Leah B. Nommensen

Brittany Sakowitz is a corporate partner in the Houston and Austin offices of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, concentrating her practice on mergers and acquisitions and private equity. Brittany advises private equity and venture capital investors, their portfolio companies, and other public and private companies across a broad range of industries, including infrastructure, energy and energy-related services, renewables, technology and digital infrastructure. She primarily counsels clients on public...

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...

With over two decades of experience as a litigator, Chris Hanslik’s practice has spanned the full spectrum of commercial and business litigation, including contracts, business torts, securities and corporate governance, oil and gas, lender liability, trade secrets, non-compete agreements and other employment-related disputes. Recognizing that the last place most business clients want to be is in the courtroom, Chris strives to develop creative, practical, and value-driven solutions to c...

Jessica Guobadia is a litigation attorney and mediator with Kean Miller in Houston, Texas, representing individuals and families in matters involving Elder Law, Trusts and Estates , and Litigation related to trusts and estates. Her practice focuses on guardianship, probate, and mental health commitment proceedings, where she works closely with clients to protect individual rights while helping families and caregivers navigate emotionally complex legal processes. Jessica regularly handles prob...

Zeke DeRose is a member of The Lanier Law Firm’s Commercial Litigation section. He brings extensive experience to plaintiffs and defendants in a range of disputes before courts and in arbitration, including complex commercial and business litigation, antitrust, licensing disputes, merger disputes, qui tam (under both state and federal False Claims Act), federal securities, and intellectual property. He has represented both large and small clients across the nation in federal court, arbi...

Neal Sweeney is a partner in the Litigation Practice Group. He focuses his practice exclusively on construction law and government contracts. Drawing on his more than 30 years of experience with the construction industry, Neal counsels clients on major infrastructure and P3 projects such as transit, airports, highways, wastewater treatment, and tunnels. He is also involved in energy and industrial projects linked to clean technology and renewable sources, including hydro, solar, wind, geother...

Barry is a Director in the Real Estate and Affordable Housing and Community Development sections of Coats Rose. His practice concentrates on the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing under various federal and state programs and inner city revitalization projects utilizing tax exempt financing tools. A large portion of Barry’s practice includes the representation of housing authorities in the redevelopment of obsolete public housing. Barry has particular expertise in the S...

Bob Collie serves as bond, disclosure, and underwriters’ counsel in tax-exempt bond transactions for clients including cities, counties, school districts, and special authorities throughout Texas. He has also worked on education, transportation, utility, aviation, port, convention center, and sports facility financings. Bob draws on his experience as City Attorney of Houston to represent local governments as special counsel in joint public/private development, election, redistricting, a...

Joshua Mermis’ focus is on litigation relating to construction, energy, product liability and business law. He has extensive experience conducting both jury and bench trials, as well as arbitrations. His litigation experience is broad, ranging from homeowner claims to multimillion dollar commercial projects throughout Texas. Joshua represents domestic and international companies including developers, general contractors, subcontractors, product and equipment manufacturers, as well as in...

John is a Director in the Real Estate Section. His practice involves the representation of clients in matters related to real estate development, banking, corporate/partnership matters and special purpose districts used to finance development, including municipal utility districts, levee improvement districts, and tax increment financing districts. He has also represented clients in connection with negotiating Chapter 380 and Chapter 381 development agreements with both cities and counties in...