Reed Smith has expanded its Labor & Employment (L&E) Group, announcing that Paulo McKeeby and Michael Correll have joined as partners in its new Dallas office. McKeeby and Correll bring more than 37 years of combined experience litigating and advising clients on complex labor and employment matters. They are joined by associate Amanda Brown, who brings additional expertise in both employment and traditional labor counseling and litigation. McKeeby and his team were previously at Morgan Lewis, where McKeeby was the labor and employment practice leader in the Dallas office and served as the co-chair of the Texas labor and employment practice.
“Paulo, Mike, and Amanda are excellent additions to our group, and are the types of sophisticated lawyers we are looking to attract to service clients at the highest levels,” said Mark Temple, global practice group leader for Reed Smith’s L&E Group. “I know Paulo’s skill set first-hand, having practiced together at another firm, and look forward to working with him again.”
McKeeby is an experienced L&E attorney, skilled in all areas of employment law, including litigation involving Title VII, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the Family and Medical Leave Act. His practice includes handling individual, collective, and class actions in state and federal court, as well as employment cases related to non-competition and trade secret disputes. He earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and received an undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee.
“I was very happy at my previous firm, but the excitement and energy associated with the opening of Reed Smith’s Dallas office was frankly overwhelming,” said McKeeby. “The opportunity to be part of that process at a firm with a prestigious and national labor and employment law presence was what motivated me to join Reed Smith.”
Correll’s practice focuses on defending employers against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful discharge. He has extensive experience litigating FLSA collective actions, including matters involving donning and doffing, exemption misclassification, and independent contractor misclassification. He has also handled a wide range of Americans with Disabilities Act employment and public accommodation claims. Correll received his J.D. from Stanford University Law School, where he served as managing editor of the Stanford Journal of Law, Business & Finance and president of the Stanford Moot Court Board, and his B.A. from Southern Methodist University.
“Reed Smith made the move an easy choice. The firm’s ability to attract such a strong team of experienced lawyers from premier practices across Dallas to open its new office, and its drive to make a serious investment in the north Texas market, made clear that it was poised to do big things,” commented Correll. “Add in its first-rate team of labor and employment lawyers across the United States and abroad, and Reed Smith simply presented the kind of extraordinary opportunity that very rarely, if ever, comes along.”
Over the past 18 months, Reed Smith’s L&E Group has grown significantly. The group has added lawyers in many of its major markets with experience litigating complex labor and employment matters, as well as advising on and handling a broad spectrum of other regulatory issues. The arrival of Paulo, Mike, and Amanda add to this tremendous growth and create new opportunities for further expansion of the practice.
Reed Smith’s Dallas office continues to be active in recruiting talented lawyers in the market. Earlier this week, the firm welcomed Elizabeth Brandon as a partner in its Global Commercial Disputes Group, which followed the arrival of Jorge Gutierrez to its Energy & Natural Resources Group in May.
“Our goal is to ensure that the Dallas office reflects the firm as a whole, in terms of culture, diversity, and the range of services and capabilities we provide our clients. Guidance on labor and employment issues is an area of vital importance for our clients, so, in keeping with our strategic plan for Dallas, we sought out the best in the market to help build the L&E practice as we continue to expand our full-service capabilities,” said Brian Mitchell, co-managing partner of Reed Smith’s Dallas office. “We wholeheartedly welcome Paulo, Mike and Amanda as the inaugural group of labor and employment attorneys to call our Dallas office home.”
Source: www.reedsmith.com
