Tom D. Harris

Haynes Boone

Tom Harris has been a trusted business advisor to clients for more than 30 years, helping them successfully close hundreds of acquisitions, divestitures, and other corporate transactions, including growth capital investments. Tom is chair of Haynes Boone's Mergers and Acquisitions Practice Group, which he founded in 2010.

In addition to his busy M&A practice, Tom works with clients who are entering into municipal public/private partnerships for significant projects. Tom represented the AT&T Performing Arts Center in its public/private venture to design, finance, and construct the Winspear Opera House, the Wyly Theatre, related parking structures, and other improvements on City-owned property in the downtown Dallas Arts District.

Tom also has assisted clients with significant naming rights agreements, including working alongside AT&T's in-house counsel team in AT&T's arrangement to name the home stadium of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys as "AT&T Stadium." Tom also has worked on naming and sponsorship agreements for arts venues, college sporting venues, and other professional sports arenas.

Clients value Tom's ability to marry legal insight and practical business judgment. He is adept at focusing on the aspects of a matter that are critical to his clients' business objectives. Tom has been recognized by clients, peers, and organizations for his high level of service in corporate and M&A-related work, including Chambers USA, 2015-2018 (Chambers & Partners), and The Best Lawyers in America, 2013-2022 (Woodward/White, Inc.). He was named a "Stand-out Lawyer" by Acritas Stars, 2018-2020 (Acritas), and a "Best Business Lawyer in Dallas" by D Magazine, 2009 and 2015-2021 (D Magazine Partners). He was selected for inclusion in the 2021-2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Dealmakers in America (Lawdragon, Inc.).

Tom fosters collaboration within the firm's large M&A practice group, coordinating participation by subject-matter experts who work alongside the firm's M&A attorneys on clients' matters. He also embraces the firm's tradition of teamwork, helping associates and new partners develop and establish their career paths, making sure they are equipped with the full knowledge and experience to ensure clients' needs are met, and helping those attorneys reach their full potential as business advisors.

Areas of Practice

Mergers & Acquisitions
Investment Management
Corporate Governance
Corporate Strategic Mergers & Acquisitions
Capital Markets and Securities
Joint Ventures
Family Office
Private Equity
Corporate
Distressed Mergers & Acquisitions
Sports Law
Technology Mergers & Acquisitions
Portfolio Companies and Investors

Education

Baylor University School of Law, J.D., cum laude
- Executive Editor, Baylor Law Review
Baylor University, B.B.A. (Economics and Finance), cum laude

Clerkships

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 1989-1990

Professional Associations and Memberships

State Bar of Texas
Dallas Bar Association

Admissions

Texas

Publications and Speaking Engagements

"M&A Transactions: Assessing D&O Fiduciary Duties," panelist, CLE Webinar, March 7, 2012.
"Significant Shareholders in Public and Private Companies: Problems, Perils and Pitfalls," speaker, University of Texas School of Law 33rd Annual Conference on Securities Regulation and Business Law, Dallas, Texas, February 11, 2011.
"Mergers & Acquisitions Law 2011: Top Lawyers on Trends and Key Strategies for the Upcoming Year," co-author, Aspatore Thought Leadership, February 1, 2011.
"Annual Mergers and Acquisitions Institute," planning committee member, The University of Texas School of Law CLE, Houston, Texas, September 30, 2010.