The law firm of Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to announce the opening of its newest office in Los Angeles, California. The Firm has landed noted litigator Bruce J. Zabarauskas, who joins Thompson & Knight Partner, Shelly A. Youree, to launch operations. Opening October 1, 2012, the new office will be located in Century City at 10100 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 950, Los Angeles, California 90067.

“The opening of a California office and the addition of Bruce further strengthen our geographic reach, enhance the services we provide, and demonstrate our commitment to current and prospective clients located in or doing business in California,” says Emily A. Parker, Managing Partner at Thompson & Knight.

Youree will lead the new office, serving as relationship manager and representing clients in tax, executive compensation, employee benefits, and equity and incentive plans both within and outside of California. She will travel on a regular basis to Thompson & Knight’s Texas and other offices. Youree’s practice encompasses tax and ERISA issues involved in executive compensation and benefits issues (transactional and transitional) in mergers and acquisitions; consulting, design, drafting, and implementation of executive and employee compensation and benefit arrangements, including employment agreements, change in control agreements/plans, bonus and incentive plans, equity and phantom equity plans, qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, and welfare benefit plans; correcting qualified plan qualification issues via IRS voluntary correction and self-correction programs; IRS and DOL audits; and obtaining governmental approvals/exemptions. She has been named to The Best Lawyers in America^® and Texas Super Lawyers^® for multiple years and is admitted to practice in California, New York, the District of Columbia, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Zabarauskas joins the Firm as Counsel from Crowell & Moring, where he has represented institutional lenders, including national banks, special servicers, and investment banks, in commercial real estate foreclosure actions and Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. He also has substantial experience, at both the trial and appellate levels, litigating corporate breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, defamation, and First Amendment issues. Additionally, Zabarauskas has extensive experience litigating issues in the professional boxing industry, where he has represented professional boxers, including two world heavyweight champions; managers; and promoters in proceedings throughout the U.S. before federal and state courts, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the California State Athletic Commission, and the American Arbitration Association. He is admitted to practice in California and New York.

Thompson & Knightwill provide a wide range of legal services to its clients in California through its new office as well as attorneys in its other offices, including those with practices in the areas of banking, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, oil and gas, real estate, labor and employment, trial, and health care law.

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