R. Keith Morris, a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr. Courtesy photo.

Midsize Texas firm Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr is adding a probate and fiduciary litigation practice by hiring R. Keith Morris as a shareholder in Houston.

"I had just been trying to find a place where I could expand my sphere of influence and grow my practice. Munsch Hardt is a logical choice," said Morris, who is set to join the firm on Tuesday.

It's Morris' third move in the past 16 months. The litigator, along with two others from Houston private wealth boutique Ostrom Morris, joined Holland & Knight's Houston office in June 2018. But Morris said he and partner Jason Ostrom left the firm after only about six weeks, because an unexpected client conflict had developed.

"We did go back to our firm and sort of reconstitute it a little bit, just he and I and our office manager," Morris said.

Ostrom did not immediately return a call seeking comment, but according to Morris, Ostrom is practicing on his own, and they will continue to work together on some matters.

Phil Appenzeller, CEO of Munsch Hardt, said Morris fulfills an important need at the Dallas-based firm, which has been looking to tack on a probate and estate planning group for quite a while. Morris had been on the firm's radar for months, and the deal finally came together a couple weeks ago, Appenzeller said.

Since Morris primarily works on litigation, Munsch Hardt is looking to hire another lawyer or two on the administrative side of the practice, he said.

Appenzeller said Munsch Hardt was seeking to add a practice such as Morris' because its client roster includes a number of family-owned businesses that may need wealth-planning advice.

"With the baby boomer generation maturing as it is, we do think there is going to be a lot more probate-related litigation, fighting over assets," he said.

The practice area also meshes with the firm's real estate expertise, Appenzeller said.

Appenzeller said Morris, who is based in Houston but will spend time in Dallas and Austin, is  well-connected in the probate courts and has a high-profile client list.

Morris declined to identify his clients other than to say most are high-wealth individuals. In some instances, he serves as a court-appointed administrator. He is currently handling matters throughout Texas, and said Munsch Hardt's offices in Houston, Dallas and Austin will help him grow his practice.

Brad Hancock, executive partner of Holland & Knight's Houston office, was out of the office and did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the departures.

With the probate/fiduciary litigation practice now in the fold at Munsch Hardt, Appenzeller said the 130-lawyer firm is now turning its sights to adding another practice area—health care.

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