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Dallas litigation boutique Harper Bates & Champion has added an aviation, insurance litigation and coverage practice, hiring Chris Kilgore and Dottie Sheffield as partners.

The lateral hires, who started work at Harper Bates on Monday, came from Kilgore McCown.

Kilgore, who was a combat helicopter pilot in Vietnam, specializes in aviation litigation—defending airlines, pilots and mechanics—along with construction and commercial litigation. Sheffield handles insurance defense and construction matters.

Kilgore declined to identify their clients.

With his small firm down to two lawyers, Kilgore said it made sense to move to another firm because they "needed a little more depth." It was a "natural fit" to join Harper Bates, Kilgore said, because he and Scott Harper are longtime friends.

Harper said Kilgore and Sheffield are a "great addition" to Harper Bates, now a seven-lawyer firm, noting that the expertise in aviation law and insurance defense they bring complements his firm's commercial litigation practice.

"It certainly deepens the bench," he said.

In addition to commercial litigation, Harper Bates does patent counseling and prosecution work and intellectual property litigation.

Kilgore McCown former name partner Brigham McCown said in an email that he is in the process of retiring from the practice of law but in the meantime is working at his own firm in Southlake, located near Dallas.