Jackson Walker Expands Real Estate and Transactional Practices

During the month of January, Jackson Walker proudly welcomed Joe Flack, David Parker, and John Wittenberg as partners in the Houston and San Antonio offices. In addition, the Firm added Dana Murphy as senior counsel in the Dallas office.

“We’re proud to kick off 2020 with the addition of four lateral attorneys who each bring proven track records of obtaining successful results for regional and national clients in the energy, finance, and corporate sectors,” Managing Partner Wade Cooper said. “The new year is off to a great start as we continue to build on our strategic hiring efforts and serve our clients in the robust Texas market and around the country.”

Meet Joe

Focused on oil and gas transactions, Joe F. Flack’s substantial upstream representations include buyers and sellers in acquisitions and divestitures, borrowers and lenders in reserve-based lending transactions, and grantors and grantees in conveyancing transactions. He also has led various diligence examinations with regards to property and title issues.

Additionally, Joe has handled midstream matters for gatherers and producers/shippers in gathering agreements, and processors and producers in processing agreements. He also offers broad experience related to energy transactions, including exploration and development agreements, farmout agreements, participation agreements, joint operating agreements, gas gathering agreements, processing agreements, and oil and gas leases.

“Jackson Walker has a long-established presence in the energy sector—especially in the state of Texas,” Joe said. “I am proud to join this leading team and leverage my experience handling oil and gas transactions to help solve clients’ complex legal issues.”

On welcoming Joe to the Firm, Energy Practice Chair Mike Pearson noted, “We have a proud legacy of providing cutting-edge legal advice to energy businesses in Texas and nationwide. With Texas leading the nation in energy production, Jackson Walker has had great success in providing counsel in every segment of the industry. We’re excited to have Joe join our team as he adds breadth and depth to our experience in upstream and midstream energy transactions, including in particular acquisitions and dispositions, and energy finance.”

Joe received both his J.D. and B.A. from The University of Texas at Austin.

Meet David

David Parker focuses on all facets of development, leasing, and the acquisition, disposition, construction, and financing of various real estate projects. His representative clients vary widely across numerous industries, including oilfield services, healthcare, retail, and industrial, residential, office, and mixed-use developments. Prior to private practice, David was an analyst and lender at a leading Texas bank.

“Jackson Walker has established itself as a leading law firm in the real estate industry and has handled many high-profile real estate transactions within Texas and across the nation,” David said. “I am excited to join an elite group of attorneys who practice across a broad spectrum of areas, while also offering great value to my clients.”

Houston Real Estate Chair Lewis Kasner noted: “The Houston office is thrilled to have David join our team. Real Estate is a core practice area at Jackson Walker, with the Firm maintaining one of the largest real estate groups in Texas and Houston. David represents our strategic vision to grow the size and expertise of our real estate practice, and our ability to handle all facets of buying, selling, financing, developing, and operating commercial real estate.”

David received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and his B.B.A., cum laude, from Texas Tech University.

Meet John

Bringing previous experience as an executive vice president and corporate counsel at one of the 60 largest U.S. banks, John D. Wittenberg, Jr. represents banks and other financial services companies on commercial finance, real estate finance, equipment finance, and business transactions.

With nearly 30 years of multifaceted and multidisciplinary transaction experience, John concentrates on syndicated transactions, direct lending transactions, secured financings, acquisition and bridge financings, refinancing facilities, loan workouts and restructurings, and other types of complex credit facilities. He also has significant experience handling regulatory compliance, vendor contract, capital markets, public funds, and treasury management matters, along with commercial real estate—acquisition, disposition, leasing, and development—transactions.

On his decision to return to private practice, John said, “The opportunity to help Jackson Walker enhance and expand its banking and financial services practice and contribute to its Real Estate practice is exciting and compelling. I’m honored to be a member of the JW team.”

“A number of our attorneys have known and worked with John over the years, and his extensive banking and financial services experience are a terrific fit for us,” said Debbie Robinowitz, who chairs the Firm’s Finance & Banking practice. “With the dual-lens perspective and client-centric approach that John brings to our Finance team, we can continue to expand our presence in commercial and real estate lending markets locally, regionally, and nationally.”

John received his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and his B.A. in Economics, summa cum laude, from St. Mary’s University.

Meet Dana

Dana F. Murphy counsels high-net worth individuals, family-owned businesses, publicly traded entities, and private equity and operational investors related to mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and commercial contracts. In her practice, she handles entity formation and structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and drafting and negotiating loan instruments, master services agreements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, and real property transfer documentation.

“What drew me to Jackson Walker was the fact that it’s a regional firm that isn’t small,” Dana said. “I look forward to growing my practice while working at a law firm that is known for its mid-market transactions for investment funds as well as M&A deals.”

“Dana’s broad experience in corporate matters, specifically related to corporate governance and complex commercial contracts, is a strong value add for our clients,” said Mike Taten, who chairs the Dallas office’s Corporate & Securities practice.

Dana received her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Mississippi and her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law.

Meet JW

Founded more than 130 years ago, Jackson Walker has played a vital role in the growth and development of Texas business. With more than 400 attorneys across seven Texas-based offices, the Firm represents Fortune 500 companies, multinational corporations, major financial institutions, insurance companies, and a wide range of public companies and private businesses around the globe. The Firm is ranked nationally in 27 practice areas in the U.S. News’ “Best Law Firms” rankings, has eight Chambers USA-ranked practices and 16 practice areas with Chambers-ranked attorneys, and has been recognized on the BTI Client Service A-Team since 2014. Learn more at JW.com.