Munck Wilson Merges With Austin Firm With Big Trademark Practice

Munck Wilson Mandala has expanded in Austin and put down roots in Houston by merging with seven-lawyer Fleckman & McGlynn.

Steven Fleckman, Jessica McGlynn, Melissa LaBauve and Andrew McKeon all join Munck Wilson as partners in Austin, along with principal attorney Jason Blair and of counsel Bill Raman. Partner John Cain, an intellectual property lawyer, will continue working in Houston, giving Munck Wilson an entry into that market.

The Fleckman & McGlynn group does litigation, real estate, corporate transactions and intellectual property. Munck Wilson also has offices in Marshall, Texas, and Los Angeles.

William Munck, managing partner of technology-focused Munck Wilson, said the merger doubles the size of the firm’s “soft” intellectual practice, and the combined firm’s portfolio will include more than 10,000 active trademarks. It’s a good fit culturally as well, Munck said.

“It’s a great group,” he said. “One of the great matches is their work ethic matches ours. They  really enjoy being lawyers,” he said.

Negotiations between the firms started a year ago, Fleckman said. His firm has been approached many times over the years by potential merger candidates, but the firm started serious talks with Munck Wilson, because there were synergies culturally and between their practices.

Fleckman & McGlynn’s practice is about evenly split between litigation and transactional, but Fleckman said IP work has grown over the years, and the merger with Munck Wilson gives the lawyers an opportunity to expand their client base and “apply our skills to larger projects.”

He declined to identify clients, but he said the firm’s international trademark clients are in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, Germany, France, Belgium, India, Japan, Mexico and Brazil.

Succession planning was another big factor for Fleckman, who founded his firm in 1991 and has practiced for 45 years.

“The people in this group are like family to me. From my perspective succession is an important obligation on my part, [although] I will continue to practice for years,” he said.

Munck Wilson opened its Austin office in 2016, and with that expansion, Munck said, “we thought that we would ultimately end up in Houston.” Before too long, Munck expects the firm to as well end up in Waco, which has become a hot spot for IP litigation with U.S. District Judge Alan Albright of the Western District of Texas on the bench.

The firm is also in the process of opening an office in Miami as well, Munck said.