DALLAS – Further strengthening its global complex litigation and investigations practice and Texas platform, Paul Hastings LLP today announced that trial and regulatory enforcement lawyer Manuel Berrelez has joined the firm as a partner in Dallas.

More than doubling Paul Hastings’ Texas headcount in the past four months, Berrelez joins from Vinson & Elkins LLP, following an eight-partner, 25-lawyer Band 1 finance team that joined from the same firm in March and a three-partner, seven-lawyer Chambers-ranked corporate team that joined in February from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Last fall, complex commercial litigator Paul Genender joined from Weil, Gotshal & Manges as chair of the firm’s Texas litigation practice and co-chair of the Dallas and Houston offices.

Berrelez represents financial institutions and other companies, including their directors and officers, in both complex commercial litigation and regulatory enforcement matters. His practice largely focuses on advising and defending clients in business and commercial disputes, investigations, and enforcement proceedings involving a wide range of claims, including fraud, contract and fiduciary disputes, safety and soundness allegations, real estate disputes, and bankruptcy-related matters.

“Continuing to build on our exceptional complex litigation practice and platform in Dallas and Texas, more broadly, with premier talent remains a priority,” said firm Chair Frank Lopez. “In addition to his business litigation strengths, Manuel’s strong regulatory and investigations experience will expand and deepen our premier commercial litigation and white collar capabilities for clients throughout Texas and across the country, as we look to capture additional market share at the top of market.”

Berrelez brings a diverse litigation practice that includes representing businesses and individuals across a broad array of industries in regulatory and compliance matters, as well as in complex business disputes and internal investigations. He has represented financial institutions and defended clients through trial, while also handling pre-litigation disputes and government investigations and enforcement actions.

“I look forward to collaborating and working with the outstanding lawyers at Paul Hastings to provide the firm’s clients with the top-tier counsel and service that have become its hallmark,” said Berrelez. “I am equally excited to support our clients with the exceptional resources that the Paul Hastings platform offers in Texas, across the country, and around the world. And I am thrilled to work with my new partners and former colleagues who are now at Paul Hastings to build a strong Dallas office and grow the firm’s Texas litigation practice.”

Berrelez is the latest in a growing roster of talented litigators joining across multiple Paul Hastings offices. Other prominent additions include IP litigator Shamita Etienne-Cummings (Washington, D.C.); white collar and investigations partner Adam Fee (Los Angeles/Century City); complex litigator Susan Leader (Century City); IP litigator Rudy Kim (Palo Alto); Investigations and SEC enforcement partner Brad Bondi (Washington, D.C.); IP litigator Doug Sawyer (Chicago);  international arbitration partner Garreth Wong (London); securities and commercial litigator Jennifer Conn (New York); and commercial litigator Josh Berman (New York).

About Paul Hastings

With widely recognized elite teams in finance, mergers & acquisitions, private equity, restructuring and special situations, litigation, employment and real estate, Paul Hastings is a premier law firm providing superior intellectual capital and execution globally to the world’s leading investment banks, asset managers and corporations.