N.Y. law firm expands to Houston with eye toward energy

New York-based corporate law firm Shearman & Sterling announced Thursday that it has officially planted its flag in Houston with six law partners it hired from three existing firms in Texas.

With 850 lawyers worldwide, Shearman now has 22 offices around the globe and $917 million in revenues, the New York Law Journal reports.

The six new lawyers joining Shearman in Houston are corporate oil and gas M&A partners Hugh Tucker, Jeremy Kennedy and Coleson Bruce from Baker Botts; M&A partners Sarah McLean and Todd Lowther from Thompson & Knight; and Jones Day oil and gas partner Omar Samji.

Tucker, who chaired the Baker Botts oil & gas and projects practice groups, will lead Shearman’s Texas operations. McLean, according to Texas Lawbook data, advised in more mergers and acquisitions than any lawyer in Texas in 2017.

“The opportunity to be a part of Shearman’s global energy team, the complementary fit to the skill sets we bring in Houston and Austin, the opportunities it presents for the younger lawyers in our group to be successful and, for me, the challenge of growing an office in a very competitive marketplace here in Houston were key,” Tucker said.

Shearman senior partner David Beveridge told The Texas Lawbook that the firm’s long-term plan is to expand its Texas head count to 50 to 60 lawyers, including 20 partners.

“This is really important for our energy group,” Beveridge said. “We already have a strong practice in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and Europe, so this completes the loop for us.”