HOUSTON — O’Melveny announced today that Garrett Johnston has joined the firm’s Houston office as a partner in its Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group. Johnston is the latest in a series of highly regarded lawyers who have joined O’Melveny in Texas, bolstering its already outstanding private equity team in the state, a press release states.
Since June 2021, O’Melveny has added a total of nearly 60 lawyers—including 23 partners—to its Austin, Dallas, and Houston offices.
Johnston comes to O’Melveny from the Houston office of McGuireWoods, where he was a partner in the firm’s Corporate & Private Equity Department. He is a trusted advisor to middle-market private-equity firms that invest in the technology, business services, healthcare, energy, and industrial sectors. Johnston’s clients have come to rely on his knowledge of corporate and transactional matters, including M&A, joint ventures, employment and equity incentive arrangements, and corporate governance. Johnston also counsels his corporate clients on securities, finance, and executive compensation.
From 2019-2021, Johnston served as counsel in the Houston office of Willkie Farr and is reuniting with three former Willkie Farr colleagues who joined O’Melveny’s Houston office in April: partners Angela Olivarez, Steven Torello, and Ryan Cicero.
“We are delighted to welcome Garrett to O’Melveny. His significant knowledge and connections throughout the middle-market private-equity arena will support our rapidly expanding presence in Texas and help serve our clients across the country,” said O’Melveny Chair Bradley J. Butwin.
“I’m honored to join O’Melveny and I’m looking forward to joining my former colleagues in helping to grow the firm in Texas,” Johnston said. “Working with this group of stellar attorneys is a privilege.”
Johnston earned his J.D. from Boston College Law School and his B.A. from Stanford University.