Vorys Announces Addition of Three New Attorneys to Houston Office

Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP is pleased to announce the addition of three attorneys to its Houston office.  Robert A. “Pete” Seale joined Vorys as a partner in its taxation group. Stephen D. Browning, a partner in the Columbus, Ohio, office and chair of the firm’s commercial and real estate group, and Christina M. Lyons, an associate in the Vorys Columbus office, are both moving to the Houston office.

 “The addition of these attorneys to our Houston office, and the leasing of additional space for even more, speaks volumes to our view of the potential Houston holds for Vorys,” said David Oliver, managing partner of Vorys Houston office. “All three of these attorneys bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience.” 

Mr. Seale is focused on assisting closely held private businesses and high net worth individuals structure business and estate plans.  He routinely works with accountants, life insurance professionals, investment advisors, fiduciaries of estates trusts as well as executives of charitable organizations in addressing legal issues confronting these professionals, including succession management. Mr. Seale was formerly of counsel at Liskow & Lewis and a partner of Phelps Dunbar, both in Houston. He also was formerly a partner of Vinson & Elkins, where he was chair of the Personal Tax and Estates Section.  Mr. Seale earned both his B.B.A. and his J.D. degrees from Louisiana State University. 

Mr. Browning represents both borrowers and lenders in a wide range of sophisticated financing transactions, including syndicated loans, asset-based loans, derivatives transactions, multi-currency transactions, general secured transactions and loan restructurings.  His practice also includes the purchase and sale of commercial real estate, defeasance transactions, business contracts, asset acquisitions and sales, and real estate finance.  Mr. Browning earned his B.A. at Williams College and his J.D., cum laude, from Boston College Law School, where he was executive editor of the Boston College Law Review.

Ms. Lyons is a member of the corporate and finance practice group.  Her practice includes general corporate law, banking regulatory compliance and corporate governance for both profit and nonprofit entities in the health care, banking and manufacturing industries.  Ms. Lyons is also a registered nurse who worked in one of Columbus’ largest hospitals in its cardiac and level 1 trauma intensive care units.  She received her B.S.N. from Ohio State University and her J.D. magna cum laude from Capital University Law School in Columbus, where she was a member of the Order of the Curia.

Vorys was established in 1909 and has grown to be one of the largest Ohio-based law firms with nearly 375 attorneys in six offices in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Akron, Ohio; Washington, D.C.; and Houston, Texas. The firm opened its Houston office in February 2009.  Vorys currently ranks as one of the 200 largest law firms in the United States according to American Lawyer magazine. For more information, please visit vorys.com.