The addition of three new attorneys marks 12 lateral hires for Munsch Hardt since January 2019.
Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. (Munsch Hardt) is pleased to welcome Bo Sartain as a Shareholder in the Firm’s Corporate & Securities practice group. Sartain joins Munsch Hardt’s Dallas office from Haynes and Boone.
“We are excited Bo has chosen to join our Firm,” said Phil C. Appenzeller, Jr., CEO of Munsch Hardt. “Private equity, venture capital and investment funds comprise a critical component of our Corporate & Securities practice. Bo’s extensive and firsthand experience in this area further expands our ability to serve both financial institutions as well as entrepreneurs and high-growth companies.”
Sartain’s practice focuses on working with investors and entrepreneurs in complex financing and acquisitive transactions. This experience often leads him to serve as outside general counsel for small businesses, handling matters ranging from corporate finance and corporate governance to commercial agreements and technology agreements. He also leads the drafting, negotiating and closing private equity, venture capital and mergers and acquisitions transactions.
In addition to his successful legal career, Sartain counts among his greatest accomplishments founding a startup software company, raising capital from outside investors and successfully building, launching and selling his software products. It is this personal entrepreneurial experience, coupled with his investment management and M&A practice, that make him an invaluable advisor to his clients.
“When I first considered moving my practice, I knew my clients still needed a strong, full-service platform but also a more reasonable rate structure. My clients work tirelessly to establish and grow their businesses. While they require sophisticated legal services to do so, they are also mindful of expense. Munsch Hardt provides both the platform and the reasonable rate structure they need,” commented Sartain. “In addition, Rob Kibby, Section Head of Munsch Hardt’s Corporate & Securities Section, and I previously worked together. Thus, I have watched the Firm and practice grow for quite some time.”
Sartain earned both his Juris Doctorate and Masters of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University, and after graduating college, Sartain served as a systems engineer for Electronic Data systems Corporation.
In addition to Sartain, Munsch Hardt also welcomes two new Litigation associates – Huma Ali and Justin Ratley. Both Ali and Ratley will be based out of the Firm’s Houston office.
Ali focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation matters. Before joining Munsch Hardt, she was an associate at Joyce + McFarland LLP where she represented a diverse group of individuals and businesses in pre-litigation, trial, appellate, and arbitration matters in state and federal courts. Ali’s clients span across industries, including banking and financial services, energy, real estate, transportation, and manufacturing. She has successfully handled cases involving breach of contract, breach of non-competition/non-solicitation agreements, shareholder and partnership disputes, breach of fiduciary duty, business dissolutions, fraud and various other tort claims.
She is a graduate of South Texas College of Law where she earned her Juris Doctorate degree, as well as The University of Texas at Austin where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology.
Ratley helps industrial and insurance clients identify and avoid litigation exposure. When litigation is unavoidable, he works to mitigate his clients’ exposure and maximize their returns.
Before joining Munsch Hardt, Ratley was an associate at Winstead PC where he worked within the Business Litigation, IP Litigation and Energy Litigation Practice Groups. Ratley spent more than 10 years working as a Special Agent, Army Veteran, and former member of the U.S. Intelligence community, prior to his legal career. He is fluent in English and Korean.
Ratley earned his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Houston Law Center and his Bachelor of Science degree from Park University.
