National law firm Husch Blackwell announces its significant expansion in Texas with the addition of lawyers from Norris & Weber, a Dallas-based fiduciary litigation boutique, and also the addition of two commercial litigation partners. Six attorneys will join the firm’s Dallas office and its Financial Services & Capital Markets industry unit, strengthening the firm’s complex commercial litigation and private wealth capabilities. The group includes partners Jacob Kring, Mark Fritsche, and Scott D. Weber, senior counsel Brooke Ginsburg Guerrero, counsel John R. Norris III, associate Colin R. Byrne, and law clerk Jackson Goodwin.
Formerly with Norris & Weber, Weber, Guerrero, Norris, and Byrne join Husch Blackwell’s Private Wealth group with a heavy focus on fiduciary litigation, including representing executors/administrators, guardians, and trustees in a variety of claims, assisting beneficiaries with trust and estate issues, and handling complex trust and estate administrations.
Kring and Fritsche are experienced trial attorneys who will join Husch Blackwell’s Commercial Litigation group. Both partners come from Texas-based litigation boutique Hedrick Kring Bailey and bring significant experience handling high-stakes, enterprise-threatening litigation. Their litigation practices span both plaintiff and defense work for clients across multiple industries including public corporations, private companies, and high-net-worth individuals.
“Our firm has approximately 125 lawyers in Texas, and these new arrivals bring additional depth to our bench in handling both complex and day-to-day litigation matters,” said Jacque Albus, the head of Husch Blackwell’s Financial Services & Capital Markets group. “We are in growth mode, not just in Texas, but in numerous key markets around the country, and we are extremely excited to find a group of attorneys who fit into our firm culture and will make an immediate and significant impact.”
“Closing the doors on Norris & Weber was a tough decision. The firm and its predecessor firms had existed for nearly 100 years and developed a strong reputation in the region for putting clients first,” said Weber. “In Husch Blackwell, we found a national law firm with the same client-centered orientation, a highly regarded private wealth team, and a demonstrated commitment to building an elite fiduciary litigation group. It made the decision to join forces much easier.”
“So many of our clients have litigation needs that overlap with complex legal and regulatory subject matter, ranging from real estate and franchise law to intellectual property and energy law,” said Kring. “Mark [Fritsche] and I know that a broader and more national platform with depth in all of those areas will provide immediate value to our clients, and they are going to be excited to have access to all that Husch Blackwell has to offer. We are thrilled to join the firm and look forward to helping continue its strong growth in the Dallas area.”
Partner Profiles
Jacob Kring
Jacob B. Kring focuses on high-stakes cases of great strategic, commercial, and financial importance to his clients. He routinely handles trade secret disputes, oil and gas litigation, trademark litigation, securities fraud claims, shareholder and partnership disputes, employment disputes, and real estate-related litigation. He was named a “Rising Star” from 2012 to 2020 by Texas Super Lawyers, a publication of Thomson Reuters. In 2020, Mr. Kring was recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” by D Magazine, and in 2018 he was recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers Under 40.”
Mark Fritsche
Mark A. Fritsche represents plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of civil litigation, including partnership disputes, departing employee and non-competition lawsuits, landlord-tenant litigation, contract disputes, and commercial real estate-related litigation. His client roster includes individuals, closely held partnerships, and large corporations.
Scott D. Weber
Scott D. Weber is a veteran trusts and estates lawyer with a focus on fiduciary litigation, including defending executors/administrators, guardians, and trustees against a variety of claims and assisting beneficiaries with trust and estate issues. In 2015 and again in 2022 Best Lawyers recognized him as Lawyer of the Year in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area for Trusts and Estates litigation. He has been a “Texas Super Lawyer” since 2006 and recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” by D Magazine since 2021.
