Latham & Watkins has hired two litigation partners from Kirkland & Ellis and Winston & Strawn in Texas, ahead of launching an office in Dallas, according to reports.
Taj Clayton and Scott Thomas have joined from the Dallas offices of Kirkland and Winston, respectively. Latham announced the hires in a statement on Tuesday (11 Feb) that did not mention opening in the city. The firm did not respond to a request for comment.
Clayton brings a diverse complex litigation and trial practice covering product liability, mass tort, antitrust, breach of contract and intellectual property issues. Meanwhile, Thomas is a trial lawyer whose practice spans commercial litigation, securities litigation and white collar matters in federal and state courts, including in Texas, New York and California.
Bloomberg Law reported that Clayton, who represented the Dallas Mavericks in a lawsuit alleging negligence and vicarious liability, is expected to lead Latham’s new Dallas office. He and Thomas practised together at Fish & Richardson before joining Winston & Strawn in 2017 as founding partners of its Dallas office, with Clayton moving over to Kirkland in 2020.
Nick Dhesi, managing partner of Latham’s Houston office, said the duo’s practices “intersect seamlessly with our strengths across not only litigation but also M&A, capital solutions and private equity, further enabling us to quickly assemble the right team of legal advisors for our clients’ most important matters”.
He added: “Bringing Taj and Scott on board reflects our connection and commitment to the Texas market and our focus on growth that aligns with the market’s expanding needs.”
Latham first opened in Texas in 2010, setting up shop in Houston to target energy and infrastructure work. In 2021, it also opened an office in Austin focused on emerging companies, technology and life sciences in the region, and currently lists nearly 190 lawyers across the two offices.
The firm’s reported intention to open in Dallas would see it become the latest in a string of Big Law firms drawn to the city by growing opportunities for transactional as well as litigation work in sectors including private equity, energy and infrastructure, healthcare and tech.
Last month, Dechert said it was opening in Dallas after hiring a team of more than 20 partners from McDermott Will & Schulte, while last summer Willkie Farr & Gallagher added a trio of private equity partners to the Dallas office it opened in 2024. Other entrants over the past few years include Blank Rome, Quinn Emanuel and Seyfarth Shaw.
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