Lawyers Can Be Cool — Especially Lauren Varnado and Energy Experts at Michelman & Robinson!
May. 31, 2023
Law firms aren’t typically associated with cool, but then again, Michelman & Robinson, LLP is no ordinary law firm. Fact is, M&R is different, special and, yes, cool. Especially the lawyers in its Houston office, which is the hub of the firm’s robust energy practice.
It’s a Gas
Lauren Varnado is M&R’s Houston Office Managing Partner. Having graced the pages of Vanity Fair, Vogue and People, Lauren sets the tone in Houston, not just for the firm’s vibe, but for its efforts in the oil and gas space.
Unlike the work of most other players in the legal marketplace, M&R’s efforts—and that of Lauren and her Houston-based team—are informed by a nuanced understanding of the energy sector. This insight not only allows Lauren and the firm to effectively address clients’ immediate legal concerns, but also enables them to identify broader business issues that can positively impact the bottom lines of the companies they represent.
What’s cool is that they do so as part of a new generation of lawyers—a fearless group that’s disrupting a typically buttoned-up, male-dominated profession and turning the practice of law on its head by leaning into relatability, accessibility and, above all else, humanity—this on top of the fact that M&R Houston knows oil and gas better than just about anyone else.
Differentiators
Some of the adjectives that best describe Lauren and her crew in Houston are modern, candid, practical, influential and whip-smart. Together, they deliver premier client service that truly sets them apart. What else distinguishes M&R Houston from other firms (including those similar in size and reach) are the long-standing relationships it has with clients—relationships founded upon absolute trust and an expectation of excellence that informs the way they operate in courtrooms, at closing tables and beyond.
From Soup to Nuts
Energy isn’t the only industry that M&R attorneys are immersed in. They’re sought after by those in the advertising & digital media, banking & financial services, hospitality, insurance, music & entertainment, retail & apparel and technology spaces, too. M&R offers these clients a full suite of services, including top-tier work in commercial, class action, and cross-border litigation, as well as bankruptcy & restructuring, corporate & securities, cybersecurity & privacy, employment, insurance, intellectual property, real estate and regulatory law. Without fail, they do so in a collaborative way, keeping clients involved throughout every case and transaction, which eliminates surprises and ensures that expectations are met, if not exceeded, time and again.
As Cool as Can Be
M&R’s seven offices (Los Angeles, Irvine, San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, New York and, of course, Houston) have been built upon a foundation of exceptional people—women and men of differing backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and orientations all working toward a common goal: client success. The firm’s focus on diversity and inclusion (it’s been named a “Top 100 Firms for Minority Attorneys”), along with its industry expertise and culture that emphasizes professional development and fun, make M&R a law firm that's the arbiter of cool.
Lauren Varnado manages the Houston office of Michelman & Robinson, LLP. A sought-after, award-winning litigator and head of the firm’s energy practice, Lauren can be contacted at lvardado@mrllp.com or (713) 422-2121.
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IS A HEALTHY, balanced real estate market finally here? Per HAR data, the answer is ... kind of? Inventory is at the highest level since 2011, prices are holding steady, and the city and metro area continue to grow in population. Having lost population after Harvey and Covid, the city welcomes significant yet sustainable growth — and a housing market that can handle it.
1. Generating Interest
The four-bedroom home at 3 Briarwood Court, listed by Compass’ Robert Bland for $27.5 mil, has verdant courtyards and a whole-home generator.
Hands-down, one of the most in-demand features is the whole-house generator, a built-in fixture connected to the natural gas line which kicks on within moments of a power outage. After the 2021 freeze and the derecho in May, this summer’s Hurricane Beryl was strike three for homeowners who now seek the safety and comfort that a standby generator provides. Many of the city’s most expensive listings, such as this Briarwood Court manse situated on a River Oaks cul-de-sac, tout the inclusion high up in the list of amenities. HAR says that the number of luxury homes sold with built-in generators increased by 600 percent between 2018 and 2023.
2. Wood You Rather?
Mike Mahlstedt of Compass is listing this 8,120-square-foot property at 2110 Del Monte Dr. for $6.5 mil.
While new construction is appealing for several obvious reasons, older homes have one clear advantage: character. Homeowners, designers and realtors all agree that unique details can sell a home. Scroll HAR and you’re likely to find features like parquet floors and wood-paneled rooms, in homes old, new and reimagined. A sleek version can swath a handsome bathroom, like this one in River Oaks, while an office or study might still rock retro or Victorian-style raised paneling. Wood paneling can also lend a cottage-y feel to kitchens, laundry rooms and bathrooms.
3. Urban Oasis
DC Partners’ The Allen has the Thompson Houston hotel, pictured, and high-end condos.
The skyline along Allen Parkway has dramatically transformed over the past few years, with mixed-use developments galore proffering primo dining destinations, nightlife and more. DC Partners’ 35-story The Allen, for example, is home to the Thompson Houston hotel and 115 high-end condos, while the 24-story Autry Park is similarly urbane with 300-plus apartments.
Explore Houston's top neighborhoods here or the real estate report by-the-numbers here.
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On Introspective New Album, Rising Country Star Hayden Baker Shreds Alongside His Childhood Idol
Aug. 15, 2024
HOW DO YOU get more than a million streams, two singles in the Top 40 on the Texas Regional Radio Report Chart, and Grammy-winning Country music superstar Brad Paisley to play on your album? Practice! Just ask Katy native and up-and-coming singer and guitar slinger Hayden Baker.
Katy’s Hayden Baker received a gift from his dad, who worked security at the Houston Rodeo, at age 3 — an acoustic guitar autographed by country duo Brooks and Dunn, who added the directive “Hayden, practice!” alongside their signatures.
Twenty years later, Baker signed a publishing deal with Dunn’s publishing company Perfect Pitch. He also recorded a cover of the group’s “South of Santa Fe,” which appears on Baker’s latest album Barely Gettin’ By, an alternately raucous and introspective collection of songs spanning modern and traditional country styles, with heartfelt tenor vocals bolstered by some serious guitar shredding. This summer, in between trips to Nashville for songwriting sessions, he’s on tour to support the album, with gigs booked across Texas, including a solo acoustic show at The Dosey Doe in The Woodlands on Sept. 21.
When it comes to mastering an instrument, there are no shortcuts, but when Baker picked up a guitar at the relatively late age of 15, he discovered he had a natural facility for the guitar. “It fell under my fingers very fast, and I just became obsessed with that,” says Baker. He learned how to play by ear, listening to solos by guitarists Vince Gill, Stevie Ray Vaughn, top session guitarist Brent Mason, and even Eddie Van Halen.
But it was seeing the multitalented Paisley perform live at the Houston Rodeo that set the course for Baker. “I was like, ‘Yep! I wanna do that!’” says Baker of that teenage epiphany. “I went home and, over five years, learned everything he did.”
On Barely Gettin’ By, Paisley and Baker trade licks on a scorching electric and acoustic guitar duel titled “Don’t Meet Your Heroes,” sounding for all the world like Buck Owens and Roy Clark plugged into a couple of Marshall amps. “He always says the licks that make him laugh the most are the ones he keeps in a song,” says Baker of Paisley’s fearless, go-for-broke guitar playing. Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Baker is getting his props as one of the nominees for Guitarist of the Year at this year’s Texas Country Music Association Awards. It’s an honor he takes very seriously and might not have imagined as a baseball-playing teenager who initially picked up a six-string to impress a girl.
“When it comes to my guitar parts, I take my recording sessions very, very seriously,” says Baker. “Because I know some kid out there may hear it, and it might spark something in them. So I might as well give them the best that I’ve got.”
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