Dallas, Texas, August 15, 2024 – Michael Baum, Erika Bright, David Drez, Jacob Fain, Chris Fuller, Andrew Gould, Jeffrey Hellberg, Scott Hotchkiss, Marcia Jackson, Charles Keeble, Sean Lemoine, Brant Martin, Dan McCarthy, Brett Myers, Rusty O’Kane, Todd Phillips, Brett Pinkus, Jason Rudd, Bryan Wick, Rob Wills, and Matt Zucker have each been selected for inclusion in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®.
Michael, recognized in Litigation – Labor and Employment, represents parties in employment-related and complex business litigation. He handles matters such as disputes arising out of non-competition agreements and employment contracts, claims of breach of contract, tortious interference, theft of trade secrets, partnership disputes, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and business disparagement. This is Michael’s fifth year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Erika, recognized in Insurance Law and in Litigation – Insurance, represents policyholders in trials and arbitrations against insurance carriers and advises clients on all insurance-related topics, including how to minimize risk, draft indemnity agreements and obtain optimum insurance coverage. She also has a strong track record of success in representing clients in complex business disputes, commercial litigation, and construction matters. This is Erika’s thirteenth consecutive year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
David, recognized in Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Construction, and in Oil and Gas Law, represents clients in a broad range of commercial disputes through all phases of litigation at the trial and appellate levels and in industries including energy, real estate, transportation, and construction. A seasoned trial lawyer, he counsels clients in matters involving royalty disputes, breach of contract, non-compete agreements, fraud, and bankruptcy-related litigation. This is David’s sixth year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Jacob, recognized in Oil and Gas Law, represents royalty owners, pipeline contractors, and service companies, among others in the oil and gas industry. He also has a broad range of commercial litigation experience including contract-based disputes in arbitrations, trials and appeals, partnership and company agreements, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and real estate. Jacob is being recognized for the first time by Best Lawyers®.
Chris, recognized in Real Estate Law, leads the real estate practice and represents developers, lenders, property owners, landlords, and tenants in leasing, acquisition and sales, finance, land-use planning and development transactions, and complex multifamily development transactions. He also routinely advised clients on the formation and dissolution of partnerships and joint ventures in connection with the structuring of real estate transactions. This is Chris’s sixth year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Andrew, recognized in Employment Law – Management and in Litigation – Labor and Employment, leads the labor and employment practice and provides counsel to clients in federal wage and lawsuit claims, federal and state employment discrimination claims, wrongful discharge claims, and unfair labor practice claims. His experience spans a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, manufacturers, aviation, professional services, and pharmaceuticals. This is Andrew’s seventh consecutive year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Jeff, recognized in Appellate Practice, leads the firm’s appellate section. His practice focuses on all aspects of trial and commercial litigation, from pre-lawsuit resolution, trial, post-trial activity, and appeal of judgments rendered by a trial court. Jeff has represented individuals, small business owners, financial institutions, and Fortune 500 companies in all types of disputes. Jeff has successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in numerous bench trials, jury trials, and arbitrations. In addition, Jeff has successfully represented appellants and appellees in the state and federal appellate courts. This is Jeff’s second year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Scott, recognized in Real Estate Law, represents clients in a wide range of real estate and business transactions, focusing on the representation of clients in connection with the financing, acquisition, development, and disposition of raw land and commercial buildings, as well as representing both lessors and lessees in connection with commercial leases. Scott is being recognized by Best Lawyers® for the first time.
Marcia, recognized in Litigation – Labor and Employment, represents employers in single and multi-plaintiff employment lawsuits, wage and hour collective actions filed under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and disputes involving non-competition covenants and employee benefits litigation. This is Marcia’s first time being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Charles, recognized in Insurance Law, concentrates his practice in insurance coverage and commercial litigation. Charles has achieved many notable victories, including wins in the United States and Texas Supreme Courts. This is Charles’s third year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Sean, recognized in Commercial Litigation, is an experienced trial lawyer and has successfully represented owners, partners, shareholders, and businesses in connection with a wide variety of commercial litigation matters, including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, disparagement, tortious interference and defamation. Sean is being recognized by Best Lawyers® for the first time.
Brant, recognized in Commercial Litigation, Franchise Law, Litigation – Bankruptcy, and in Litigation – Intellectual Property, represents clients on all facets of trial and commercial litigation, from pre-lawsuit disputes, through discovery, jury selection, argument, and post-verdict practice across a broad spectrum of industries, including financial institutions, medical devices, investment funds and their sponsors, and gaming. This is Brant’s thirteenth consecutive year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Dan, recognized in Trusts and Estates and in Tax Law, is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Tax Law and Estate Planning & Probate. He works with closely held businesses and their owners to devise business structures to minimize income and estate tax, facilitate effective business succession plans, and protect assets. Dan focuses his practice on federal income and estate and gift taxation matters with a particular focus on pass through entities such as partnerships, limited liability companies, and Subchapter S corporations. This is Dan’s sixth consecutive year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Brett, recognized in Litigation – Labor and Employment, is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Civil Trial Law and Labor and Employment Law, Brett guides businesses through a variety of matters, including employment litigation, noncompetition provisions and protection of proprietary information, wage and hour disputes, employment policies and risk avoidance practices, and investigation of employee misconduct. This is Brett’s sixth time being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Rusty, recognized in Appellate Practice, focuses on a variety of commercial litigation and corporate counseling matters. He focuses on all forms of contract disputes, with special emphasis on Texas Anti-SLAPP cases, franchise disputes, landlord/tenant disputes, restrictive covenant and non-compete cases, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and theft of trade secrets. Rusty has successfully represented individuals, small business owners, financial institutions, and Fortune 500 companies in all types of matters, both as plaintiffs and defendants, including pursuing and defending requests for injunctive relief and trying multiple cases to verdict. This is Rusty’s second year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Todd, recognized in Litigation – Construction and in Litigation – Real Estate, is a founding partner of Wick Phillips and has practiced in the area of complex commercial litigation for more than 20 years. He has litigated a wide range of complex commercial matters concerning various subjects, including disputes involving contract and business tort issues, partnership disputes, landlord/tenant and other real estate disputes, lender liability matters, construction law, health care litigation, and various bankruptcy-related matters. Todd has represented and counseled a broad spectrum of clients, from local companies and individuals to Fortune 500 companies. This is Todd’s second year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Brett, recognized in Litigation – Intellectual Property, primarily focuses on patent, trademark, and trade secret litigation. He represents clients in federal district court cases throughout the country, appeals to the Federal Circuit, and post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, such as Inter Partes Review (IPRs). Brett is being recognized for the first time by Best Lawyers®.
Jason, recognized in Bankruptcy and Creditor Rights/Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Litigation – Bankruptcy, leads Wick Phillips’ restructuring, creditors’ rights, and bankruptcy practice. He represents debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, and creditor committees in Chapter 11 cases. In Chapter 7 proceedings and post-confirmation matters, he represents trustees and litigation trusts in recovering and administering estate assets, including the prosecution of preference, fraudulent transfer, breach of fiduciary duty, alter ego, and other insolvency-related litigation. This is Jason’s fifth time being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Bryan, recognized in Commercial Litigation and in Litigation – Bankruptcy, is a founding partner of Wick Phillips and has successfully litigated many complex commercial and bankruptcy matters for both plaintiffs and defendants, domestically and abroad. He has also been effective in prosecuting and defending numerous bankruptcy matters, such as avoidance and fiduciary actions. This is Bryan’s twelfth consecutive year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
Rob, recognized in Real Estate Law, has a strong background in all types of real estate, including industrial, office, multi-family, retail and mixed-use projects, corporate facilities, and multi-state portfolios. His practice focuses on the representation of developers, lenders, property owners, landlords and tenants in leasing, acquisition and sales, finance, land-use planning, and development transactions. Rob is being recognized by Best Lawyers® for the first time.
Matt, recognized in Corporate Law and in Mergers and Acquisitions Law, is the department chair of Wick Phillips’ corporate section, which consists of the mergers and acquisitions, finance, and funds formation and advisory practice groups. He regularly represents a wide variety of public and private companies in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, equity and debt offerings and commercial lending. He also counsels companies on corporate governance, securities law disclosure and compliance, and corporate strategy. Matt has represented companies both domestically and internationally in a broad range of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, telecommunications, financial services, technology, real estate, retail, healthcare and media. This is Matt’s second year being recognized by Best Lawyers®.
ABOUT BEST LAWYERS®
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ABOUT BEST LAWYERS
Wick Phillips is a full-service business law firm serving clients across Texas and the United States. Founded in 2004, the firm has grown to more than 85 attorneys, specializing in all areas of business law—complex commercial litigation and appeals, corporate transactions, labor and employment, real estate, intellectual property, bankruptcy, insurance coverage, tax, and securities—with offices in Austin, Dallas, and Fort Worth.
For more information, visit www.wickphillips.com.
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