Erin England. Courtesy photo

Firm Adds Partner to Dallas Office

Katten Muchin Rosenman announced that commercial transaction attorney Erin England has joined the firm as a partner in the Commercial Finance practice in Dallas. England represents borrowers and lenders, including banks and alternative lending institutions, in structuring and negotiating domestic and international commercial transactions. She also has deep real estate finance experience, including her representation of borrowers and lenders in construction loans and other real-estate secured loans involving virtually every type of property use: raw land acquisition, industrial properties, hotels, and office and retail space. In addition, England represents private equity funds in connection with the acquisition of companies across a wide range of industries. These deals typically involve complex intercreditor relationships requiring subordinated and mezzanine financing arrangements. England comes to the firm from Haynes and Boone, where she was a partner in Corporate Finance.

"Erin is joining a premier team of attorneys who represent creditors and debtors in hundreds of finance transactions each year," said Michael A. Jacobson, national head of Katten's Commercial Finance practice, in a statement. "Her broad experience representing some of the world's largest organizations and her ability to handle complex financial transactions will be an asset to our nationally recognized practice."

ABA Announces Pro Bono Publico Award for Texas Attorney

The American Bar Association will present awards to three individual lawyers, a law firm and a corporate law department for demonstrating outstanding commitment to volunteer legal services for the poor and disadvantaged at the upcoming ABA Annual Meeting, which will be virtual from July 29 through Aug. 4, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual recipients of the 2020 Pro Bono Publico Awards will include: G. Allan Van Fleet, of G. Allan Van Fleet, P.C. Winner of the ABA Antitrust Law Section's inaugural pro bono award, Van Fleet's pro bono work dates to 1976, while he was a student at Columbia Law School in New York City. Now based in Houston and Galveston, Texas, Van Fleet worked with the legendary Jack Greenberg at Columbia Law School, mainly assisting on briefs in death-penalty cases. His pro bono work has continued for nearly 45 years, and his section colleagues praise him for making extraordinary positive change for individual and institutional clients as well as whole communities. His legal work has been in indigent defendants' rights, children's rights, bail reform, immigrant rights, civil rights, and death penalty and wrongful conviction.

Houston Attorney Elected to International Law Firm's Board of Directors

Hogan Lovells has elected or reelected the following four partners to serve on its Board: Bruce Oakley, a partner in the Houston, Texas office, has been elected to the U.S. (except Washington, D.C.) seat. He will begin his two-year term July 1. Joaquín Ruiz Echauri has been reelected to the Continental Europe seat, Celine Jimenez Crowson has been elected to the Americas seat, and Mahvesh Qureshi, based in Washington D.C., has been elected to the 45 and under seat. Board members can serve up to two terms, each lasting three years.

Hogan Lovells Chair Leo von Gerlach said in a statement: "I'd like to welcome Celine and Mahvesh as new members of the Board, congratulate Bruce on his new seat on the Board, and Joaquín on his re-election to the Continental Europe seat. I also offer my thanks and gratitude to Richard Lorenzo, who has served on the board since 2018, and Ben Higson, who served on the board since 2014."

Dallas Office Adds Of Counsel Attorney

Phillips Murrah P.C. announced that Beau M. Patterson has joined the firm in its Dallas office as an of counsel attorney. His addition to the firm brings the number of Phillips Murrah attorneys serving the Texas market to 14. Based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Phillips Murrah opened its Dallas office in May of 2018. Patterson works primarily as an outside general counsel to his business clients, advising and assisting them in responding to existing legal needs while also helping to anticipate and plan for those that may not yet have come into focus. His practice is primarily transactional, with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, public and private capital raises, debt offerings, real estate transactions and restructurings. Patterson was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and previously lived and worked in Oklahoma City. He attended Oklahoma City University School of Law and is a member of the Oklahoma Bar and Texas Bar Associations.

Firm Adds New Bankruptcy Partner in Dallas Office

Fox Rothschild welcomed Trey A. Monsour, who joined the firm as a partner in the Financial Restructuring and Bankruptcy Department in the firm's Dallas office. With nearly three decades of experience, Monsour advises a broad range of clients, including debtors, committees, indenture trustees, and strategic and financial buyers in complex Chapter 11 cases. Monsour served two consecutive years as course director of the State Bar of Texas Advance Business Bankruptcy Conference and served five consecutive years as an upper-level student mentor at the University of Houston Law Center. A thought leader in his field, he is the author of LexisNexis' "Financial Restructuring & Bankruptcy" and "Lender Liability" modules. Prior to joining Fox, Monsour was a shareholder at Polsinelli PC. He earned his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and his B.B.A. from the University of Texas. Monsour currently serves on the Board of Trustees for City House Plano, which is dedicated to providing homeless children and teens in North Texas with emergency shelter and transitional residential services, and served for eight consecutive years on the Board of Trustees for the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. He also serves on the Wine Committee of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, whose mission is to raise scholarship funds. 

Former U.S. Attorney to Head Prosecutorial Reform Initiative

The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) and "Right on Crime" in Austin has announced that Brett Tolman will lead its prosecutorial reform efforts as director of prosecutorial innovation for Right on Crime. Tolman, a signatory of the Right on Crime Statement of Principles, is a former U.S. Attorney for Utah and the former chief counsel for crime and terrorism for the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He founded The Tolman Group and focuses on public policy and reforming government.

"Brett Tolman is an exceptionally talented, qualified, and persuasive advocate for criminal justice reform and the liberties that system should protect," said U.S. Senator Mike Lee, R-UT. "I have known and worked with Brett Tolman for more than 25 years, and I know of no one better. Brett not only understands the law; he also cares deeply about the safety and liberty of his fellow beings. Right on Crime could not have selected a better person to spearhead its efforts to reform our nation's prosecutorial practices and ensure fairness and justice for all Americans."

"Our nation's prosecutors are imbued with tremendous power to change lives for the better," said TPPF's Executive Director Dr. Kevin Roberts, in a statement. "I can think of no one better to lead this project than Brett Tolman, whose background as a prosecutor and criminal justice reform advocate—he is one of the original drafters of the landmark First Step Act of 2018—gives him a unique understanding of our criminal justice system and the importance of seeking justice and rehabilitation."