News

Efren Acosta
Partner
Houston


Scott Paul Drake
Partner
Dallas


Patrick Joseph Gallagher
Partner
Minneapolis


Michelle Pardo
Partner
Washington, D.C.


Carlos Rainer
Partner
Houston


Peter Stokes
Partner
Austin


Mohammed Al-Ghamdi
Partner
Riyadh

Fulbright has elevated six senior associates and a senior counsel from core practice areas to join the firm’s global partnership spanning 16 cities worldwide.

The new Fulbright partners are: Efren Acosta, Houston; Scott Paul Drake, Dallas; Patrick Joseph Gallagher, Minneapolis; Michelle Pardo, Washington, D.C.; Carlos Rainer, Houston and Peter Stokes, Austin. Also Mohammed Al-Ghamdi was admitted as a partner in Fulbright & Jaworski International LLP in the firm’s Riyadh location.

“We are delighted to welcome this outstanding group of new partners, who come from diverse backgrounds and practice areas ranging from white collar defense, intellectual property and securities litigation to those providing guidance on transactions in Latin America and the Middle East,” said Steven B. Pfeiffer, the Chair of Fulbright’s Executive Committee. “Each understands and embodies our firm’s commitment to putting the needs of our clients at the forefront and offering top-notch service. They represent the future of our firm.”

Litigation and Dispute Resolution

Scott Paul Drake is a commercial litigator who represents national and international companies in a broad range of business litigation matters. He primarily focuses on prosecuting and defending claims in complex business disputes in a variety of industries, including the healthcare and securities industries. Having appeared in state, federal and bankruptcy courts across the country, Drake represents a geographically diverse set of clients. He received his J.D. with honors from The University of Texas School of Law in 2000 and his B.B.A. in Management from Texas A&M University in 1997. Drake was admitted to practice law in Texas in 2000.

Michelle Pardo focuses on complex civil, administrative and white collar litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. She has handled cases including employment discrimination, general commercial and tort litigation, white collar defense and government investigations. Pardo also has experience in jury and bench trials, managing discovery, class actions, settlement negotiations, mediation and arbitration. She has served as a legal spokesperson in both print and broadcast national media while defending a client in high profile litigation. Pardo received her J.D. magna cum laude in 1997 from Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and her B.A. cum laude in 1992 from Loyola College. She is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Carlos Rainer concentrates on complex commercial, business and corporate litigation matters. He often advises senior management and officers and directors of Fortune 500 companies on matters pertaining to antitrust and competition law, securities litigation, corporate governance and compliance and internal investigations in response to government enforcement actions, subpoenas and requests for information. Carlos has extensive litigation experience in state and federal court and represents clients in matters before the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice, Department of Commerce and various Texas state enforcement agencies. Carlos received his J.D. in 2000 from The University of Texas School of Law and his B.A. summa cum laude in 1996 for History and English from Sam Houston State University. He was admitted to practice in Texas in 2000.

Peter Stokes represents clients in securities lawsuits and other complex commercial litigation, arbitration and appellate matters. He has significant experience defending clients against shareholder class and derivative lawsuits, including financial restatements, mergers and acquisitions, tender offers, auction rate securities and cases involving allegations of GAAP violations, insider trading, antitrust violations, options backdating and breaches of fiduciary duty. Stokes has co-authored the annual State Bar of Texas Fifth Circuit Securities Update for seven consecutive years, and has clients that range from brokerage and energy companies to individual officers and directors. Stokes received his J.D. in 2000 from Harvard Law School and his B.A. in 1997 from Rice University. He is admitted to practice law in Texas.

Corporate

Efren Acosta handles corporate matters focusing on mergers and acquisitions for private and public companies with a concentration in the manufacturing and oilfield services industries. Acosta works closely with companies and private equity firms domestically and internationally in connection with acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, venture capital investments and private placements and is a member of the firm’s Latin America Practice Group. He regularly advises clients concerning general corporate matters. Acosta received his J.D. in 2000 from The University of Houston Law Center and his B.A. from the University of Houston. He is admitted to practice law in Texas.

Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, is a new partner in Fulbright & Jaworski International LLP in Riyadh, where he focuses on commercial transactions, joint ventures, licensing and distribution agreements, employment law, regulatory compliance and other aspects of doing business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He has significant experience handling commercial litigation in the Saudi courts and with local and international arbitration. Al-Ghamdi previously worked in Washington, D.C., as an international legal consultant, and received a letter of appreciation and prize from Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States of America, for achievement of high academic standing in legal studies. Al-Ghamdi received an LL.M in International Business Law in 1997 and an LL.M in International Legal Studies in 1996, both from American University. He received his LL.B. in 1990 from Cairo University.

Intellectual Property

Patrick Joseph Gallagher concentrates on trademark and copyright issues, as well as other intellectual property matters. He has extensive experience in trademark clearance, investigation, prosecution, client counseling and management of domestic and international trademark portfolios. Gallagher also handles trademark and unfair competition litigation, enforcement and opposition and cancellation proceedings, Internet domain name disputes and proceedings and trademark licensing. He received his J.D. cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law in 1999, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the William Mitchell Law Review, and his B.A. in 1991 in English and Political Science from Hamline University. Gallagher is admitted to practice law in Minnesota.