Just three weeks after launching an Austin office—its first in the Lone Star State—O’Melveny today announced the opening of a Dallas office. It will be anchored by four new partners nationally recognized for their leadership in corporate restructuring and complex litigation. Louis R. Strubeck, Jr., Scott Paul Drake, H. Douglas Wabner, and Gregory M. Wilkes join the firm from Norton Rose Fulbright, where Strubeck served as Global and US Head of the Restructuring & Insolvency Practice and Drake was regional Head of Litigation.
The four lawyers, who have practiced together for more than 15 years, are among the most prominent legal teams in Dallas, each experienced in leading high-profile matters for Texas-based and national clients.
Strubeck and Wilkes join O’Melveny’s Restructuring Practice, Drake joins the Bankruptcy Litigation Practice, and Wabner, the Product Liability & Mass Torts Practice. The team will work with lawyers across the firm to support the needs of regional, national, and international clients.
“Today we’re reaffirming what we said last month: O’Melveny is committed to expanding our platform in Texas to better serve our clients’ needs,” said O’Melveny Chair Bradley J. Butwin. “We’re delighted to launch in Dallas with four top-notch partners whose practices build on several of our existing practice and industry strengths. Lou, Scott, Doug, and Greg share our vision for O’Melveny’s Texas platform, and their arrival is a key step toward realizing that vision. We look forward to working with them to better serve our clients.”
“We’re delighted to welcome Lou, Scott, Doug, and Greg to the firm,” added O’Melveny Vice Chair Mark Samuels. “They bring national reputations for excellence in their respective fields and will deepen our capabilities in restructuring as well as in life sciences litigation—areas where O’Melveny is widely considered best-in-class. Each of our new partners is also actively engaged in his community, with exceptionally strong ties to local charities, professional and pro bono groups, and civic and cultural organizations. We feel fortunate to enter Dallas with this great team.”
About the Team
Louis Strubeck brings a diverse, multifaceted insolvency practice, representing major banks and institutional lenders as creditors, creditor and ad hoc committees, distressed and private equity funds, and corporate debtors in large, complex restructurings. He has particular experience in the energy shipping, manufacturing, life sciences, and infrastructure sectors. Chambers USA ranks Strubeck in Band 1, describing him as “one of the most talented bankruptcy lawyers in Texas,” while Texas Lawbook calls him “one of the most prominent bankruptcy experts in the United States.”
Scott Drake is a leading trial lawyer who has prosecuted and defended claims in high-stakes commercial matters, bankruptcy disputes, and class actions, with extensive experience in the energy, health care, manufacturing, retail, financial services, and telecommunications sectors. Thomson Reuters recognized him for eight consecutive years for his work in business litigation.
H. Douglas Wabner is a trial lawyer focused on products liability and class action defense. He has extensive experience in cases involving medical and surgical devices and pharmaceuticals, as well as consumer products, energy, motor vehicles, and industrial manufacturing. He previously served as Norton Rose Fulbright’s US Hiring Partner.
Greg Wilkes represents corporate debtors, secured and unsecured creditor groups, and investors in distressed companies in complex business restructurings as well as litigation-related matters. He has substantial experience in the energy, consumer products, hospitality, technology, real estate, and industrial sectors.
Speaking for the group, Strubeck said, “We’re energized by the opportunity to help build out O’Melveny’s Texas platform and join litigation and restructuring practices that are second to none. We look forward to working with our colleagues in Austin to burnish the O’Melveny brand in Texas.”
O’Melveny opened its first Texas office on June 7 in Austin with four Chambers-ranked lawyers from Thompson & Knight: partners Phillip Oldham, Katie Coleman, and Benjamin Hallmark and senior counsel Rex VanMiddlesworth.
Source: www.omm.com
