Matthew A. "Matt" Kairis

Jana S. Baker is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Jana S., who practices law in Dallas, Texas, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Jana S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Wayne B. Whitham has over 30 years of experience in counseling public and closely-held companies and individuals in general corporate, securities, and partnership matters, mergers, acquisitions, dispositions, leveraged acquisitions and recapitalizations, venture capital transactions, securities offerings, financings and joint ventures and similar matters. Mr. Whitham has worked on behalf of clients from a broad range of industries, including manufacturing companies, real estate firms, technol...

W. Brent Shellhorse is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation. W. Brent, who practices law in Fort Worth, Texas, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which W. Brent is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

John Penn is a partner in the Business practice focusing on bankruptcy and workouts. During his more than three decades of counsel, John has represented secured and unsecured creditors, debtors, trustees and unsecured creditor committees in major and high-profile reorganizations and insolvency proceedings. John is a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and past president of the American Bankruptcy Institute. He is certified by both the American Board of Certification and Texas Board o...

Chris Nickelson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice and Family Law. Chris, who practices law in Fort Worth, Texas, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Chris is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mr. Biermacher, a director of the Firm, is the most senior member of the Litigation Section in the Dallas office. His general broad trial and appellate practice and experience representing clients on both sides of the docket not only encompass personal and bodily injury defense provided on behalf of insureds and self-insured entities arising out of catastrophic injury, wrongful death, toxic and mass tort, sick building, false arrest, rape, defamation and professional negligence claims, but al...

Olivia Adendorff is a litigation partner in the Dallas and Washington, D.C., offices of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. She has broad experience in consumer protection, false advertising and antitrust matters, with particular experience in FTC investigations, private antitrust litigation and class actions. She defends corporations in a wide variety of industries, including Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and technology companies. Olivia has acted as trial and appellate counsel in both individual and cla...

Sheryl Anne Self is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Real Estate Law. Sheryl Anne, who practices law in Dallas, Texas, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sheryl Anne is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Liz Schartz represents management in client counseling and litigation of employment and labor law matters. Her expertise includes litigating discrimination, wage-and-hour, employee benefit, and state-law contract and tort claims; counseling employers on sensitive personnel and complex employment law matters; workplace investigations; employee classification issues; executive compensation, change-in-control, and separation issues; drafting and litigating non-competition and related covenants; ...

Darren Hauck is partner-in-charge of the firm’s Dallas office. He concentrates his practice on domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, outsourcings and other large commercial transactions, with an emphasis on technology and the travel and travel service industries. Darren’s practice has involved a wide variety of complex transactions, often involving three or more negotiating parties of more than one nationality. He also has advised clients on the crea...