of attorney development, rejoined the firm in April after serving for 15 years as a justice on the Court of Appeals for the 5th District of Texas in Dallas, where she authored more than 1,800 opinions on civil and criminal appeals from trial courts in Dallas, Collin, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman and Rockwall counties. Before her appointment, she spent 27 years with Locke Lord predecessor firms. Lang Miers is past chairwoman of the ABA's Appellate Judges Conference, past president of the Dallas Bar Association, and past chairwoman of the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas. She is a life fellow of the American, Texas and Dallas bar foundations and a member of the American Law Institute, the Center for American and International Law board of trustees, the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society board of trustees, and the International Women's Forum. 

Associate

Porter Hedges recently added Kiran K. Vakamudi as an associate in the firm's bankruptcy section in Houston. Vakamudi counsels clients on corporate reorganizations and restructurings, creditors' rights, and trustee representation. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law, with honors, in 2017, and his bachelor's degree in biology from Texas A&M University in 2004. He then served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Marvin Isgur in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. During his clerkship, he worked on numerous complex Chapter 11 cases and adversary proceedings, as well as on many smaller business bankruptcy matters. Before law school, Vakamudi worked with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection as an agricultural specialist.

Firm Moves to New Office

McGinnis Lochridge announced that its Houston office will relocate to 609 Main St., Suite 2800, Houston on Sept. 4. The move is the result of significant growth in 2018 and 2019. The new office space is 14,000 square feet and will be able to accommodate the continued addition of both attorneys and support staff for the foreseeable future. The firm was represented in the deal by Anthony Fritsche with Fritsche Anderson Realty Partners and HPI Tenant Advisors. The new Houston office was designed by Tramonte Design Studio. The building, designed with full height windows to maximize natural light, has a café, high-performance fitness center, roof gardens and on-site parking. "609 Main has become the newest highly-visible landmark on Houston's downtown skyline," said Jeff Pace, executive managing director of HPI Tenant Advisors, in a statement. "The building's state-of-the-art systems, including LEED® Platinum Certification, efficient floor plates, robust amenities and keen design aesthetic will serve the firm well in attracting and retaining talent and being a showcase for the future of smart law firm design."