The move is the culmination of a long-standing desire by Reed Smith to move into the Lone Star State, as more than half of its largest clients have operations in Houston.

New partners

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 the firm’s energy & natural resources industry group (ENR), two join the US commercial litigation practice and one each join the life sciences health industry (LSHI), labour & employment, financial industry, and intellectual property groups.

'Strategic objective'

‘Establishing an office in Houston is an important strategic objective for the firm,’ said Gregory Jordan, Reed Smith’s global managing partner. ‘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.’
The six partners joining the ENR group are: Lee Haag and Chris Watt from Fulbright & Jaworski; Paul Turner, formerly of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan; Craig Enochs and Daniel Nossa from Jackson Walker; and Charles ‘Stan’ Perry from Haynes & Boone.
In the US commercial litigation practice, the two new partners are Kenneth Broughton and Francisco Rivero, both formerly with Haynes & Boone.
The firm’s LSHI group gains Stephen Scheve, formerly of Baker Botts, while Wanda Holloway joins the labour & employment practice from Seyfarth Shaw and Carol Burke, formerly with Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, joins the financial industry group. Robert Riddle completes the list, joinging the firm’s IP practice from Baker Botts.