Reed Smith opens in Dallas, expanding Texas footprint with eight new partners

DALLAS – Six years after entering the Texas legal market with an office in Houston and a year after opening in Austin, Reed Smith today announced that it has opened an office in Dallas with the arrival of eight partners and eight other lawyers from three major law firms. The new group of partners has a broad range of transactional and litigation practices across an array of industries. Reed Smith now has 29 offices worldwide.

Joining Reed Smith’s Global Corporate practice are I. Bobby Majumder, Ryan J. Preston and Lynwood E. (Lyn) Reinhardt, all from Perkins Coie. The Global Commercial Disputes practice has added Mark L. Johansen from Perkins Coie and Brian C. Mitchell from Bracewell. Keith M. Aurzada and Michael P. Cooley of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner have joined the firm’s Financial Industry Group. Also arriving is Alfred G. (Al) Kyle, who has joined the firm’s Real Estate practice from Bracewell.

Majumder and Mitchell will serve as co-managing partners of the Dallas office, and Majumder will co-lead the firm’s India Business Team along with London-based arbitration and litigation partner Gautam Bhattacharyya. Accompanying this partner group are two counsel, Jay L. Krystinik and Bradley J. Purcell (both from Bryan Cave), and six associates: Brooke C. Dorris (Perkins Coie), Katherine E. Geddes (Perkins Coie), Lindsey L. Robin (Bryan Cave), E. Steve Smith (Perkins Coie), Austin C. Whitmore (Bracewell) and Jared M. Wood (Perkins Coie). A wider team of lawyers and staff will join in Dallas in the coming weeks.

“We want to be present in markets that are important to our clients and within our five core industry groups: financial services, life sciences and health care, energy and natural resources, entertainment and media, and transportation,” said Sandy Thomas, Reed Smith’s global managing partner. “We have long had our eye on the Dallas market, given how many of our clients have a presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Because we are opening in Dallas with such a large and capable group of partners, we can provide considerable service to clients in the region as well as to our international clients needing services in this global business hub.”

The Dallas team brings to Reed Smith a broad range of practices and sector experience from a global perspective, while maintaining deep roots in the local business community. Collectively, this team has advised clients in hundreds of disputes, and on transactions worth several billion dollars, in the finance, health care, transportation, real estate, retail, energy and natural resources, and technology sectors – all sectors within the firm’s five key industry groups.

“While this group joins from three law firms, they all embrace Reed Smith’s culture of collegiality, its commitment to the use of technology and innovation, the firm’s client-first approach and the breadth and quality of the firm’s global client base,” said Michael Pollack, Reed Smith’s managing partner – Americas. “We look forward to establishing this team and continuing to focus on the growth of this important office.”