U.S. law firm Paul Hastings has hired an eight-partner energy-focused finance team from Vinson & Elkins in Texas, including dealmakers Brian Moss and Christopher Dewar in Houston and Dallas, respectively.
Moss, Dewar, Erec Winandy, Guy Gribov, Bailey Pham, James Longhofer, Rafael Alvarado and Alex Cross have joined Paul Hastings as partners, a person with knowledge of the moves said on Monday.
The lawyers could not be reached for comment. A Vinson spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Paul Hastings two weeks ago hired a trio of Houston-based dealmakers from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The firm, which has 21 U.S. and global offices, opened in Houston in 2012. It does not currently list a Dallas office.
The partners joining from Vinson have represented private credit funds, private equity funds and banks including Bank of America, JPMorgan & Chase and Wells Fargo in a variety of energy industry-focused deal.
The Texas legal market has been attracting a number of out-of-state firms to launch or grow in the state. King & Spalding, another large U.S. law firm, said Monday it has opened an office in Dallas.
Read more: Dallas legal market grows again with King & Spalding launch