George Howard partner with Vinson & Elkins and George Barber of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings.

Bankruptcy lateral hiring continues on a hot streak amid the COVID-19 health and economic crisis, with Vinson & Elkins adding a partner in New York and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings expanding in Dallas with a senior attorney.

George Howard joined Vinson & Elkins on Monday, coming from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, where he had been counsel. George Barber started at Bradley on June 10, joining from Johnston Clem Gifford.

Firms have been busily adding bankruptcy and restructuring lawyers, spurred by the economic downturn and low oil prices. That provides opportunities for both lateral moves and career advancement, as in the case of Howard, who was counsel at Skadden but joined Vinson & Elkins as a partner.

Howard said he is pleased to join Vinson & Elkins as a partner, but said he was attracted to the Texas firm because of its busy restructuring practice, "great portfolio" of private equity clients, and entrepreneurial bent. He also wants to help Vinson & Elkins build the New York office.

"It's just an amazing team," Howard said, noting that he has known David Meyer, the co-head of the firm's restructuring and reorganization practice for several years.

Meyer said in a press release that the practice has been extremely busy since well before the economic troubles caused by COVID-19, and Howard, who began his career at Jones Day, helps the firm expand its capabilities in New York.

Vinson & Elkins managing partner Scott Wulfe said in the release that the firm is focused on growing the restructuring team to meet increased client demand.

Howard has worked on a number of energy bankruptcies, such as representing Quantum Pacific (Gibraltar) as majority shareholder in the Pacific Drilling restructuring. He's also done work for coal producers Alpha Natural Resources and Peabody Energy in connection with Chapter 11s.

Back in Texas, Barber said he moved to Bradley because the firm's size and reach will help him serve clients better than at Johnston Clem, the small firm he had practiced at since 2017.

"In today's marketplace, it does make sense to have access to a deeper bench in terms of other practice areas and your own practice area," Barber said.

The move also reunites him with David Pratt, a real estate, banking and finance lawyer who joined Bradley as a partner in January, also coming from Johnston Clem, which was formerly Johnston Pratt.

Barber said Pratt made the introductions that led to his move to Bradley but said he was already familiar with the "quality and caliber" of the firm and its lawyers. He said he and Pratt work closely together and have common clients, which he declined to identify.

In a press release, Richard Sayles, the managing partner of Bradley's Dallas office, said the Barber's experience in bankruptcy matters expands the capabilities of the Dallas office. It  opened in January 2019.

A Skadden spokeswoman did not immediately provide a comment on Howard's departure.

Johnston Clem partner Kenneth Johnston wrote in an email that they restructured the Dallas firm in December "to align with our core values and strategy to build a tech-forward, distributed law firm. " Since then, he wrote, the firm added an office and a financial services transactions partner.

" We wish George the very best and are excited that he found a good firm to continue his insolvency practice," Johnston wrote.

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