Todd W. Eckland

Partners

Houston-based Bracewell LLP announced that Todd W. Eckland has joined the firm's New York office as a partner in the corporate and securities group. Eckland had been a senior partner and served for over 15 years as co-leader of the securities team at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. He has over 30 years of experience representing investment banks and public and private companies in capital markets transactions. He has represented clients in more than 250 public offerings of debt, equity and hybrid securities across the energy, technology and life science sectors. Eckland also advises on project financings, private placements and strategic investments, as well as corporate governance matters. He earned his B.S. from the University of Minnesota and his J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.

Carly Milner is set to join the law firm of Fogler, Brar, Ford, O'Neil & Gray in Houston as a partner, as of Nov. 1. She was previously with Vinson & Elkins in Houston. Her practice focuses on general business/commercial litigation in addition to professional liability, products liability and other civil litigation, and her experience includes both plaintiff and defense work. She has represented clients in contractual disputes, disputes involving business torts, disputes over property rights (including disputes between surface owners and mineral-rights owners), securities litigation, and tort litigation. Milner also has experience with multijurisdictional disputes and personal jurisdiction issues. She earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2004, and her B.A. in and government  from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. She later served as a judicial clerk to U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent of the Southern District of Texas, 2004-2005 and 2007-2008. She is admitted to practice in Texas, the District of Columbia, Virginia, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Norton Rose Fulbright announced that John Chrisman, an M&A and capital markets lawyer, has joined its Dallas office as a partner. Chrisman, who joins Norton Rose Fulbright from Clyde & Co's Dubai office, has more than 30 years' experience advising governments, companies and financial institutions on international M&A, capital markets (equity and debt), private equity and venture capital transactions. His international legal experience spans more than 50 countries and six continents. Chrisman earned B.A. and B.S. degrees at Southern Methodist University, and his J.D. at the University of Texas School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in California. He is not licensed in Texas or the District of Columbia, and his applications for admissions to the Texas and District of Columbia bars are pending.

Senior Counsel

Husch Blackwell announced that Mark Tobey has joined the firm as senior counsel in its Austin office. A 10-year veteran of the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division, Tobey will practice in the firm's food and agribusiness industry group and focus on a variety of antitrust and competition matters for clients, including merger notification filings pursuant to the Hart–Scott–Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Tobey joined the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division in 2009 and served as the Competition Policy and Advocacy Section's Special Counsel for State Relations and Agriculture.

Munck Wilson Mandala added Stephen Liu to the firm's technology/intellectual property practice as a senior counsel in the firm's Dallas office. Liu brings more than 14 years of intellectual property experience, representing clients in patent prosecution and trademarks. He is a registered patent attorney and previously worked as a partner at Carstens & Cahoon. His technology experience includes working with clients in upstream oil and gas, medical devices, food chemistry, computer hardware and software, networks, electronics, and communications technologies. Liu has a unique background in chemical engineering, with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2013, he returned to college to pursue a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering and graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas. Liu received his J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, where he was a student attorney in the Civil Clinic, representing indigent clients. 

Associate

Porter Hedges recently added Charles L. Sharman as an associate in the litigation section in the firm's Houston office. Sharman focuses on commercial litigation. He provides advice with regard to, among other things, breach of contract; various tort claims including tortious interference, fraud and fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary duties, and negligence and gross negligence; oil and gas-related issues, including midstream related disputes, oil trading related disputes, and oil royalty claims; the Texas Public Information Act; antitrust issues; and securities related issues. Sharman received his B.A. from Trinity University (2007) and his J.D. from Marquette University Law School (2015). During law school, he won the CALI Award (top grade) in Antitrust, Constitutional Criminal Procedure, and Secured Transactions and was elected by his classmates to deliver the law school's graduation commencement address. 

Attorney Named Executive Director of Houston Volunteer Lawyers

The Houston Bar Association (HBA) and Houston Volunteer Lawyers (HVL) announced that Michael Hofrichter has been named the new executive director of HVL. Previously serving as HVL's operations and compliance director, Hofrichter brings leadership and strategy to his new role overseeing the nonprofit organization's mission through proven expertise and best practices. Hofrichter's diverse background with HVL includes serving as interim executive director and interim low income tax clinic director. Having spent his entire legal career at HVL, Hofrichter has a long history of working with volunteers, supporting legal clinics, and presenting continuing legal education programs. He has been instrumental in the continued development of HVL's technology-based projects including online volunteer opportunities, disaster response, and document assembly. Hofrichter joined HVL upon graduating from the University of Houston Law Center in 2010, following an earlier internship with the organization. Prior to attending law school, he earned his undergraduate degree from Brandeis University and worked with the Union Pacific Railroad, King & Spalding, New England Quarterly and the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Firm Partners With Booker T. Washington H.S. for Arts Grants

Barnes & Thornburg has launched a new civic initiative, the Barnes & Thornburg Student Enrichment Fund, to spotlight arts education and benefit students of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts in Dallas. The fund will finance grants that are allocated and dispersed to provide students with financial assistance aimed at enriching their learning experience and to support and advance their artistic and academic development. The grants will help students with items such as travel expenses to competitions, conferences, performances, auditions and/or college visits; necessary academic and artistic supplies and accessories; college application expenses; and extracurricular intensive training programs. "Barnes & Thornburg is excited to embark on this new partnership with Booker T.—a nationally acclaimed institution known for its academic achievements and contributions to the arts community," said Mark Bayer, Dallas managing partner for Barnes & Thornburg, in a statement. "By establishing this fund, we hope to provide students with a springboard to pursue successful careers and become artistic pioneers, visionaries and leaders. This effort stems from a desire to support our community, area youth and the arts and we are incredibly appreciative for the support we received from the Dallas Independent School District, Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and Booker T. to bring this fund to fruition."