Winston & Strawn LLP has announced the expansion of its Texas practice with the addition of 23 prominent partners joining from eight different firms and the opening of a Dallas office. The group brings substantial experience in both disputes and transactional matters, including in mergers and acquisitions, securities, finance, real estate, tax, civil and criminal litigation and investigations, and regulatory defense.

“Dallas represents a significant opportunity for Winston to support our clients based in the region,” said Tom Fitzgerald, Winston & Strawn’s firmwide managing partner. “This group of founding partners will enhance our footprint in Texas and will create new opportunities in this important commercial hub.”

The firm’s expansion into Dallas, one of the nation’s fastest-growing financial and business centers, enhances Winston & Strawn’s ability to deliver outstanding service to clients with operations in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area and beyond. The firm’s new Dallas service offerings complement its well-established Houston platform and significantly bolster its Texas presence.

“The founding partners of our Dallas office represent the top caliber of corporate and litigation talent in the market,” said Jeffrey Kessler, the firm’s co-chairman. “The firm’s ability to complete large lateral acquisitions within a short period of time, attracting prestigious attorneys from different law firms, highlights our commitment to strategic growth and integration within key practice areas and markets.”

The founding partners for Winston & Strawn’s Dallas office include:
•Thomas Melsheimer, Steven Stodghill, Brett Johnson, Scott Thomas, Taj Clayton, and John Sanders, Jr. from Fish & Richardson
•Bryan Goolsby, Billie Ellis, Jr., Andrew Betaque, Todd Thorson, David Lange, Matt Stockstill, and Ken Betts from Locke Lord LLP
•Matthew Orwig, Shawn Cleveland, and Basheer Ghorayeb from Jones Day
•Tom Hughes from Norton Rose Fulbright
•Christina Tate from Greenberg Traurig LLP
•Jeff Cole from Squire Patton Boggs
•Jordan Klein from K&L Gates
•Chip Gage from Miller, Egan, Molter & Nelson LLP

In addition, well-known real estate partners Douglas Yeager and Jeffrey Smith will join Winston & Strawn’s Houston office from Locke Lord.

The Dallas office will be led by managing partners Bryan Goolsby and Thomas Melsheimer. Mr. Goolsby is a nationally recognized REIT attorney and was Executive Chair and former Managing Partner of Locke Lord. Mr. Melsheimer has been described as “one of the most sought after trial lawyers in the country” by the publishers of American Lawyer magazine and was the Managing Principal of the Dallas office of Fish & Richardson. “Bryan and Tom are extremely well positioned to shepherd Winston & Strawn’s entry into the Dallas market,” commented Mr. Fitzgerald.

Winston & Strawn has grown substantially in recent years in part due to the acquisition of sizeable, high-profile lateral groups, including a prominent team of intellectual property and commercial litigators in Houston from the former Howrey firm in 2011; 22 litigation partners from the former Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP in 2012; and 19 partners from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in 2015.

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