Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani welcomes ten attorneys who will join the Environmental, Commercial Litigation, and Tort & Product Liability practice groups in the firm’s Austin, Dallas, and San Francisco offices.  The group includes six partners, two of counsel, one senior counsel, and one associate, all of whom previously practiced with Hawkins Parnell & Young, LLP. Christopher Ege, Ranelle Meroney, Ashley Presson, Kimberly Solomon, Amy Welborn, Kirk Martin, Taylor Yetter and Travis Weaver join the Austin office.  Troy Helling joins the Dallas office.  Lisa Lazarus joins the San Francisco office. 

“The addition of this outstanding group strongly complements our 50 state platform by expanding our existing footprint in Austin and also bolstering our environmental and commercial litigation capabilities in Dallas and San Francisco,” said Dion Cominos, Firmwide Managing Partner.  “These are first rate practitioners who are well known and respected in the industry, but also terrific people who will fit seamlessly into our collegial culture.”

Christopher Ege is partner in the Austin office.  As a trial lawyer for over 20 years, he has extensive experience defending companies in high risk litigation in Texas and throughout the United States, including business litigation, product liability, toxic exposure cases and employer liability claims.  His clients range from several large Fortune 500 companies to individuals and small business owners.  He has also served as a resource on tort reform issues for Senate and House Committees in the Texas Legislature.  He serves as national trial counsel and national coordinating counsel to several corporations in environmental and toxic tort litigation. 

Troy Helling is partner in the Dallas office.  He represents small local businesses to large global corporations in high-risk litigation throughout the United States.  He has experience litigating premises liability, personal injury, commercial disputes, employment matters, breach of contract, non-compete provisions, fraud, and deceptive trade practice claims.  He participates in all stages of litigation from the inception of a case through trial and appeal.  He has obtained favorable results for his clients across Texas and throughout the country.

Ranelle Meroney is partner in the Austin office.  She has been a trial lawyer for more than 35 years and has tried over 100 first-chair jury trials across the state of Texas.  She focuses primarily on the defense of personal injury, property damage, employment, and construction cases, with a special emphasis on premises liability matters.  She is board certified in personal injury trial law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  She also serves as a lecturer for the Trial Advocacy Program at the University of Texas School of Law.

Ashley Presson is partner in the Austin office.  She develops and implements successful and cost-effective national litigation strategies in complex cases involving product liability, premises liability, and toxic tort claims. In this role, she has defended aluminum, plastic, rubber, joint compound, and chemical manufacturers in multiple jurisdictions.  She also represents clients in the technology and transportation sectors and advises them on contractual, privacy, and intellectual property matters.  Presson served as a briefing attorney for Justice Paul W. Green at the Supreme Court of Texas. 

Kimberly Solomon is partner in the Austin office.  She has a wide range of experience in Texas and California defending clients in commercial, product liability, and toxic tort litigation. She also represents clients in labor & employment disputes and professional liability matters.  Her experience in high-risk litigation includes pretrial preparation and investigation, dispositive motion practice, and developing fact and expert witness testimony.  Her trial experience benefits clients not only at trial, but also during earlier phases of litigation and in negotiations.  As national coordinating counsel, she has managed all phases of litigation in hundreds of cases across the country, including trial settings, expert witnesses, and trial preparation.  

Amy Welborn is partner in the Austin office.  She is an accomplished trial lawyer with more than 20 years of experience representing corporations and individuals in litigation involving business disputes, property damage, construction, employment, professional liability, trucking defense, subrogation, and personal injury defense.  Additionally, she represents professionals and corporations in administrative and government matters.  Ms. Welborn has tried over 20 cases to verdict and frequently parachutes into a case before trial begins.  She is a former President of the Austin Bar Association and the Austin Young Lawyers Association.  She served on the State Boar of Texas Board of Directors and currently serves on the Women in the Profession Section Board.  Ms. Welborn is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and is Preeminent rated by Martindale Hubble.  Ms. Welborn represents all types of businesses from the largest of corporations to small startup corporations.  

Lisa Lazarus is of counsel in the San Francisco office.  She focuses on toxic tort and product liability litigation. Lisa represents and defends corporate clients in all aspects of complex litigation from the pleading stage through mediation, trial, and settlement.  She has taken the depositions of hundreds of plaintiffs, witnesses, and medical experts and has drafted and argued discovery motions and dispositive motions that have resulted in dismissals for clients.  Lazarus has successfully defended product manufacturers, suppliers, contractors, and premises owners.

Kirk Martin is of counsel in the Austin office.  He represents large global corporations in complex litigation involving occupational safety and health issues, including environmental contamination, construction safety, and toxic exposures from asbestos, benzene, and numerous chemicals.  With more than 40 years of experience as a certified industrial hygienist, he brings a unique perspective to developing litigation strategies and advising clients in the risk management of projects and current liabilities.  Prior to practicing law, Martin spent more than a decade as an environmental chemist and industrial hygienist with Fortune 500 corporations, including Texaco and Union Carbide Corporation.  He received a Bachelor of Science in environmental science from Lamar University and Master of Science in industrial hygiene from Texas A&M University.

Taylor Yetter is senior counsel in the Austin office. He primarily focuses on the defense of personal injury, property damage, employment, and construction cases, with a special emphasis on premise liability matters. He also represents businesses in commercial disputes over breach of warranty, contracts, and other transactions. He participates in all phases of litigation, including attending pretrial hearings, written discovery, depositions, drafting motions, and attending trial.

Travis Weaver is an associate in the Austin office.  Weaver represents companies in premises liability, product liability, and toxic tort litigation.  He is regularly involved in all facets of litigation, from legal research to trial preparation.  Weaver has prior experience at a plaintiff firm focusing on toxic tort and pharmaceutical cases.  Having experience on both sides of the bar, he is able to lend a unique perspective to his clients.

As the only law firm with offices and attorneys in all 50 states, Gordon & Rees delivers maximum value to our clients by combining the resources of a full-service national firm with the local knowledge of a regional firm.  Featuring more than 1,000 lawyers nationwide, we provide comprehensive litigation and business transactions services to public and private companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations.  Founded in 1974, Gordon & Rees is recognized among the fastest growing and largest law firms in the country.  The firm is currently ranked among the 25 largest law firms in the U.S., the top 40 firms for diverse attorneys, and the top 15 firms for female attorneys in the AmLaw 100.