Polsinelli Shughart PC expands its platform with the addition of a Dallas, Texas office. Polsinelli Shughart adds to its transactional practice by adding M & A attorneys in Dallas, the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States.
“As our health care and corporate practices have grown, and as the economy continues to improve, Dallas is a natural next step in providing transactional services to clients,” said Polsinelli Shughart Chairman Russ Welsh. “We plan on building the Dallas office on the base of our core practices as we have recently done in Chicago, Phoenix and Denver. Dallas is great city and with a dynamic business and legal community. We are very pleased to be able to now serve clients in Texas.”
The addition of Dallas expands the firm’s national footprint to eight states and 16 cities. Currently the firm stretches from Phoenix to Washington, D.C. Welsh says initially three attorneys will practice in firm’s Dallas office. The firm anticipates adding lawyers to the Dallas office in the next few years.
“Dallas is part of our strategic growth plan. We wanted to begin our Dallas office with a group of very talented and experienced attorneys who share our commitment to service and value. Bill Swart and Jon Henderson fit the bill and will now join our large national health care and corporate practices. We also look forward to becoming part of the Dallas business community,” said Welsh.
The new attorneys in Dallas include:
• Shareholder Jonathan K. Henderson focuses his practice on representing physician groups, hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, home health agencies, hospice agencies, retail clinics, dialysis companies and other health care industry providers, suppliers and investors on a broad range of transactional and regulatory matters, with an emphasis on health care business mergers and acquisitions. He is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association, a board member of the Health Industry Council of the North Texas Region and the founder of the Southwest Healthcare Transactions Conference.
• Shareholder William E. Swart concentrates his practice on private equity transactions, including acquisitions and divestitures, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, finance, commercial lending and board of director representations.
• Associate Chad K. Knight has experience with mergers and acquisitions, general corporate and securities law, with a concentration on health care including transactional and regulatory issues related to recent reform legislation.
While the addition of a Dallas office is new for the firm, Polsinelli Shughart has a prior Texas connection. Former Dallas Congressman Martin Frost is a shareholder in the Washington, D.C. office of Polsinelli Shughart. Frost represented the Dallas-Ft. Worth area in the U.S. House of Representatives for 26 years (1979-2005) prior to joining the firm. During his time in Congress, Frost served as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus (the third ranking leadership position for House Democrats) and was dean of the Texas delegation in his last several terms in Congress.
In addition to Dallas, the firm previously added a Jefferson City, Missouri office and brought in large groups of shareholders at once in Denver, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. The National Law Journal recently ranked Polsinelli Shughart as having the third largest gain in attorneys from 2009 to 2010, growing 13 percent. This expanding platform, the firm’s entrepreneurial spirit and its strategic growth are attracting sophisticated lawyers across the country to the firm.
“We’re growing, yes, but at a sustainable rate,” said Welsh. “We’re listening to what our clients need and are responding in ways that are good for them and our firm.”
For more information contact Public Relations Manager Heather McMichael, 816-395-0618, hmcmichael@polsinelli.com
About Polsinelli Shughart PC
With more than 530 attorneys, Polsinelli Shughart PC (www.polsinelli.com) is a national law firm that is a recognized leader in the areas of business law, financial services, real estate and business litigation. Serving corporate, institutional and individual clients, Polsinelli Shughart is redefining the business of law by sharing ideas, goals and outcomes with its clients. The firm builds enduring relationships by creating value through our legal services - with passion, ingenuity and a sense of urgency. The firm has offices located in Kansas City; St. Louis; Phoenix; Chicago; Denver; Washington, D.C.; New York; Dallas; Wilmington, Del.; Overland Park, Kan.; St. Joseph, Springfield, and Jefferson City, Mo.; Topeka, Kan.; and Edwardsville, Ill.