The new class of associates at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr is not only the largest-ever for the midsize Dallas-based firm, but all eight of the new associates are women, a first for the firm.

And, with the influx of first-year associates, half of the firm’s associate contingent is women, said Munsch Hardt CEO Phil Appenzeller Jr. Two are minorities, he said.

Each of the new hires “knocked it out of the park” when they worked at the firm during the summer of 2022, Appenzeller said, prompting the firm to extend offers to each of them.

“We wanted to have the best class we could have. It just happened to be all women,” he said.

The firm didn’t aim to hire only women, Appenzeller said.

“I’d like to say it was completely intentional, but it wasn’t. It’s a pretty interesting anomaly for us,” he said.

Bringing on the large group of first-year associates in September allows more senior associates to move on and take on managerial roles, he said.

Demand is strong at the firm, he said.

“We are seeing a fairly significant increase in bankruptcy restructuring work. LiItigation continues to be pretty strong. Shockingly, everybody thought the real estate market would take a hit with the interest rates, but our real estate lawyers are still blowing and going at a high rate,” he said. 

The new associates in Dallas are Melanie Bates, a graduate of Baylor University School of Law in real estate; Maddison Craig, a graduate of the University of Oklahoma School of Law in litigation; Emily Means, also from Baylor Law School, in litigation; and Darby O’Grady, a graduate of the SMU Dedman School of Law, in litigation;.

In Houston, the new associates are Lindsey Duff, a graduate of South Texas College of Law Houston in real estate; Laura Murray, a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, in litigation; Nadine Rabah, also a South Texas graduate, incorporate; and Georgina Tomalty, also a University of Houston graduate, incorporate.

The firm has more than 170 lawyers in Austin, Dallas and Houston.