Bracewell & Giuliani LLP
01 May 2007
The firm we know today as Bracewell & Giuliani LLP was founded in 1945 in Houston, under the name of Bracewell & Tunks. Today the firm has approximately 400 lawyers practising in 10 offices across the US, the UK and Kazakhstan, hitting the headlines in 2005 with the opening of a New York office, headed by the former New York City Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani.
Bracewell & Giuliani LLP in Who's Who Legal: Texas
Like many Texan outfits, the firm has an office in the four major cities of Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, all of which are represented in this publication. Sixteen individuals from this strong full-service firm feature in nine chapters.
The firm shares the leading position in the labour & employment chapter with Baker Botts LLP. Both firms have four partners on our list. Robert Sheeder is a “very well-respected employment litigator” from Bracewell & Giuliani’s Dallas office with representative clients including Towers Perrin. The “superb” Tullos Wells is managing partner in the San Antonio office where partner George Parker is “one of the deans of labour and employment law in Texas with an outstanding reputation”. Amy Karff Halevy heads the firm’s labour and employment section and came recommended to researchers as a “very good lawyer and a natural speaker”.
Bracewell & Giuliani also performed particularly in Banking with its practice praised for its “well-rounded, client-focused” service. Our sources highlighted Mark Evans as a “first-rate lawyer” with a strong international aspect to his practice. He represents lenders in complex commercial transactions and counts institutions such as Société Générale, BNP Paribas and JP Morgan Chase among his clients. William Hayes possesses another stellar client list, having acted for Citibank NA and JP Morgan Chase Bank and was praised for his “good eye for detail” in the field of financing transactions. The “great” Dale Smith attracted votes for his experience in debt financings and credit enhancement facilities, among other areas.
The firm produced a strong showing in the corporate tax chapter, with a highly rated nominee, Joe Hull, who deals “masterfully with a broad range of matters”, including planning and controversy work on federal, state and local levels.
Two of the firm’s partners are also included in the Environment chapter. Tracy Hester was described to researchers as “one of the smartest people I know – diligent and academic in his approach”. Partner Timothy Wilkins is another “impressive environment lawyer”. According to a number of sources Wilkins is an “expert in environmental management systems and environmental due diligence, a prolific author and very talented at strategic thinking”. His “unique skill-set” and “environmental business transactions practice” ensure his position as one of the leaders in the state.
Further appearances by Bracewell & Giuliani in the commercial litigation, corporate governance, insolvency & restructuring, M&A and oil & gas chapters emphasise the elevated position the firm holds in local legal and business communities.
To see more profiled firms from Texas, vist the Firm Profiles page in the Texas Special Report