Business Partner or Of Counsel

Daniels & Tredennick PLLC; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 250,000 - 500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Marketing support

Referral network between sections

Path to partnership

Job summary

Daniels & Tredennick PLLC seeks a senior Business attorney (Partner or Of Counsel) with at least 10 years of experience to help build and grow its Business Section in Houston. A portable book of business and strong cultural fit are essential as the firm aims to double in size.

The ideal candidate has substantial experience in mergers and acquisitions, private placements, entity formation, governance, and complex commercial contracts.

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school with strong academic record.
• Active Texas Bar admission in good standing.
• Minimum 10 years of substantial business/transactional practice and day-to-day corporate work.

Responsibilities

• Manage legal counsel and strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances.
• Draft, review, and negotiate complex commercial agreements including LOIs, asset/purchase agreements, LLC and partnership agreements, and governance documents.
• Direct due diligence and risk assessments for business transactions and propose practical solutions.
• Advise on corporate governance matters, regulatory compliance, and corporate filings.
• Collaborate with Litigation Section and contribute to business development initiatives.

Skills

Builder's mindset

Business judgment

Client focus

Collaborative by nature

Technology fluency

Unwavering ethics

Strong work ethic

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Texas Bar admission

Job description

ABOUT DANIELS & TREDENNICK

Founded in 2011, Daniels & Tredennick PLLC has built its reputation on partners who came from large national law firms and General Counsel seats at public companies and private equity-backed businesses.

Based between the Galleria and Memorial areas of Houston, the Firm is best known for a nationally recognized Litigation Section. It continues to build a Business Section to match - handling mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, private equity, corporate governance, entity formation, and general business matters for public, private, and family office clients. In addition to lateral hiring, the Firm's summer clerk program is strong, and every offer extended in 2026 was accepted.

That pedigree shows up in how the Firm operates: the discipline of large-firm training, paired with the judgment of people who have sat on the client's side of the table. The Firm is small enough that this is a daily reality, not a marketing line.

The Litigation and Business Sections work closely together, sharing clients and referring matters back and forth as a matter of course.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Firm is seeking a Business attorney - at the Partner or high-level Of Counsel, with at least 10 years of relevant experience - to help build and grow its Business Section. Technical strength and an established, portable book of business are required, but so is strong cultural fit: this is a role for someone who wants to build a practice inside a firm, not just occupy an office.

The ideal candidate has substantial experience in mergers and acquisitions, private placements of securities, entity formation and structuring (corporations, LLCs, partnerships, and joint ventures), general contract negotiation, and corporate governance. Additional or niche specialties are welcome.

This is a chance to help build a section from an early stage, alongside partners who have run large company legal departments and led deals from the client side of the table, with the backing of a strong, established firm that is aiming to more than double in size over the next two to three years. The platform and the appetite are already there - this seat is one still open.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Excellent legal skill is the baseline. What matters just as much is how someone works. The Firm is looking for a lawyer who brings:

• A builder's mindset. Wants to grow a practice, not just maintain one - entrepreneurial, resourceful, creative, and comfortable figuring things out without a script.
• Business judgment. Understands a client's business and industry well enough to advise on more than the immediate legal question, and thinks ahead of the deal, not just through it.
• Client focus. Cares about the client's actual objective more than the billable hour and treats each matter as the start of a relationship, not the end of one.
• Collaborative by nature. Works well across practice groups inside the Firm and builds relationships across industries and networks outside it.
• Technology fluency. Comfortable adopting new tools, and curious about how technology can make client service more efficient.
• Direct and candid with colleagues, staff, and clients, with no ambiguity about where things stand.
• Confident enough to share credit, ask for help, and put the client and the team ahead of ego.
• Unwavering ethics. Holds a high standard for themselves and others, including when it is inconvenient.
• A strong work ethic. Dependable, extremely responsive, and willing to put in the time a growing practice takes.
• Someone colleagues and clients alike enjoy being around.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Legal Practice

• Manage legal counsel and strategic advice on a variety of business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, private placements, joint ventures, and strategic alliances.
• Draft, review, and negotiate a wide range of complex commercial agreements, including letters of intent, asset purchase agreements, stock purchase agreements, LLC and partnership agreements, shareholder agreements, NDAs, and other commercial contracts.
• Direct due diligence investigations and risk assessments for business transactions, spotting issues early and proposing solutions that actually address them.
• Advise on corporate governance matters, including board meetings, corporate policies, regulatory compliance, and corporate filings.
• Manage third parties as needed, keeping costs reasonable and work on schedule.

Collaboration & Business Development

• Work closely with the Firm's Litigation Section on shared matters and referrals, so clients get one coherent team instead of two disconnected ones.
• Take part in business development tied to M&A transactions, capital raising, commercial contracts, and general corporate work.
• Mentor junior attorneys as the Business Section grows.
• Help shape where the Business Section goes next.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS - A PLUS, NOT REQUIRED

Niche practice areas will be considered, such as:

• Oil and gas experience, onshore and/or offshore;
• Labor, employment, and ERISA experience; and/or
• Commercial real estate experience.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates should hold a Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school, with a strong academic record, and maintain active Bar admission in Texas, in good standing. An established, portable book of business is required, along with a minimum of 10 years of substantial experience in business/transactional practice and day-to-day corporate work, including small- to mid-market mergers and acquisitions transactions in the public and private context. The role also calls for strong drafting, negotiation, and analytical skills; demonstrated client development and relationship-management skills; comfort with modern legal technology and practice-management tools; and the ability to manage multiple matters and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

OUR CULTURE

The Firm runs on merit: good ideas and hard work get noticed regardless of who they come from. Attorneys are given real latitude to build their practice and shape the Firm's direction and are supported by partners who have a direct stake in each other's success.

That pedigree sets the internal tone too: partners hold the practice to a large-firm standard while running it without large-firm bureaucracy.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Compensation is collections-based, with a clear origination credit approach - upside scales directly with the size of a partner's book of business.
• The Firm's emphasis on strong fiscal responsibility keeps profit margins ahead of the market average - and that difference goes directly into partner compensation.
• Partners have access to Firm marketing support, a steady stream of referrals between the Litigation and Business Sections, and the flexibility to structure rates around what a client needs.
• A direct path to build a practice within the Firm.