backLed by preeminent Texas trial lawyer Tom Melsheimer, group includes Steven Stodghill, Natalie Arbaugh, and four other partners in Dallas – a major build-out of the firm’s presence there – one in Charlotte, one in Washington
DALLAS, CHARLOTTE, WASHINGTON, February 3, 2026 – King & Spalding announced today that nine litigation partners have joined the firm, expanding its trial bench and deepening its capabilities in complex commercial and intellectual property litigation.
The group includes nationally recognized trial lawyer Tom Melsheimer in Dallas and eight additional prominent litigators: Steven Stodghill, Natalie Arbaugh, Rex Mann, Michael Bittner, Ahtoosa Dale and Chad Walker in Dallas; Danielle Williams in Charlotte; and Brian Ferguson in Washington, D.C.
“Our litigation practice is one of the strongest in the world, and this outstanding team strengthens it even further in Dallas and beyond,” said Robert D. Hays, chairman of King & Spalding. “Tom is one of the most accomplished trial lawyers in the country. Joining with him is a team of exceptional litigation talent.”
The group joins King & Spalding from Winston & Strawn.
“We are thrilled to be joining this elite global litigation powerhouse. The opportunities we will have to impact its continued growth in Texas and beyond will be significant and exciting,” said Melsheimer. “In addition to having one of the leading litigation practices in the world, King & Spalding has been on a well-documented impressive upward trajectory for more than a decade and provides us the platform we need to do what we do best – try high-stakes cases, resolve complex disputes and provide the best service we possibly can for our clients.”
“King & Spalding has been steadily growing its presence in Texas, building from its long-time presence in Houston and Austin and more recently establishing a strong foothold in Dallas, anchored by Veronica Moyé and Sean Royall,” said Stodghill. “We are excited to team with them to help build on what the firm has established in Texas and in Dallas, in particular, as the city continues to grow in importance as a major commercial hub.”
Tom Melsheimer (Dallas)
Melsheimer is a nationally prominent trial lawyer who has tried nearly 100 cases to a jury, 10 of which had more than $1 billion in controversy. Described as “one of the most sought-after trial lawyers in the country” by American Lawyer, his courtroom wins include one against the SEC in an insider trading case it brought against billionaire businessman Mark Cuban. He served as co-chair of Winston & Strawn’s Global Litigation Department and managing partner of the firm’s Dallas office since its inception and will serve as Global Head of Trial and managing partner of King & Spalding’s Dallas office. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He is a Band 1-ranked nationwide trial lawyer in Chambers USA and has been recognized for his jury trial prowess by numerous other prominent ranking and awards organizations. He is the only lawyer in Texas, and one of only a handful in the country, to be recognized as Chambers Band 1 in five different categories, including intellectual property, commercial litigation, and white collar. He has a broad national practice spanning almost every conceivable subject matter and type of client. He has tried to verdict civil cases involving commercial disputes, business torts, fraud, product liability, mass torts, securities, antitrust, patent infringement, trade secrets, and qui tam/FCA claims and criminal cases involving healthcare fraud, bank fraud, public corruption and copyright infringement. He has been honored by multiple professional organizations as their “Trial Lawyer of the Year.” He is the author of a widely acclaimed book on trying cases called On the Jury Trial, now in its second edition, and he is frequently sought after for commentary on trial practice, including teaching a popular trial advocacy course at the University of Texas Law School for nearly a decade. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from the University of Texas Law School, magna cum laude.
Steven Stodghill (Dallas)
Stodghill is an accomplished commercial litigator with a nationwide practice representing high-profile clients including Fortune 500 companies, high-net-worth individuals, professional athletes and world-renowned actors and celebrities in a wide array of complex commercial litigation disputes. He has represented over 25 billionaires in his career, including Mark Cuban since 1995. Since 2019, he has also served as Public Safety Commissioner for the State of Texas, the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the state, an appointment by Gov. Greg Abbott. He received his B.A. with high honors (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Texas and his J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
Natalie Arbaugh (Dallas)
Arbaugh previously served on Winston & Strawn’s executive and partner compensation committees. She represents plaintiffs and defendants spanning multiple industries in state and federal courts throughout the country. Her practice focuses on complex, high-profile business and intellectual property disputes, including breach of contract and commercial tort matters, trade-secrets litigation, trademark litigation – particularly involving luxury brands – and departing employee issues. She received her B.A. from the University of Florida and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.
Danielle Williams (Charlotte)
Williams served as co-chair of Winston & Strawn’s Intellectual Property practice and managing partner of its Charlotte office. She will be co-leader of King & Spalding’s Intellectual Property team. She is a high-stakes business litigator representing clients in federal and state courts across the country and in arbitrations in patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, copyright infringement, breach of contract, antitrust, and environmental matters. Most recently, she represented the plaintiffs, including a team owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan, in a high-profile antitrust case against NASCAR. Her patent infringement cases span a variety of technologies and industries including financial services, high tech, semiconductors, telecommunications, software, mobile applications, and consumer products. She received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, her MBA from Wake Forest University and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law.
Rex Mann (Dallas)
Mann’s intellectual property practice focuses on complex patent and trade secret litigation. He has handled bet-the-company patent and trade secret matters, including taking them to trial and winning. Outside of litigation, Rex also advises his clients on technology licensing issues, policies relating to intellectual property, and targeted patent prosecution advice relating to licensing and litigation. He has extensive experience in the Eastern and Western Districts of Texas. He received his B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and his J.D., with high honors, from the University of Texas School of Law.
Michael Bittner (Dallas)
Bittner is an intellectual property trial lawyer. In high-stakes patent litigation, he is a sophisticated strategist that can successfully take cases for both plaintiffs and defendants from stem to stern before district courts, the Federal Circuit and the PTAB. Michael also has extensive experience representing clients in other intellectual property disputes, including trade secret litigation, trademark and trade dress disputes, and copyright in Texas and across the nation. He received his B.A., with high honors, from the University of Texas and his J.D., with honors, also from University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
Brian Ferguson (Washington, D.C.)
Ferguson has 35 years of experience representing Fortune 100 innovator companies before all of the major patent law venues — the International Trade Commission (ITC), district courts, the Federal Circuit, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) — in high-stakes IP disputes involving an array of technologies. He represents clients in all phases of patent infringement and validity disputes before U.S. district courts, Section 337 investigations before the ITC, and adversarial matters before the U.S. PTAB, which includes successfully representing clients in nearly 150 inter partes review proceedings. He also has substantial experience litigating patent-related appellate proceedings, including dozens of appeals before the Federal Circuit, where he has argued over 20 times. He received his BSEE from Union College and his J.D. from Albany Law School.
Chad Walker (Dallas)
Walker has substantial experience successfully handling patent cases and complex commercial litigation disputes including qui tam/whistleblower cases in jurisdictions throughout Texas and the United States. He has participated in numerous trials, including serving as lead trial counsel in six trials. He received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Baylor University and his J.D., with high honors, from The University of Texas at Austin School of Law.
Ahtoosa Dale (Dallas)
Dale focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation and IP litigation in a range of industries. She advises industry-leading clients on intricate business matters and IP-related issues across a broad spectrum of technologies, such as computer systems and architectures, virtual systems, mobile applications, networking, and medical devices. She also has experience representing corporations and individuals in business matters including intellectual property, employment and business disputes, class actions, consumer privacy, and product liability. She received her B.S. in computer engineering and mathematics, cum laude, from Southern Methodist University and her J.D., cum laude, from Baylor University School of Law.
About King & Spalding
King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 1,300 lawyers in 26 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and consistently earns recognition for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.
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