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Bracewell Picks Up Employment Partner In Houston
By Patrick Hoff
Law360 ( June 29 , 2023 , 8:04 PM EDT ) -- Bracewell LLP has hired a Houston-based employment partner from Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC , bringing on an attorney who said she ' s excited to draw on her previous experience to help energy companies that the firm represents .
Kelly Robreno Koster has more than 13 years of litigation experience and has taken more than a dozen cases to trial in both federal and state courts , Bracewell said Wednesday . According to the firm , Koster has experience representing employers in cases related to discrimination , termination and restrictive covenants , as well the Fair Labor Standards Act , the Americans with Disabilities Act , and the Family and Medical Leave Act .
Kelly Robreno Koster
Prior to joining Munsch Hardt ' s Houston office in June 2021 , Koster was a partner in the New York office of Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC and general counsel at Pride Global , an international staffing firm based in the Big Apple .
Koster told Law360 that for the first half of her career , she was a hybrid commercial litigator and employment attorney , but since working at Pride Global , she ' s continued to specialize in labor and employment .
What keeps her interested , she said , is the human element of the work .
" Employment law is not just about rules and regulations ; it is about people and behaviors ," Koster said . " It is endlessly fascinating to witness the interactions between employees and organizations ."
Bracewell said Koster is the fifth partner to join the firm within the past six months . In December , Bracewell added intellectual property litigator Jeffrey E . Danley in Seattle , followed in April by tax attorney Bucky Brannen in Dallas and health care expert Carrie Douglas in San Antonio . The firm said health care litigator Paul Schuster also joined in Dallas this week .
" Kelly is an outstanding practitioner whose diverse experience on employment matters brings additional strength to our ability to serve the labor and employment needs of our clients ," said Amy Karff Halevy , a partner in Bracewell ' s Houston office and chair of the firm ' s labor and employment group .
Koster said she was attracted to Bracewell ' s robust labor and employment team and that the firm ' s