Reed Smith Adds Houston Office - Initial Group Includes 12 Partners From 7 Firms

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Feb 26, 2013, 10:00 ET

HOUSTON, Feb. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Reed Smith LLP today announced its expansion into the Lone Star State. The firm's first Texas office is now open for business in the BG Group Place at 811 Main Street, Houston. The move is the culmination of a longstanding desire by Reed Smith to enter the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the country's energy capital. More than half of Reed Smith's largest clients have operations in Houston, and this office will allow Reed Smith to improve service to those clients and develop new relationships. The office opened with 12 partners from the local offices of seven leading law firms forming the initial group of new Reed Smith partners. Six of the lawyers are joining Reed Smith's Energy & Natural Resources Industry Group (ENR); two join the U.S. Commercial Litigation practice; and one each join the Life Sciences Health Industry (LSHI), Labor & Employment, Financial Industry, and Intellectual Property Groups.

The six partners joining the Energy & Natural Resources Industry Group are: E. Lee Haag and Chris Watt from Fulbright & Jaworski; Paul B. Turner, formerly of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan; Craig R. Enochs and Daniel Nossa from Jackson Walker; and Charles "Stan" Perry from Haynes & Boone.

In the U.S. Commercial Litigation practice, the two new partners are Kenneth E. Broughton and Francisco Rivero, both formerly with Haynes & Boone.

Reed Smith's Life Sciences Health Industry Group adds Stephen E. Scheve, formerly of Baker Botts.

Wanda G. Holloway joins the Labor & Employment practice from Seyfarth Shaw; Carol M. Burke, formerly with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, joins Reed Smith's Financial Industry Group; and Robert R. Riddle joins the firm's IP practice from Baker Botts.

"Establishing an office in Houston is an important strategic objective for the firm," said Gregory B. Jordan, Reed Smith's Global Managing Partner. "We are very excited to get this important office off the ground with such a strong and balanced group of partners who are already well known and very accomplished in the Houston market. It provides significant benefit to Reed Smith's clients in the energy and natural resources industry sectors, and further complements our premier practices in commodities and trading, renewables, and natural gas."

"As is evident from the initial group of lawyers joining the firm, Reed Smith will have a full-service office in Houston serving clients across the complete spectrum of industries and disciplines, including financial services, life sciences, and employment, among others," added Michael B. Pollack, Global Head of Strategy. "We plan to continue to recruit new partners within the market to expand our offering and to be able to serve all of our clients' legal needs in Houston."

"Houston is unquestionably one of the hottest legal markets in the world," said Brad Hildebrandt, Chairman of Hildebrandt Consulting, a preeminent global consulting firm serving the legal profession. "This is a smart strategic move by Reed Smith, given its increasingly strong position in the global energy sector, and the approach they have taken shows real commitment and focus."

Houston Integration Partner

Reed Smith also announced that David A. Thompson, a partner in its Energy & Natural Resources Industry Group and Real Estate practice, will be its Integration Partner in Houston. Prior to assuming this key role, Mr. Thompson was Office Managing Partner of Reed Smith's San Francisco office, a position he had held since 2003. The firm routinely relocates a senior partner with significant knowledge of its operations and clients into its new offices to help integrate the lateral partners into the firm's global client relationships and work processes.

Reed Smith's Energy & Natural Resources Group

The firm's Energy & Natural Resources Industry Group has more than 100 members worldwide providing regulatory, transactional and litigation services. It serves businesses in the extraction, production, distribution or financing of energy and natural resources projects, products, and services worldwide, including developers, producers, manufacturers, traders, financiers and investors, insurers, and transporters in the energy and natural resources sectors – whether they are involved in traditional resources, such as oil, gas, nuclear, metals and minerals, or in renewable and clean energy.

"Although Pittsburgh is at the center of the Marcellus Shale and Reed Smith is deeply involved in its development, many of the key decision makers for the Marcellus resources are Houston-based. That's another factor making Texas a smart location for our firm," Mr. Jordan added.

In Europe and Asia, Reed Smith is a recognized leader in trade and commodity finance, providing counsel to project lenders, developers and equity investors, as well as power purchasers and end-users in energy and natural resources project finance and development projects.

The group also provides support for businesses navigating the complex environmental aspects of conducting business in the energy and natural resources sector. Its lawyers are experienced in anticipating and managing the health, safety and liability issues that arise in pursuing the profitable commercialization of energy and natural resource projects.

Bios of all the new Reed Smith lawyers can be found at reedsmith.com.

About Reed Smith

Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,700 lawyers in 25 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.

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