McDermott Joins Big Law Austin Rush, Raiding Baker Botts IP Team

McDermott Will & Emery has officially opened a new office in Austin, Texas, poaching a team of intellectual property lawyers from rival Baker Botts.

“Austin is a vibrant and exciting market for both clients and top talent and we are delighted to be part of its strong growth trajectory—it’s a natural fit for us” Ira Coleman, McDermott’s chairman, said in a statement.

Big Law firms have flocked to Austin in the last three years, citing the city’s growing tech presence and desirability among lawyers as a place to live. Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Quinn Emanuel, Urquhart & Sullivan, O’Melveny & Myers and Morrison & Foerster are among major firms opening Austin offices since 2021.

McDermott has been actively seeking to open a location in the state’s capital since at least last year. McDermott also has offices in Houston and Dallas.

The firm is focusing its Austin play on intellectual property work, often in high demand from tech and life sciences companies. The firm’s client roster includes Panasonic Corp., Merck & Co. and Tesla Inc., whose chief executive officer, Elon Musk, moved the company’s headquarters to Texas last year.

“In addition to this fantastic group of intellectual property expertise, there is also wonderful alignment with our power alley practices—particularly technology, healthcare and litigation—that we very much look forward to building on,” Coleman said.

The eight partners fleeing Baker Botts for McDermott are Kevin Meek, Syed Fareed, Stephen Hash, Paula Heyman, Brian Oaks, Margaret Sampson, Nick Schuneman and Brett Thompsen, according to the firm.

“We’re excited that this tailor-made IP group is launching McDermott in Austin and have no doubt that we will have more expansion developments to announce in the very near term,” said Michael Poulos, the firm’s head of strategy.

Produced with assistance from Bloomberg Law Automation.