Bressler, Amery & Ross, a midsize New Jersey firm, has moved into Houston and Dallas by acquiring litigation and arbitration firm Ballard & Littlefield, marking yet another entree by an out-of-state firm into the hot Texas legal market.

Bressler Amery, which also opened an office in Charlotte, North Carolina, in June, has long eyed Texas because of work the 150-lawyer firm does for clients in the Lone Star State, managing principal Frank Cuccio said in an interview Monday. The deal was effective Aug. 1, but announced Monday.

Jack Ballard, who was a partner in Ballard & Littlefield and is now managing principal of the  Bressler Amery office in Houston, said the six lawyers from his small firm will benefit from the new firm's expanded practice offerings.

"This is really a firm with a thriving national practice in financial institutions and commercial litigation that is now coming to Houston and Dallas, so we think it's going to be a win-win," Ballard said.

Cuccio said the deal makes a lot of sense. "Our cultures are very similar. Our business approach is very similar," he said.

Ballard and Donald Littlefield, who will head the Dallas office, have known Cuccio and others from Bressler Amery for a long time and have worked together on some matters over the years. Ballard said the firms have talked informally for a while about joining forces, but serious negotiations began earlier this year.

Ballard said the timing was "interesting" due to the pandemic, but after they looked closely at the Bressler Amery practice offerings, they "got sold on the idea" that a combination would be beneficial, even with uncertainties caused by the coronavirus.

"COVID-19 is kind of shaking everything up. Sometimes in the law practice you just have to shake things up," he said.

Ballard and Littlefield join the firm as principals. Four others joined as counsel in Houston— Charles "Al" Hammaker III, Susan Logsdon, Michael Rodriguez and Mary Jo Cantu. Additionally, Bressler Amery principal Joelle Simms, who had been in the firm's Fort Lauderdale, Florida, office, has returned to her hometown of Dallas and will work with Littlefield in Dallas.

Ballard & Littlefield represents national and regional financial firms in securities, employment and regulatory matters, and the firm also handles commercial litigation.

Neither Ballard nor Cuccio would identify clients, but a long roster on the Bressler Amery website includes American International Group, CBS Corp. Barclays, Prudential Financial and Citigroup.

Bressler Amery, based in Florham Park, New Jersey, also has offices in Birmingham, Alabama; Miami and Fort Lauderdale; Charlotte; Washington, D.C.; New York; and now in Texas.

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