Katten Muchin Rosenman has hired the managing partner of Withers' Texas office to establish a private wealth practice in Dallas. 

Kevin Keen joins the Chicago-headquartered firm’s sole Texas base after a year after he moved to Withers from Winstead PC to launch its Houston shop. His arrival brings Katten’s partner count in Dallas up to 24 amid a wider team of around 25 other counsel and associates based in the city. 

In his new role, Keen will work with Katten’s network of private wealth lawyers in the US to “establish private wealth as a significant new client offering in North Texas”, according to Katten Dallas managing partner Mark Solomon. 

“Private wealth and Texas are key growth areas for Katten and I am bringing a substantial client base to the firm, so we do anticipate building out the private wealth team in Dallas,” Keen added. 

Keen, who has previously held roles at Baker McKenzie, Holland & Knight and PwC, is qualified and maintains an active practice across both Texas and Florida. He focuses his practice on serving ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their private enterprises, family offices and fiduciaries on tax, structuring, compliance and business matters. Keen also brings with him significant cross-border experience, having practiced as a US-qualified private client attorney in Zurich and worked with clients based in Canada, Europe, Latin America and Asia, the firm said. 

Joshua Rubenstein, national chair of Katten’s private wealth group, said Keen’s “cross-border experience, innovative problem solving skills and ability to provide trusted counsel to some of the world's wealthiest families on the most complex trust, tax and regulatory compliance issues will be an asset to our internationally recognised practice and to the Dallas office”.

Katten’s Dallas office, which opened in 2018, covers corporate, healthcare, private credit, litigation and insolvency and restructuring matters. According to its website, the firm’s complete private wealth team outside of Texas comprises more than 40 lawyers, including approximately 17 partners. 

Commenting on why he left Withers after a only a year, Keen said the combination of Katten’s strong offering in the private wealth space and its position as a full-service international firm made it a “compelling opportunity” for his practice and client base. 

“The entrepreneurial culture at Katten was also an attraction both in terms of its nimble approach to client service and as a partnership itself. The firm has a winning track record with laterals and is able to attract the type of talent that is conducive to servicing clients’ needs with precision. As my practice continues to grow, that has become increasingly relevant,” he added. 

Following Keen’s departure Withers’ Houston office is left with a trio of associates working in trust, estates, international wealth planning and personal tax, according to the firm’s website. 

A spokesperson for Withers commented: "We wish Kevin luck for the future. Texas remains an important jurisdiction for us and for our clients, whom we will continue to assist through our team of experienced attorneys. We look forward to announcing new recruits as we invest in expanding the size and strengths of the team."

The top 30 UK firm, best known for its private client work, has been focused on beefing up its US presence of late. The firm added trust and estates partner Caryn Young from Day Pitney in New York last December, a few months after it hired Hollywood divorce lawyer Samantha Klein ­from Los Angeles firm Wasser Cooperman & Mandles to launch a US family practice.

The firm also set up shop in Boston last year as well as Dallas, hiring a trio of life sciences and venture capital partners from Burns & Levinson for the launch alongside a patent specialist from Hamilton Brook Smith & Reynolds.