June 30, 2015 – Just 30 months after opening its doors with a dozen top-tier partners, Reed Smith’s Houston office is home for nearly 50 attorneys and is a linchpin of the firm’s global network and energy and natural resources practice.
Today Sandy Thomas, Reed Smith’s Global Managing Partner, announced Kenneth E. Broughton as Houston’s first Office Managing Partner. Broughton assumes responsibility for day-to-day management of the firm’s Houston office from Integration Partner David A. Thompson, who is credited with launching and sustaining the firm’s trajectory in Houston since January 2013.
Thompson will return to his practice in San Francisco, which focuses on both public and private commercial real estate and sophisticated development projects in the energy, financial services, technology and utility industries.
“David has done an exemplary job establishing Reed Smith in Houston,” said Thomas. “He is a force of nature and his drive and commitment have been key factors in our successful recruitment of exceptional personnel, expansion of services and development of new clients. We are fortunate to have professionals of his caliber willing to devote themselves to such essential office development responsibilities. David has made the Houston office an integral part of our firm and created a rock-solid foundation for our future growth in the Lone Star State and beyond.”
“It has been a privilege to work with such a talented group of lawyers and it is bittersweet to be leaving an office and city for which I have great affection,” said Thompson. “I am very proud of what we have accomplished in Houston and know I am leaving the office well-positioned for our continued growth.”
Broughton was among Reed Smith’s first dozen Houston lawyers, joining the firm’s U.S. Commercial Litigation Practice from Haynes and Boone in January 2013.
“It’s already been an exciting period of startup and expansion, but Reed Smith’s growth in Houston has just begun,” said Broughton. “We expect to more than double in size in the next few years, as a part of our strategic plan to meet clients’ business needs. Partners in this office have been instrumental in promoting and supporting this phenomenal growth; and I look forward to working with this team down the path of continued lateral recruitment, business development and expansion.”
A graduate of Baylor University School of Law, Broughton was named a Texas SuperLawyer in Business Litigation from 2004 through 2014, and a SuperLawyer in Employment and Labor in 2011 and 2012. Broughton has served as lead counsel in numerous trials and arbitrations, and his practice has taken him to federal, state and bankruptcy court venues and arbitration panels all over Texas and throughout the United States, as well as proceedings in foreign countries including Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Hong Kong.
“Ken is an experienced, successful trial lawyer, with strong leadership and management skills that make him a natural choice to assume the Houston Office Managing Partner role,” said Thomas. “He is well-connected to the community, and we know he will continue to build our presence and enhance our reputation as a leading firm in key industry sectors, including energy and natural resources, financial services, life sciences and health care, and media and entertainment.”
Thomas also announced the firm will continue to utilize a rotation of partners from other offices of the firm to the Houston office as a means of sustaining its integration efforts for the foreseeable future. Diane Frenier, a partner in Reed Smith’s Princeton office and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, will office in Houston for six months, beginning fall 2015, to expand and enhance her national and global life sciences transactional practice and extend the Houston office’s corporate capabilities.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,800 lawyers in 26 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, entertainment and media, shipping and transport, energy and natural resources, real estate, manufacturing and technology, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
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