Show options

About

Thirty-plus years ago we built a law firm around the needs of the client, focusing on responsiveness, relationships, efficiency, and purposefully selecting our bench.

We work hard to avoid bureaucracy. As a result, we’re able to maintain an agile, nimble and efficient approach, providing a level of efficiency, expertise, affordability and results that lead to real bottom-line value.

The secret to building lasting relationships is to provide direct access to responsive attorneys who are committed to serving your best interest. We have built our firm with a purposefully selected bench of confident, experienced attorneys who possess the expertise, skills and experiences needed to address your most pressing business needs.

Our firm has a broad depth of experience and is equipped to assist virtually any business with its legal matters. Our combination of business experience and deep industry expertise enables us to provide a one-stop shop for small, large and growing businesses.

Areas of Practice:

LITIGATION

Commercial Litigation: Commercial litigation is what we do best. We prosecute and defend all types of commercial and business disputes in both state and federal courts, as well as arbitrations and mediations. We are exceptionally experienced in cases involving contract claims, real estate disputes, construction, banking, Uniform Commercial Code, Texas Deceptive Trade Practices claims, general and limited partnership disputes, complex commercial fraud matters, lender-liability disputes, and antitrust claims.

Corporate, Business and Securities Litigation: Corporate governance issues are a core competency of Hallett & Perrin. We have extensive experience handling an broad array of complex corporate control actions, including shareholder disputes, class actions, shareholder derivative actions, acquisitions and sale of assets disputes, and business “divorces.” We also represent broker-dealers, underwriters, investors, outside/inside directors, management, registered representatives, and corporate and individual defendants in a host of actions, including violations of state and federal securities laws, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, and other business torts in various forums, including state and federal court and FINRA arbitration.

Personal Injury/Wrongful Death Defense: Our attorneys have successfully defended all types of personal injury and wrongful death cases, including actions involving catastrophic injuries and mass torts that span a wide range of negligence scenarios. Past cases in this area include individuals, entities within the healthcare industry, manufacturers of products, and carriers in the transportation industry.

General Tort Litigation: The majority of disputes in civil litigation that are tried to verdict involve negligent acts, omissions or defective products. Our trial attorneys have handled an array of these cases over the years. They are well-respected in courtrooms across the state for the vigorous defense they provide our clients in general negligence and product liability matters involving commercial transportation companies, medical device manufacturers, nursing home and long-term care facilities, construction companies, chemical companies and distributors, individuals or business owners of property against whom premise liability claims are made by third parties or employee workplace non-subscriber liability claims are asserted.

CORPORATE & SECURITIES

Through our longtime representation of several international clients in the manufacturing industry, we have developed specific experience in many of the commercial arrangements utilized throughout the world. This includes substantial experience in the preparation and negotiation of service and supply agreements, lease agreements, employment contracts, joint venture arrangements, distribution agreements and license and technical assistance agreements. Hallett & Perrin has a broad corporate and securities practice that includes the representation of public and private corporations, general partnerships, joint ventures, limited partnerships, limited liability companies, non-profit companies, trade organizations, sole proprietors and other forms of business entities, both our clients, from organization, capital formation and financing, to commercial transactions, mergers and acquisitions.

Our diversity of our clients is one of our greatest strengths. We represent clients in a wide array of industries, including aerospace, broadcasting, construction, entertainment, financial services, food services, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, packaging, personnel services, pharmaceuticals, real estate development, retail, technology and telecommunications. Our clients range from established, NYSE-listed public companies, to startups, to LBO funds and investment bankers, and we serve them in a wide variety of capacities. For some clients, we supplement their in-house legal staffs by providing highly specialized advice in technical areas, such as SEC or campaign finance matters. For others, we handle discrete transactions such as significant acquisitions or public securities offerings. Other clients retain us to act, in effect, as general counsel in respect to all legal matters facing their organization.

BANKING & FINANCE:

Commercial Financing: We represent lenders and borrowers in all types of secured/unsecured financing transactions, including senior, mezzanine, and subordinated debt financings and complex collateral arrangements that involve both UCC Security and non-UCC collateral governed by the federal and state law.

Syndicated Lending Transactions: Hallett & Perrin represents arrangers and banks in multiple-lender credit facilities in each of the leveraged, middle market and investment-grade marketplaces. Our expertise includes working with clients in connecting with structuring revolving, term, swingline, letter of credit and acceptance facilities.

Investment Banking: Our attorneys represent financial institutions, private equity investors, and other financial entities in the financing of corporate mergers and acquisitions, as well as the public and private placement of securities.

Structured Finance: Trustees, issuers, and underwriters turn to Hallett & Perrin for representation in connecting with the securitizations of various asset types. We have particularly extensive experience in dealing with commercial mortgage and residential mortgage-backed securities.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

More than simply providing the paperwork for this transaction, our goal is to be actively involved in negotiating and structuring transactions that will achieve your immediate needs and interests while affording you the flexibility to accomplish your long-term goals and objectives. We have been actively involved in acquisitions on both the buyer and seller side, involving both strategic and financial buyers.

Our long-term representation of several clients with active acquisition strategies affords us the ability to bring industry-relevant expertise to consummation of the transaction. We are able to tailor the scope of our representation to the clients’ needs. In some cases, we serve as special counsel for M&A issues while in other cases we are involved in the earliest negotiations, management of due diligence efforts and data rooms and representation of a party in all phases of the transaction.

TAX

Our taxation practice group provides counseling in all matters involving federal, state and local tax issues. Working in close collaboration with our other practice groups, we offer comprehensive tax support, including forming and operating all forms of business organizations, structuring debt and equity financings, acquisitions, divestitures, corporate restructurings and tax-oriented investments, and executive compensation agreements.

Our tax attorneys also provide expertise in resolving tax disputes with federal, state and local tax authorities. We have the ability to work closely with in-house tax counsel on a transactional basis in identifying and resolving tax-related problems. We also provide tax advice to foreign individuals and businesses that are interested in engaging in business in the United States, as well as U.S. taxpayers wishing to engage in business outside of the United States.

REAL ESTATE

Acquisitions and Dispositions: We provide representation in the purchase and sale of real estate projects of all types, from initial contract negotiation through closing, including due diligence review and title and survey.

Development: We represent developers in all stages of the development process, including financing, acquisition, construction, leasing and sale.

Raising Capital: We assist clients in the formation and enrollment of private equity funds, and guide clients through traditional joint ventures, partnerships and equity sale.

Finance: We help banks, private funds, REITs and borrowers navigate the landscape of real estate finance, including mortgage lending, asset-based finance, mezzanine lending, development loans, interim construction loans, workouts and restructurings. We assist clients from the letter of intent through collection and foreclosure, and everything in between.

Leasing: Our attorneys have experience negotiating office, retail, industrial, healthcare and other commercial leases, including ground leases. With experience representing landlords and tenants, we understand the complexities and subtleties of the process from both sides.

LABOR & EMPLOYMENT

We have successfully litigated all types of wrongful discharge claims, workers’ compensation retaliation claims, and employment-related personal injury claims such as defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, and the invasion of privacy. We also have successfully litigated cases involving employee health and safety issues, unemployment compensation issues, and the employment obligations of federal contractors.

We combine our litigation and administrative experience with our specialized knowledge of employment laws to aggressively represent the rights of employers. Our expertise has been put to the test in employment cases in state and federal courts and in arbitration hearings throughout the United States.

We also counsel employers on the legal implications of day-to-day employment decisions involving hiring, disciplining employees, proposed employment policies, non-competition and confidentiality agreements, social media issues, employment security issues, reductions in force, and involuntary terminations. We provide practical advice designed to minimize the likelihood of litigation resulting from employer decisions, and in the event there is litigation, to place the employer in the best possible position to defend any claims.

HEALTHCARE

Our substantial experience in the healthcare industry includes representation of:

  • Physicians and physician practice groups
  • Ambulatory surgery centers
  • Durable medical equipment and infusion suppliers
  • Hospitals
  • Physician practice management companies
  • Rehabilitation facilities
  • Clinical laboratories
  • Pharmaceutical and pharmacy companies
  • Biotechnology and bioinformatics firms

Often, we draw upon the knowledge of attorneys in our other practice groups, including corporate and securities, tax, employment and real estate, to offer comprehensive advice to our healthcare clients.

Languages

  • English and Spanish

Memberships

  • Chambers

Staffing Figures

  • President, Managing Shareholder Leland de la Garza
  • Firm Director, Corporate Section Chair Timothy Vaughan
  • Firm Director, Litigation Section Chair Monte Hurst
Content supplied by Hallett & Perrin