Houston office continues to grow with addition of six attorneys
Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s Houston office continues to grow, with the addition Emmanuel Almaraz, Mary ‘Katy’ Andrade, Greg Henson, Lucas Meng, Jonathan Stasney, and Hannah Strawser who joined the firm as associates in the Commercial Litigation; Corporate, Securities & Finance; Labor & Employment; and Tax Controversy practice groups.
With a total of 12 lawyers joining since the beginning of 2023, Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s Houston office now has 90 attorneys. In anticipation of continued growth, the firm is renovating its Houston headquarters. The approximately $6 million of office improvements will include new community amenities, bring more natural light throughout the office space, and create a collaborative space for the way law firms work today to elevate all employees’ experience. The growing law firm has recently expanded and is currently renovating its San Antonio office and has previously added 4,500 square feet to its Atlanta office.
"Our midsize, entrepreneurial firm offers a unique opportunity for up-and-coming attorneys to flourish and quickly develop their practices with the guidance of experienced mentors, allowing us to attract exceptional legal talent,” said Larry Campagna, managing shareholder for Chamberlain Hrdlicka. "Ambitious young attorneys appreciate hands-on experience working with our clients, who expect both the high-level expertise typically found in larger law firms and the personalized service that our midsize firm delivers.”
Emmanuel Almaraz is an associate in the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice. He has represented a wide range of clients, including individuals and businesses of all sizes, from small partnerships to Fortune 500 companies. At Chamberlain Hrdlicka, he will handle a variety of commercial issues, including complex breach of contract, corporate controversies, and commercial landlord-tenant disputes. Almaraz started his legal career as a prosecutor in Chicago where he first and second-chaired jury trials, litigated dozens of hearings and bench trials, and drafted several appellate respondent briefs. His fluency in Spanish helps him communicate with witnesses and clients in preparation for settlement negotiations and trial.
Almaraz graduated from Northern Illinois University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He obtained his law degree from DePaul University College of Law, where he was the Executive Text Editor for the DePaul Journal of Healthcare Law and participated in the Asylum and Immigration Legal Clinic. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Houston Young Lawyers Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association and the Hispanic Bar Association of Houston.
Mary “Katy” Andrade joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka as an associate in the Commercial Litigation practice. Her experience includes representing clients in various tort claims, such as motor vehicle accidents and wrongful death cases.
Andrade graduated from Tarleton State University with a bachelor’s degree in English and obtained her law degree from South Texas College of Law Houston. She is a member of the Texas Association of Defense Counsel.
Greg Henson joined the firm as an associate in the Corporate, Securities & Finance and Real Estate practice in Houston. With more than seven years of legal experience, Henson advises private equity firms and private and public companies in connection with corporate and transactional matters, including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, private placement offerings, structuring and negotiating investment funds, and general corporate matters. Prior to joining Chamberlain Hrdlicka, he practiced corporate law at a Houston-based international law firm and as in-house counsel for a Houston-based international real estate investment manager and developer, focusing on real estate investment funds and joint ventures.
Henson earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and government, with honors, from the University of Texas at Austin, and his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas.
Lucas Meng joined Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s Labor & Employment practice. He is an active litigator in federal and state court, where he defends clients in a wide variety of employment law matters, including claims arising under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act. His experience includes representing employers on various aspects of traditional labor law, including unfair labor practice charges under the National Labor Relations Act. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he actively litigated issues pertaining to religious and disability discrimination under state and federal law. Prior to joining Chamberlain Hrdlicka, Meng worked as an associate with a DESRIPTOR law firm in Austin. He has also previously served as a law clerk for the Hon. Robert F. Castaneda in the Western District of Texas and for the Hon. Nelva G. Ramos for the Southern District of Texas.
Meng graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He obtained his law degree, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was the editor-in-chief for the American Journal of Criminal Law. He’s been named among “Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyers in America® in 2023.
Jonathan Stasney joined the firm as an associate in the Tax Controversy practice, where he was previously a summer associate. Prior to starting his legal career, he worked as a Certified Public Accountant in State and Local Tax at KPMG and as a tax analyst in the Tax Department at Tokio Marine HCC, a multinational insurance underwriter.
Stasney graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting, magna cum laude, from Texas A&M University, and received his law degree and an LLM in Taxation from the University of Houston Law Center. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, Tax Section and the Houston Bar Association, Taxation Section.
Hannah Strawser joined the firm as an associate in the Labor & Employment practice, where she will focus on a cross-section of commercial litigation matters including labor and employment issues and business disputes. Prior to joining Chamberlain Hrdlicka, she was a trial attorney at a boutique commercial litigation law firm in Houston. She has previously served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Judge Frances H. Stacy and was a law clerk in the Financial Litigation and Charitable Trusts Division for the Texas Attorney General office.
Strawser graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, cum laude, from Texas A&M University. She obtained her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center, where she was a member of the Journal of Consumer and Commercial Law and the Student Bar Association and made the Dean’s List.