JD Journal » thompson and knight llp

Big Law Firms Setting Up New Offices in Detroit, Calgary, and Maybe Boston

aostler — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 00:19:28 +0000

Three big law firms have hired or are soon going to hire attorneys and partners to open new offices in 3 major cities in the US and Canada. Thompson & Knight is opening one in Detroit, Latham & Watkins may also be about to open a new office in Boston, and Torys, a Toronto based firm, has just opened a new office in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Thompson & Knight is determined to bounce back after it’s gross revenues went down by 11.2 percent last year, and it announced late on Thursday that it was going to open a new office in Detroit, lead by new litigation hire, Philip Kessler. Kessler was formerly the chairman of Detroit firm Butzel Long, but stepped down last August. Since that time, he had set up a solo practice in Franklin, Michigan. He will now direct operations for Thompson & Knight in both their New York office and Detroit office, which is planned to open in spring.

Latham & Watkins is planning to open an office in Boston soon, according to the Boston Business Journal. No further comment is available from them officially, but according to the Boston Business Journal, they have been looking at Boston since late 2007.

Torys opened a new office in Calgary on March 3^rd, 2011. Torys already has existing offices in New York and Toronto, and this will strengthen their position as one of the leading international law firms. Les Viner, Managing Partner, says “The pace of economic growth in Calgary and its strength in the energy sector have earned the city a reputation as an internationally recognized financial and business hub”.

With so many firms closing or laying off attorneys, it’s good to see several firms doing the opposite and opening new offices and expanding their workforce.

Reed Smith and Thompson & Knight Merger Called Off

marvins — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:11:38 +0000

The much awaited merger between Reed Smith LLP, a global law firm with over 1,600 lawyers, and Thompson & Knight LLP, a US-based firm with around 350 lawyers, was called off. Talks of merger have been circulating the legal industry over the recent months until the management of both firms announced that the potential merger was dismissed. Based on the statement released on Thursday, the merger plan was cancelled even before the proposal was submitted to the partnership of both firms for a vote. However, both firms asserted that they will continue to have good working relationship.

Gregory Jordan, Reed Smith global managing partner, said that their firm has nothing but good words for Thompson & Knight. However, today is not yet the best time for a merger. “We are very impressed with Thompson & Knight’s lawyers, practices, and clients. Both firms are coming off record years in terms of profitability, but we cannot get all of the pieces in the right place now.” Jordan assured that their firm would continue to be a partner in other means. “Reed Smith would continue to partner with Thompson & Knight “on shared work” as his firm pursues its strategic initiatives and serves its clients.”

Jeffrey Zlotky, Thompson & Knight global managing partner, noted that merging with another law firm is not an easy task. “A large number of issues have to align to make a merger work.”

Based on the Am Law 100 financial data in 2009, Reed Smith registered gross revenue of $942 million. The firm’s profits per equity partner reached $1 million. Meanwhile, AM Law 200 record showed that Thompson & Knight’s gross revenue was $224 million. Its profits per partner were $855,000.

Cox Smith Adds Health Care Team to Austin Office

Erik Even — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:38:30 +0000

Texas’ Cox Smith Matthews has added two health care regulation experts to its Austin office, Kathy Poppitt and Catherine Greaves.

Poppitt, formerly of Thompson & Knight, will focus on health care regulatory law, health care litigation and administrative law. She received her JD from the University of Texas in 1988.

Also formerly with Thompson & Knight, Greaves advises clients involved in all aspects of the health care industry. Her JD is from the University of Houston, 1985.

Founded in 2004, Cox Smith Matthews is headquartered in San Antonio, with offices in Austin, Dallas and McAllen. The Firm employs 130 attorneys with diverse experience in 17 primary practice areas and more than 25 areas of specialization.

Thompson and Knight Names Five New Partners

Erik Even — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:39:09 +0000

Thompson and Knight LLP has elected five lawyers to partner status. The lawyers are Todd E. Chen, Tye C. Hancock, J. Michael Heinlen, Richard B. Phillips Jr., and Glen A. Reitman.

These attorneys represent a diversity of professional focus, coupled with the intellect, experience, and educational backgrounds that we seek at Thompson & Knight,” says Pete Riley, the Firm’s Managing Partner. “We are pleased to acknowledge the success and positive influence they have made on our Firm and on the legal needs and business objectives of our clients.”
Todd E. Chen, a member of the Firm’s Corporate and Securities Practice Group in Houston, focuses his practice on corporate and securities matters, with extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, public and private offerings of securities, and securities reporting requirements.
Tye C. Hancock, a member of the Firm’s Corporate Reorganization and Creditors’ Rights Practice Group in Houston, focuses his practice on creditors’ rights, business bankruptcy, and commercial litigation.

J. Michael Heinlen, a member of the Firm’s Intellectual Property and Trial Practice Groups in Dallas, focuses his practice on commercial litigation and appellate matters, specifically focusing on intellectual property and insurance coverage disputes.

Richard B. Phillips, Jr., a member of the Firm’s Trial Practice Group in Dallas, focuses his practice on appellate matters.

Glenn A. Reitman, a member of the Firm’s Real Estate and Banking Practice Group in Houston, focuses his practice on commercial transactions with an emphasis on real estate and banking matters.