Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. > Dallas North, United States > Firm Profile

Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. > The Legal 500 Rankings

Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing) Tier 2

Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. harnesses the bench strength of a footprint spanning the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region, to advise on the enforcement and management of major global portfolios across a diverse spectrum of industries, including those of the Dallas Cowboys, Starz Entertainment, and AT&T. The team is led by David Bell in Dallas, who applies experience to Trademark Trial and Appeal Board proceedings, specializes in clients in telecoms, music, apparel, and consumer products. Also in Dallas, Jeffrey Becker employs longstanding expertise in brand management, Purvi Patel Albers brings expertise to social media counseling and internet enforcement, including oppositions, cancellations and Uniform Dispute Resolution Proceedings, Rob LeBlanc handles complex product launches, and Tiffany Ferris manages risks associated with advertising claims and the availability of potential trademarks. In New York, Erin Hennessy advises clients in the publishing, tech, retail, fashion, and financial services sectors, where associate Annie Allison utilizes a background as a former TV news producer and reporter, to counsel media and entertainment clients. Joseph Lawlor in New York and Mike McArthur in Dallas were both promoted to partner in January 2023.

Finance > Structured finance: derivatives and structured products Tier 3

Counting international banks and other financial institutions among its key roster of clients, Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. handles a range of derivatives, including commodity and energy-related swaps, in addition to over-the-counter products, hedging agreements and regulatory matters. Praised for his ‘business-side experience’, Matthew Frankle represents banks and broker-dealers in equity financing transactions, while Brian Sung focuses on derivatives and commodities transactions, with demonstrable experience in cryptocurrency. Energy expert Phil Lookadoo has a strong Dodd-Frank Act and CFTC regulatory compliance practice, and Giorgio Bovenzi advises international banks on cross-border structuring of financial products. Practice heads Todd Cubbage and Monika Sanford (Singh) operate from the firm’s Charlotte and Austin offices respectively, and Houston’s Kim Mai is another key contact in the group. All named partners are based in the firm’s New York office, unless stated otherwise.

Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas Tier 3

Based in Texas, Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. focuses on litigation surrounding highly technical oil and gas issues, in addition to commercial litigation cases. The practice counts prominent market players, including ConocoPhillips and Shell, among its key roster of clients. With experience in state and federal courts, as well as in international arbitration, the team has experience across a wide range of disputes, including operating agreements, lease termination disputes, royalty litigation and midstream disputes. Craig Stahl handles high-end commercial litigation across the majority of oil-producing states between the Gulf of Mexico and the Canadian border, on behalf of major energy producers, pipelines, marketers and royalty trustees. Michael Mazzone frequently represents companies in environmental contamination disputes, as well as toxic tort cases and construction litigation, while Jeffrey Kuehnle handles a broad range of cases arising out of the oil and gas industry in the federal and state courts.

Insurance > Advice to policyholders Tier 3

Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. has experience in handling litigation at the state and federal level and in arbitrations and appraisals, with strengths in advising clients on third party liability and first party property insurance disputes in addition to indemnity matters concerning corporate transactions. Dallas-based Ernest Martin Jr. leads the practice, supporting corporate policyholders in complex coverage disputes. Barry Buchman, based in Washington DC, handles toxic tort and environmental general liability claims while Leslie C. Thorne, who splits time between New York and Austin, advises on environmental, product and professional liability among other issues. Counsel Michael J. Stoner, based in Dallas and Palo Alto, assists clients with first party loss and third party liability claims, while Dallas-based associate Emily Buchanan specializes in liability and property and casualty coverage disputes.

Intellectual property > Patents: prosecution (including re-examination and post-grant proceedings) Tier 3

Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. has a strong reputation for its abilities in the IP field, with a nationwide offering led by Alan Herda and David O’Dell in Dallas, New York's Richard Rochford, and  Washington DC-based Jeffrey Wolfson. The firm regularly acts for noteworthy clients in the medical devices and new technologies industries, including Paypal, Cisco and Twitter, advising on the full-range of matters, encompassing patent counseling, IP-related agreements and due diligence, and particularly regarded for its inter-partes review and re-examination work, a key example of which being its high-profile representation of medical device company Orthofix, Inc in its merging with Seaspine, wherein the team obtained two favorable rulings at the PTAB. Dallas-based David McCombs is renowned for his work at the PTAB and is the primary contact for many of the firm’s key clients, while  Austin’s Raghav Bajaj is also a key up-and-coming name for PTAB and inter-partes proceedings.

Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)

Haynes and Boone, L.L.P.’s ‘extraordinary appellate team’ ranks among the market leaders in Texas, yet the firm’s appellate activity extends far beyond its home state to encompass federal and state courts of appeal across the country, with its record before SCOTUS particularly impressing. US Supreme Court practice chair Daniel Geyser splits his time between Denver and Dallas; he has argued 13 cases before SCOTUS, including recently representing Alexandru Bittner in a high-stakes dispute over tax-related penalties. Other key contacts include Dallas-based Ben Mesches, who leads the appellate practice group, and Houston’s Mark Trachtenberg, who is ‘brilliant, thorough, attentive, and passionate about his work’.

Energy > Energy litigation: electric power Tier 4

With a strong presence in the Texas energy industry, Haynes and Boone, L.L.P.‘s experience within power litigation includes representing clients in complex business, regulatory and tort litigation. The team has experience acting for a wide range of clients including investors and lenders, transmission and utility distributors, and power cooperatives. Noteable is the firm’s extensive history working with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Practice co-head Leslie C. Thorne, who is based in New York and Austin, has litigated and arbitrated cases for clients in both the conventional and renewable energy spaces. Ben Mesches, who co-leads the group from Dallas, is an appellate practitioner in the electric power sector. He is currrently representing Panda Power before the Texas Supreme Court in a case that will determine whether ERCOT enjoys sovereign immunity.

Healthcare > Life sciences Tier 5

Finance > Financial services regulation Tier 6

The financial services regulation practice at Haynes and Boone, L.L.P. offers ‘broad expertise‘ in global credit risk management, margin regulation and derivates and commodities work. Charlotte-based Todd Cubbage shares leadership of the team with Monika Sanford, who works out of the firm’s Austin office; in New York, credit risk management expert and ‘highly effective and knowledgeable’ Giorgio Bovenzi is another standout, working alongside managing partner and executive committee member Craig Unterberg, whose practice revolves around margin regulatory work and structured equity.

Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas