Kate Kaufmann Shih has been promoted to partner in the Houston office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. An energy and infrastructure trial attorney, Shih graduated with honors from Stanford University and Columbia Law School. She also served as a law clerk for Judge Carolyn Dineen King and Judge Lee H. Rosenthal.

Attorney Returns to Dallas Office as Partner

Richard Salgado. Courtesy photo

Jones Day announced that Richard Salgado has returned to the firm as a business and tort litigation partner in its Dallas office. Salgado had previously been an associate in Jones Day's issues and appeals practice. He represents defendants in a wide range of complex commercial, intellectual property, and regulatory litigation at the trial court level. Salgado has successfully tried numerous jury and bench trials and disposed of many more cases on summary judgment before trial or through arbitration. A member of the Dallas Bar Association, the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association and the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, Salgado teaches general intellectual property, trademark and trade secret law as an adjunct law professor at the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law.

Partner Promotion at Fort Worth Firm

Derek Carson has been selected as a partner at Cantey Hanger in Fort Worth. Carson joined Cantey Hanger in September 2013. He represents clients in a variety of business disputes and in civil lawsuits in state and federal courts. A substantial portion of his practice is devoted to handling cases in the appellate phase of litigation. Before joining Cantey Hanger, Derek served as law clerk to U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means of the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, four U.S. district courts in Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Carson earned his bachelor's degree from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 2010.

New Litigation Associate in Firm's Houston Office

Gizem Petrosino recently joined the Houston office of Chamberlain Hrdlicka as an associate in the litigation practice. Petrosino brings more than seven years of complex commercial litigation and intellectual property experience to Chamberlain Hdrlicka, having represented clients in a wide variety of disputes in state and federal courts both in New York and Texas. Her practice will focus primarily on general civil defense, labor and employment litigation, and intellectual property. She will represent employers and companies in discrimination, wrongful termination, wage-and-hour, and noncompete matters, in addition to trademark infringement, trade secret misappropriation and general contract disputes. Petrosino earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia, and her J.D. from Albany Law School. She is a member of the Houston Bar Association and volunteers with Houston Pets Alive.

Attorney Returns to Houston Office as Partner 

Latham & Watkins announced that Justin T. Stolte has returned to the firm's Houston office as a partner in the corporate department and member of the mergers and acquisitions practice. Stolte rejoins Latham from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he was a partner in the Houston office. Stolte draws on a unique combination of technical, legal, and business experience regularly representing clients in complex transactions across the energy sector. Stolte spent part of his early legal career at Latham, and has complementary experience working at Apache Corp., where he led upstream and midstream oil and gas transactions in a business development role. Prior to beginning his legal career, Stolte earned a degree in petroleum engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and worked as a petroleum engineer for Chevron. He also has an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management. 

Firm Reelects Houston Attorney as Firm Chairman

Locke Lord's executive committee has reelected David Taylor (Houston) as chair of the firm and Jennifer Kenedy (Chicago), Bill Swanstrom (Houston) and Thomas Yoxall (Dallas) as vice chairs of its executive committee. The executive committee also has named Nina Huerta (Los Angeles), newly elected member of the firm's board of directors, as the new co-chair of the board, joining Victoria de Lisle (New Orleans), who has served as co-chair of the board for the past year. In addition, Locke Lord's partners have elected one new member to the firm's executive committee and three new members to the board of directors. Texas attorneys remaining on Locke Lord's executive committee are Michelle Earley (Austin), Janis Loegering (Dallas), Paul Nason (Dallas) and Mitch Tiras (Houston). 

Houston Firm Names New Litigation Practice Group Leader

Porter Hedges in Houston announced that Stephen Lee has been appointed to serve as the new litigation practice group leader. He succeeds Eric Wade, who has served as litigation practice group leader since January 2018. Lee is a partner in the litigation practice group. He represents energy and chemical companies involved in the exploration, production, transportation and processing of refined petroleum products, chemicals, and specialty chemicals. Lee also represents clients in a wide variety of matters, including contract, trade secret, product liability, construction, and employment disputes. 

Three Join Houston Firm

Wright Close & Barger in Houston announced that three experienced attorneys have joined the firm. Trial lawyer and appellate specialist James Marrow has joined the firm as partner. With more than 20 years in practice, Marrow has handled trials and arbitrations on both sides of the docket. He has worked on appeals in state and federal court and is board certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He joined the firm, effective Feb. 1. Before joining the firm, Marrow practiced at the appellate specialty firm Hogan & Hogan. He also previously served as a staff attorney with the Texas 14th Court of Appeals, where he handled a wide range of appellate proceedings and assisted the court's justices in drafting nearly 100 opinions. A graduate of South Texas College of Law in Houston, Marrow is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of Texas. He earned his bachelor's degree from Rice University. 

Also recently joining the firm are associates Elizabeth Turco and Michael Hurta. Turco is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer, and previously practiced at Dobrowski, Larkin & Johnson. She has handled both commercial litigation and appeals in state and federal courts. Turco is a 2013 graduate of Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas, and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Hurta is an experienced litigator, and previously practiced at Berg & Androphy, where he represented government contractors, whistleblowers of government fraud, and criminal defendants. He has been part of several victorious trial teams in federal court. Hurta clerked for Judge Eva Guzman at the Texas Supreme Court, and for U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen of the Western District of Texas. He earned his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 2015, and his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin.