Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP has hired Steven D. Rubin from King & Spalding in Houston. Rubin joins the Corporate practice. He focuses his practice on private equity, mergers and acquisitions and securities.

Source:  www.openpr.com

Mayer Brown has made a partner addition to its Houston office.  Dallas Park has joined the firm in the Corporate & Securities practice. He most recently managed the Houston office of Thompson & Knight.

Source:  www.ogfj.com

Blank Rome LLP has gained a partner with 35 years of litigation experience under his belt. Joseph F. Speelman has joined the firm’s Houston office. He joins from LyondellBasell where he was an associate General Counsel.

Source:  www.businesswire.com

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has added Jay Kelley to its Houston office. Kelley joins the energy & infrastructure project practice. He earned his JD from University of Houston Law Center and graduated summa cum laude.

Source: www.ogfj.com

Greenberg Traurig, LLP has hired a new Head of IP Litigation in Texas. Dwayne L. Mason has just joined the firm in Houston. Mason previously practiced at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP.

Source:  www.earthtimes.org

Two sources claim that Latham & Watkins has snagged four partners from Vinson & Elkins. Three of them will be stationed in the firm’s new Houston office. Those are as follows: William Finnegan IV, Brett Braden, Charles Timothy Fenn. Partner Charles Carpenter will join the New York office. They are all to join their respective offices in March or April. Latham’s Houston office opened its doors a month ago.

Source:  www.amlawdaily.typepad.com

John Woodruff rejoins Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP. Woodruff was previously with the firm from 2004 to 2008, afterwhich he joined KPMG LLP. He will be stationed in the Houston office as a partner in the tax group. Gardere is an AmLaw 200 firm with offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Mexico City.

Source:  www.openpr.com

McKool Smith has boosted its Houston office with the hire of Basil Umari. He joins the bankruptcy practice as a principal. Umari received his juris doctorate from The University of Texas School of Law with high honors.

Source:  www.earthtimes.org

Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith is picking up Adams & Herald, an insurance defense boutique. Adams has 11 attorneys in two office: Houston and Beaumont, which means two new offices for the former. Lewis Brisbois has 19 offices across the nation.

Source:  www.nylj.com

Baker Botts has recently laid off lawyers in Texas due to declining demand.  The last round of layoffs was in March of last year.  The firm states that the incoming first years that were promised positions will still have those positions.

Source:  www.nylj.com