Overview
DALLAS (June 1, 2015) — International law firm McDermott Will & Emery today announced a decisive expansion of its Dallas office as two new teams of leading M&A and technology and outsourcing lawyers joined the Firm.
The two new teams, which may comprise up to 15 lawyers, arrive from the Dallas office of another AmLaw 50 law firm. With these additions, the number of lawyers in McDermott’s Dallas office more than doubles as the Firm moves to take advantage of new strategic opportunities in this important and growing market. The two new groups, taken together, add a technology focus to McDermott’s transactional practice that complements its existing strengths in adjoining practices such as Intellectual Property (IP) and Health.
The new Dallas M&A team includes three partners, widely recognized for their extensive public and private company M&A expertise and with particular experience in cross-border (inbound and outbound) M&A transactions across the Asia-Pacific region and Western Europe.
- Wilson Chu, who will lead the Dallas M&A team, focuses on private domestic and cross-border M&A transactions for large U.S. and international companies. Mr. Chu is well known throughout the United States M&A community for having created the American Bar Association’s influential M&A Deal Points Studies. Mr. Chu is also founding co-chair of the University of Texas Mergers & Acquisitions Institute and the founding conference chair of the International Financial Law Review/Inter-Pacific Bar Association’s Asia M&A Forum in Hong Kong.
- Soren Lindstrom represents clients in complex U.S. and international mergers and acquisitions, tender offers and strategic alliances. He also advises clients in capital market transactions and corporate governance matters. A native of Denmark, Mr. Lindstrom has substantial experience in advising European companies in U.S. legal matters, including in connection with international M&A transactions.
- Greg Hidalgo advises private equity and other clients in complex public and private M&A transactions, joint ventures, capital markets transactions and corporate governance matters. Mr. Hidalgo’s clients span a broad range of industries, including consumer products, energy, health care, manufacturing, retail and technology.
The U.S. Technology and Outsourcing team includes three partners and is generally regarded by Chambers USA and other directories as one of the leading such groups in the world.
- Jason Krieser and Shawn Helms will lead the new U.S. Technology and Outsourcing practice, which advises Fortune 1000 companies and global service providers on complex outsourcing and technology transactions. Co-authors of a legal treatise on outsourcing law entitled, “Outsourcing: Law and Business” published by Law Journal Press, Mssrs. Krieser and Helms have broad experience in the areas of information technology, telecommunications, and outsourcing matters, including cloud computing, licensing and technology development. Mr. Krieser is individually ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA among Texas Technology and Outsourcing lawyers.
- David Guedry is nationally recognized for more than 25 years of leadership in advising global service providers on highly visible outsourcing and other arrangements. Mr. Guedry represents multinational retailers, manufacturers, airlines, and other service companies in contractual relationships with technology services providers. He is individually ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA among both national and Texas Outsourcing lawyers. Mr. Guedry has been named partner-in-charge of McDermott’s Dallas office.
The new teams join McDermott’s Dallas office following the recent additions of an eight-person Tax Controversy team, led by M. Todd Welty, and a four-person Transfer Pricing team led by Cym H. Lowell. The new Dallas teams complement McDermott’s office in Houston, which opened in 2008 and has strong capabilities in energy, IP, antitrust and white collar work.
“Today, the Dallas Fort Worth region boasts 18 Fortune 500 companies and 12 of Forbes’ top private companies, with a business-friendly environment forecasted to grow steadily in the years ahead,” said Peter J. Sacripanti, co-chair of McDermott Will & Emery. “The area is also a hub for outstanding legal talent and we are delighted to bring aboard some of Dallas’s best lawyers. They are stars of the Texas Bar and business catalysts for their clients, locally and globally. We look forward to working with them to make Dallas the next great success story for McDermott.”
“With our new partners, we have an opportunity to expand our presence in practice areas that are particularly important in Dallas and that match well with a number of the Firm’s strategic interests—including Health, Private Client and Private Equity,” added Jeffrey E. Stone, co-chair of McDermott Will & Emery. “Moreover, our new lawyers will work closely with our Tax Controversy and Transfer Pricing teams to offer a new level of service in Dallas.”
David Goldman, the head of the McDermott Corporate Advisory Practice Group, noted that: “With the addition of these two groups, McDermott has significantly broadened its technology and M&A practices. They will collaborate with our prominent IP, Tax and Health practices such that McDermott will be able to provide differentiating offerings across cutting-edge, global technology transactions and all issues associated with health care IT. Additionally, these two powerhouse teams give us important local capabilities as the Firm moves to expand in the Texas market.”
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, Rome, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
