DALLAS, May 9, 2019: Morgan Lewis welcomes Janice Davis, a leading corporate lawyer with decades of transactional experience representing clients in an array of industries with a focus on healthcare and technology, and Robert Sheeder, a veteran labor and employment litigator, as partners resident in Dallas. They arrive from the same national law firm, where Janice co-led the firmwide technology transactions practice and Bob chaired the firmwide labor and employment practice. Janice and Bob will be joined by five team members, including an of counsel and associate.
In joining Morgan Lewis, Janice and Bob are reuniting with their partners John Klauberg, Charlie Vandenburgh, and Mike Espinoza, who arrived last month from the same firm in the energy transactions practice, where John served as co-chair of the power projects practice.
Janice handles a variety of commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, software license agreements, alliance agreements, reorganizations, recapitalizations, management and leveraged buy-outs, corporate financing, private placements, securities law compliance, and venture capital investments. Her M&A experience involves representing public and private companies and private equity firms in diverse cross-border and domestic transactions.
Bob, who has taken more than 50 lawsuits to verdict and has handled nearly 100 arbitrations, represents clients in all aspects of labor and employment law before federal and state agencies and courts. He focuses on litigation and counseling in matters related to discrimination, harassment, collective and class actions, union organizing, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), whistleblowing, and wage and hour issues.
“Janice and Bob have outstanding reputations as longtime leaders in their fields in Texas and across the United States, and I am delighted to welcome them to Morgan Lewis,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “Their high energy and determination are assets our clients will value greatly when seeking advice to achieve sophisticated business goals or facing complex employment litigation challenges.”
Janice also has represented private investment funds in connection with fund formations, special purpose vehicles, and portfolio investments, and has substantial experience in the formation and financing of early stage and emerging growth companies. Additionally, she advises corporate clients and other entities on governance, fiduciary duties, and change of control and related matters. Janice began her career as a certified public accountant and still holds that designation.
“Janice’s arrival further strengthens our growing corporate practice in Texas and enhances our robust capabilities in M&A and private equity, especially in the healthcare and technology sectors,” said Steve Browne, leader of Morgan Lewis’s global corporate and business transactions practice.
Bob, who successfully defended one of the first Sarbanes-Oxley cases in Texas, is an emeritus member of the State Bar of Texas’ executive counsel and a frequent speaker/writer on labor and employment issues and labor law.
“As a collaborator, leader, and elite litigator, Bob is a natural fit for Morgan Lewis,” said Grace Speights, leader of Morgan Lewis’s global labor and employment practice. “Our clients will benefit from his labor-management relations experience and his impressive record of success in trials and arbitrations.”