The move of widely known appellate lawyer Mike Hatchell to Haynes and Boone, LLP received media attention in the legal and business press. He joined the firm as counsel in the firm’s Austin office. Hatchell is a recipient of the Texas Bar Foundation’s Greg Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award, and Chambers USA 2017 described him as the “dean of Texas appellate practice.”
His move was covered by Texas Lawyer (subscription required), Bloomberg Big Law Business, Texas Lawbook (subscription required), Law360 (subscription required) and SE Texas Record. Highlights:
Law360 (subscription required), Sept. 7:
“Joining Haynes and Boone at this stage of my career is both an honor and new challenge,” he said. “It is an honor because the firm has grown smartly by keeping appellate practice as one of its highly respected, core practices, and, consequently, has attracted and kept a broad bench of enviable appellate talent. It is a challenge because the firm deals with cutting-edge legal issues and maintains a serious commitment to scholarship and excellence in the principals of appellate persuasion.”
He said he plans to continue a “full and active” appellate practice at Haynes and Boone, working alongside the other appellate practitioners in the group, many of whom he's previously worked with collaboratively or opposite.
Texas Lawyer (subscription required), Sept. 7:
He said that after conversations with Haynes and Boone partners Nina Cortell and Anne Johnson, who are longtime friends, he realized that his skills are a good fit for his new firm. …
Hatchell and lawyers at Haynes and Boone have collaborated and shared many appeals over the years, Hatchell said, adding that he is currently working on appeals for Samson Exploration and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.
Texas Lawbook (subscription required), Sept. 12:
Mike Hatchell, a leader of the Texas appellate bar, has joined forces with longtime friends Nina Cortell and Anne Johnson at Haynes and Boone.
SE Texas Record, Sept. 19:
Hatchell told the SE Texas Record he was looking forward to his position with Haynes and Boone, which he referred to as the "gold standard."
“We share a lot of the same philosophies about excellence in appellate practice,” he said.
(Note: This post was updated Sept. 22 to add the SE Texas Record.)