(AUSTIN and HOUSTON) February 3, 2014 – Locke Lord Partners Brad B. Hawley, John R. Nelson and David Patton have been elected to the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation.
Each year, just one-third of 1 percent of State Bar members are invited to become Fellows.
Fellows of the Foundation are selected for their outstanding professional achievements and their demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout the state of Texas. Once nominees are chosen, they must be elected by the Texas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees. The election is a mark of distinction and a recognition of their contributions to the legal profession.
Hawley and Nelson practice out of the Firm’s Austin office. Patton practices in Houston.
Hawley represents financial institutions and real estate development clients in structuring, documenting, and negotiating the acquisition, disposition, development, leasing, and financing of improved and unimproved commercial property. Consistently recognized in Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America, Hawley has been primary outside counsel for numerous publicly traded real estate companies and financial institutions around the world for more than 25 years.
Nelson is a business litigator and trial lawyer. He handles all types of business disputes, including contract and trade secret matters. Over his career, he has also resolved cases dealing with securities, intellectual property, construction, personal injury, and product liability. Nelson represents both locally owned and publicly traded companies, as well as individuals and not-for-profit organizations. He has been named a Rising Star by Texas Monthly’s Top Texas Lawyers publication for both Business Litigation and Securities Litigation.
Patton is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Energy Practice Group was named to Houston Business Journal’s 2013 “Who’s Who in Energy In Houston,” a list of the paper’s top 100 most influential Houston business leaders in the energy industry. He has over 35 years of experience in various legal aspects of the oil and gas industry, including acquisitions and sales of assets or equity interests, drafting and negotiating leases, contracts, and agreements related to operations. He was named by Best Lawyer in 2012 as Houston Lawyer of the Year in Oil & Gas. In addition, he is Chair-Elect of the Oil, Gas and Energy Resources Law Section of the State Bar of Texas.
Locke Lord consistently ranks among American Lawyer’s top 100 U.S. law firms. The Firm’s full range of practice and industry areas serve national and international clients from offices in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. It has an excellent reputation in complex litigation, regulatory and transactional work, with its 650-plus attorneys building collaborative relationships and crafting creative solutions – all designed and executed to meet clients’ long-term strategic goals.
