DuSable bridge at twilight, Chicago. (Photo: Shutterstock.com)

Opening its first office outside Texas, Corpus Christi plaintiffs firm Hilliard Martinez Gonzales will open an office in Chicago on May 1, hiring a partner from Kirkland & Ellis to lead it.

Allan Pixton said he's loved his time at Kirkland, which once again ranked as the largest law firm by revenue on the 2020 Am Law 100 this year. But he is excited about the opportunity to work on the plaintiffs side more frequently. Building an office also feeds into his desire to be an entrepreneur, he said.

Hilliard Martinez founder Robert Hilliard said he got to know Pixton as they worked on opposite sides in multidistrict litigation filed against General Motors for allegedly defective ignitions. Hilliard is one of three co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs, and Pixton was a defense attorney for GM.

"I like Bob's practice. I like his commitment to social justice and commitment to helping people who've been hurt," Pixton said. While at Kirkland, he added, he handled some plaintiffs-side civil rights work on a pro bono basis.

Pixton joined Kirkland as an associate in 2010 and was promoted to partner in 2016.

Hilliard said Chicago is a market he's been interested in for a while, and he approached Pixton about joining his firm. He said Pixton is a "principled guy" with a "razor-sharp mind and a real unique lateral thinking ability in regard to case strategy and issues."

During the GM litigation, HIliard said that if he ever got a call from Pixton, he knew they would work out whatever the issue was. "He was the get-things-done guy for years and years," he said.

Even the judge presiding over the MDL recognized Pixton's accomplishments. Pixton filed a motion asking to be removed from the lawsuit because he is leaving Kirkland & Ellis. In an order granting the motion, U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman of the Southern District of New York wrote that Pixton devoted "untold hours" to the MDL as an associate and then as a partner, "undoubtedly" serving his client well.

"But, more importantly for present purposes, over the course of the nearly six years he was involved in this litigation, he provided extraordinary assistance to the court and its staff—helping the court (and counsel on both sides) keep track of cases, motions, deadlines and all manner of other things," Furman wrote.

Pixton will not be involved in the GM litigation when he joins his new firm, Hilliard made clear.

Because of a stay-at-home order currently in effect in Illinois, Hilliard Martinez isn't opening its physical office in Chicago just yet. But, Hilliard said, the plan is to hire as many as 10 lawyers for the office over time. The firm does have one associate working remotely in Chicago—and others doing the same in Cincinnati, San Antonio, Austin, Nashville, Missouri and North Carolina.

Lawyers at Hilliard Martinez have been working from home since March 12, Hilliard said.

While some firms have laid off employees or cut salaries to deal with the economic pressures created by COVID-19, Hilliard, the sole equity shareholder in the firm, said everyone is still working. To keep up morale, each Friday afternoon, most of the firm's 26 lawyers and 71 staff meet up on Zoom for a happy hour, and he sends each employee a $100 bill with a thank you, he said.

Like other small and midsize firms, Hilliard Martinez did apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan, but he hasn't heard yet if it's been approved.

In addition to leading Hilliard Martinez in Corpus Christi, Hilliard has a law firm in Austin with his former roommate from St. Edward's University, Steve Shadowen. That firm, Hilliard & Shadowen, is focused on economic justice and civil rights litigation as well as antitrust matters.

A spokeswoman for Kirkland provided this statement on Pixton's departure: "Allan is a skilled lawyer and we wish him well in the next chapter of his career."

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