Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP announced the promotion of nine new partners in the firm’s Dallas and Houston offices, effective April 1, 2007. R. Craig Baker, Steven S. Camp, Michael P. Cooley, John A. Eliason, Brett D. Lamb, Colin Martin, Robert T. Slovak, and Jeannette Vloitos practice in the Dallas office, and John T. Woodruff works out of Houston. With offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Mexico City, Gardere is one of the Southwest’s largest full-service law firms. The firm specializes in the areas of corporate, banking, real estate, bankruptcy, legislative and regulatory affairs, tax, labor, environmental, and intellectual property.
Source: www.lawfuel.com

Winstead has acquired 12 more Jenkens & Gilchrist lawyers, adding to the 18 they already hired from the San Antonio and Austin offices. Six of the new additions come from Winston’s Dallas headquarters; the other half are leaving the Austin office. Jenkens’ numbers have dropped to under 200 attorneys in recent weeks; it is rumored that most of the remaining Dallas lawyers will move to Hunton & Williams.
Source: www.law.com

Texas firm Winstead Sechrest & Minick has gained several new lawyers in three offices around the state. The Austin office welcomed Scott Rhodes; Dallas gained eight new attorneys; and three new lawyers joined the Houston office.
Source: www.nylawyer.com

Fish & Richardson has snared 8 business and litigation attorneys from Texas giant Andrews Kurth. Citing Fish & Richardson’s exceptional IP practice as the main appeal in the move, the new attorneys will bring the Austin office’s total to twenty. On the other side, Andrews Kurth managing partner Rex VanMiddlesworth is disappointed and notes that “…business is strong and our struggle is to just get enough folks to do what we need to do.”
Source: www.texaslawyer.com

San Francisco-based firm Sedgwick, Detert, Moran & Arnold has opened a new office in Austin, the firm’s twelfth in total. Sedgwick has snagged Jackson Walker partner Laura Lee Prather to head the new office. The firm will look to add additional associates immediately. Sedgwick employs a total of 351 attorneys. Source:www.law.com

Dallas firms Munsch, Hardt, Kopf, & Harr and Gardere, Wynne, Sewell have raised associate salaries. Both firms maintain offices in Dallas, Houston, and Austin. Gardere Wynne, who employs 278 attorneys, will now pay first-years $140,000. Munsch Hardt employs over 100 attorneys and has set first-year pay at $135,000. Source: www.law.com

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has raised salaries for Texas associates at all levels. The firm’s first-years will now earn a base of $135,000 with an additional $5,000 bonus. Akin Gump employs 900 attorneys worldwide and has Texas offices in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. Source:www.law.com

Locke Liddell & Sapp has joined the Texas raise bandwagon, bumping first-year salaries in its Austin, Dallas, and Houston offices to $140,000. Associates in its New Orleans and D.C. offices will see the same increase. Source: www.law.com

Baker Botts has increased its Texas associate salaries at all levels to meet the current market trend. First-years will now earn $140,000 with a potential $10,000 bonus, slightly bettering the recent moves by V&E and Andrews Kurth. Baker Botts is based in Houston and has offices in both Dallas and Austin. Source:Texas Lawyer

Houston-based Andrews Kurth has followed Vinson & Elkins lead in raising associate salaries. Details of the changes are as yet unreleased, but will be retroactive to January 1. Andrews Kurth’s Texas offices are located in Austin, Dallas, Houston, and The Woodlands. Source: Texas Lawyer