Bracewell has promoted six lawyers to senior counsel and counsel. Clark A. Donat, LaTasha Mabry Snipes, Tom Swarbrick, Blake Urban and Lauren A. West have been promoted to senior counsel, and Jared Schuettenhelm has been promoted to counsel.

“These talented lawyers have distinguished themselves through their service to the firm’s clients and the legal profession,” said Bracewell managing partner Gregory M. Bopp. “I’m pleased to congratulate them on their promotion.”

Donat, Dallas – Donat represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation, including technology, banking, financial services, real estate, healthcare, construction, energy, insurance, securities and employment disputes. He also assists clients with internal investigations and defends individuals and companies against allegations of securities fraud.

Snipes, Houston – Snipes represents clients in intellectual property litigation, including patent, trade secret, copyright and trademark litigation. She also counsels clients on the strategic development and monetization of patent portfolios, the protection of multi-media projects and branding strategies.

Schuettenhelm, Seattle – Schuettenhelm’s practice focuses on all aspects of intellectual property, including IP litigation, IP counseling and strategy, technology licensing and transactional matters, and patent royalty audits.

Swarbrick, Dubai – Swarbrick is a construction lawyer whose practice focuses on energy projects. He advises governments, developers, lenders and contractors on the construction and O&M aspects of major oil and gas and other infrastructure projects. He works predominantly in the Middle East and Africa.

Urban, Washington, DC – Urban advises electricity clients on regulatory matters before federal and state regulatory agencies and appellate courts. He regularly appears before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on matters related to the Federal Power Act, Public Utility Holding Company Act and Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. Prior to joining Bracewell, Urban worked in the Office of the General Counsel at FERC, where he received a FERC Award for Quality of Service. Urban graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from The Catholic University of America and summa cum laude with a J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law.

West, Dallas – West defends employers against employment discrimination, retaliation and harassment claims, collective wage and hours actions, breach of contract disputes and whistleblower allegations. She also defends clients in administrative proceedings before federal and state employment agencies, advises on issues related to federal and state employment laws and assists clients in drafting employment-related contracts and policies.