DALLAS, Jan. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP is pleased to announce the addition of Corporate Partners George T. Lee III and Evan D. Stone, along with Associate Rebecca Brame, to the Firm's Dallas office.

The attorneys join Gardere from Lee & Stone LLP, a Dallas boutique law firm co-founded by Mr. Lee and Mr. Stone in 2009, where they focused their practice on representing advisers to private investment funds, including hedge funds, private equity funds and venture capital funds, as well as public and private corporations. In addition to sophisticated transactional and structuring work, the attorneys built a leading practice in the regulatory and compliance arena for private fund advisers and family offices. 

"Bringing this highly talented group of attorneys on board provides an exciting opportunity to expand our corporate and private equity capabilities," says Gardere Chair Holland N. O'Neil. "This group has a proven track record of achieving outstanding results on behalf of their clients, and we are pleased to have them joining the Gardere team."

Mr. Lee represents clients in connection with fund formation, investment adviser registration and regulatory compliance matters. He has worked closely with regulators on proposed rule-making, and he was instrumental in helping shape the SEC's "Family Office Rule," the family office exemption to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Act. Mr. Lee also has significant transactional experience. A 1987 graduate of The University of Texas School of Law, Mr. Lee previously practiced in New York, Dallas and Houston for other international law firms including Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld LLP and Baker Botts LLP. He is active in the Business Law Section of the State Bar of Texas and chairs the Investment Funds Committee.

"Evan and I, along with our team, are privileged and excited to be joining Gardere," says Mr. Lee. "The Firm's reputation for leadership and excellence will be instrumental in developing a market leading investment management and family office practice, and we look forward to helping the Firm achieve this goal. In addition, we believe the broad resources and capabilities of the Firm will benefit our existing clients as well as the industry broadly."

Prior to co-founding Lee & Stone, Mr. Stone served as general counsel for Newcastle Capital Management LP, a Dallas-based activist manager. Mr. Stone advises clients on control transactions, proxy contests, complex financings, corporate governance matters and '34 Act filings, as well as a range of private fund matters, including adviser registration, fund formation, marketing and compliance. He previously worked for the international law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where he represented private equity funds and Fortune 500 companies on mergers and acquisitions, and on securities matters. Mr. Stone graduated from The University of Texas School of Law and The University of Texas Graduate School of Business in 1997.

Ms. Brame is a 2012 cum laude graduate of the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Prior to joining Lee & Stone, she worked in the private wealth management space of the banking and construction industries.  

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP, an Am Law 200 firm founded in 1909 and one of the Southwest's largest full-service law firms, has offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Mexico City. Gardere provides legal services to private and public companies and individuals in areas of corporate, energy, environmental, financial services, government affairs, hospitality, intellectual property, international, labor and employment, litigation, private equity, real estate and tax.

Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP214.999.3000 phone 214.999.4667 fax gardere.com

Contact: Dorothy L. Seals 214.999.4019dseals@gardere.com 

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