Wilson Elser has expanded their offices in Texas.
The firm that ranks “among the top 200 law firms identified by The American Lawyer,” is adding nine attorneys from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP to its Houston office, and opening an office in Beaumont with two more attorneys from Lewis Brisbois.
Kent Adams, former managing partner of Lewis Brisbois in Houston and Beaumont, has come on board as the regional managing partner of both of the Houston and Beaumont Wilson Elser offices.
In a press release announcing the expansion, Adams said that he was excited to join Wilson Elser and work with attorneys he held in high respect. He also stated that he and the other attorneys joining the firm had known Wilson Elser attorneys for years and were happy to now call them colleagues.
The attorneys joining Wilson Elser along with Adams are Allison Edwards, Tracy Freeman, Michael Jacobellis and Kristie Johnson, who will be named partners on Jan. 1. Of Counsel State Representative Sarah Davis and Ronald White will be joining the team along with Associates John Busch and Cedar Manganiello. Attorneys Russell Heald and Ross Jones will be named partners in the Beaumont office on Jan.1.
Jacobellis told the Record that he was pleased to be part of the Wilson Elser family. “It’s a good law firm and I joined it with my partner Kent Adams. It’s been a smooth transition and I’m very happy to be there,” he said.
Adams echoed Jacobellis' sentiments and said that the transition has been smooth, and joining Wilson Elser has proved to be extremely beneficial in optimizing their service to their clients in Texas.
Wilson Elser was established in 1978 in New York and currently has nearly 800 attorneys in 29 offices in the United States and one in London. The firm is included in the top 50 of The National Law Journal's survey of the nation’s largest law firms. Of the nearly 800 attorneys, over 300 are listed as partners. The Texas office was opened in 1997 and has nearly 20 attorneys.
Wilson Elser offers legal services in Litigation, Business and Finance, Insurance and Reinsurance, and Government Relations across 22 industries.
Wilson Elser Chairman Daniel J. McMahon said in a press release that the firm couldn’t ask for a more capable and respected firm to join them.
The press statement also announced that the incoming attorneys will be bringing expertise in practice areas that include Admiralty & Marine, Commercial Litigation, Construction, Energy, General Liability & Casualty, Insurance & Reinsurance Coverage, Insurance & Reinsurance Defense, Product Liability, Professional Liability, Toxic Tort, Transportation and a London Market group.
A Wilson Elser’s Austin office was also recently opened in November and it offers clients a broad spectrum of transactional and business matters, which include mergers & acquisitions, commercial contracts & agreements, intellectual property and related litigation.
Wilson Elser prides itself in serving “a growing, loyal base of clients with innovative thinking and an in-depth understanding of their respective businesses.”