Krystie Cals Malara

David Cole is a tax partner in the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. David focuses his practice on tax disputes with trial experience in both federal and state courts. The tax matters David has litigated include disputes with taxing authorities and between private parties. The clients David represents include large and small partnerships, public and private partnerships, corporations, and high net worth individuals. His clients operate across an array of industries, including privat...

Andrew Gould leads the appellate practice at Hicks Johnson PLLC, a litigation boutique with offices in Houston and Chicago. An award-winning former federal appellate prosecutor, Andrew regularly advocates in state and federal appellate courts nationwide. He has served as lead counsel in some 270 appeals and has conducted over 40 oral arguments, including over 25 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He also often appears at the trial-court level to assist with complex motion...

Michael Cancienne is a name partner at Jordan, Lynch & Cancienne in Houston. He is a highly-skilled and experienced litigator who focuses his practice on representing companies as plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of contractual disputes and in disputes involving business torts. He has prevailed in commercial matters across multiple jurisdictions, including state and federal courts. Mr. Cancienne’s courtroom success is the result of listening and preparation. Clients find th...

Sarah Morton concentrates her legal practice on the representation of employers in issues related to labor and employment law, and is the managing partner of FordHarrison's Houston office. Sarah Morton defends management clients in individual and multi-plaintiff actions alleging violations of federal, state, and local discrimination, harassment, and leave and accommodation laws, and in class and collective actions arising under the FLSA and related state wage and hour laws. Sarah is an accomp...

Susan McLerran’s practice encompasses a broad array of family law matters, with a focus on complex divorce proceedings involving marital property characterization, valuation and division, business valuation, taxation, issues related to retirement assets, stock options, restricted stock and employee benefits, and conservatorship, visitation and child support matters, pre-marital and post-marital agreements, and suits regarding modification and enforcement of court orders. Susan’s e...

Victor Cardenas is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Litigation - Environmental and Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants. Victor, who practices law in Houston, Texas, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Victor is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

No stranger to a construction site, John Grayson worked his way through college as a laborer, equipment operator and pouring concrete in the Houston area. While a student, he pumped gas and fixed flats at a service station and worked in the History Dept at Texas A&M University. Grayson is a Principal in Cokinos | Young and represents major contractors, EPC contractors, subcontractors, pipeline contractors and owners, mechanical contractors and owners in complex construction matters across...

Rob Fowler is an executive compensation partner in the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He has extensive experience in the negotiation and drafting of employment and consulting agreements, restrictive covenants, clawback arrangements, golden parachute arrangements and other executive compensation and incentive programs, including the various forms of equity compensation arrangements, and regularly advises clients on issues under Sections 409A and 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code...

Kent Newsome serves as Chair of the firm's Houston Real Estate Practice. He has more than 25 years of experience that includes commercial real estate, real estate development, health care acquisitions and development, financing transactions, and general business law. Kent regularly represents owners and developers of commercial, retail and industrial properties in the acquisition, financing, development, leasing, management and sale of income producing properties, including office buildings, ...

Demetrios Anaipakos is widely considered to be one of the country’s top civil trial lawyers, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in patent and complex commercial litigation for nearly three decades. Among his many high-profile victories, Mr. Anaipakos helped a client obtain, and collect, one of the largest patent judgments in the history of the United States; won jury trials against some of the largest technology companies in the world; and has architected dozens of successful i...