Munsch Hardt Announces Opening of a Fort Worth Office
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5:45 AM on Wednesday, April 1
The Associated Press
DALLAS & FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 1, 2026--
Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. (Munsch Hardt) is pleased to announce the opening of its Fort Worth office, making it the fourth office for the Firm. The launch formalizes years of significant work in the market and reflects the Firm’s long-standing commitment to serving Fort Worth-based clients with a boots-on-the-ground platform.
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Munsch Hardt is pleased to announce the opening of its Fort Worth, Texas office. The launch formalizes years of significant work in the market and reflects the Firm’s long-standing commitment to serving Fort Worth-based clients with a boots-on-the-ground platform.
With a strong foundation in real estate and construction matters already in place, and the recent addition of an experienced litigation shareholder ( Austin Franklin ) and corporate shareholder ( Deana Tillotson ), Munsch Hardt now offers a well-rounded, full-service team designed to meet the complex needs of Fort Worth’s business community.
“Fort Worth has been part of our strategic plan for a long time,” said E. David Coligado, CEO of Munsch Hardt. “We waited to launch until we had the right leadership and practice depth in place. This office is built to provide Fort Worth businesses with a new option for sophisticated legal expertise and to grow and attract exceptional attorneys who want to do meaningful work in a collaborative, high-performance environment.”
Munsch Hardt has made a significant investment in Fort Worth through the targeted recruitment of top-tier attorneys across core practice areas. Anchored by strengths in real estate, financial services, construction, litigation, and corporate law, the Firm’s Fort Worth office provides clients with seamless service across the full lifecycle of commercial development, finance, business operations, and dispute resolution.
“Our goal is straightforward,” said Adrienne Wall, Managing Shareholder of the Fort Worth office. “We are building a premier Fort Worth office, one that delivers sophisticated legal work, supports our clients’ growth, and brings together attorneys who are widely respected in this market.”
Even before opening its doors in Fort Worth, Munsch Hardt attorneys have advised Fort Worth-based companies and managed Fort Worth-based projects on a wide range of significant matters, including:
- Finance Transactions
Munsch Hardt represents a regional bank with locations in Fort Worth in connection with a diverse portfolio of financing transactions. The Firm navigates complex deal structures to advise on, document, and close financing transactions of all types (including construction, development, acquisition, and refinancing), spanning a range of asset classes, including mixed use developments, multifamily housing projects, office buildings, retail centers, assisted living facilities, and hospitality projects. - Mixed-Use Development
Represented a developer in connection with the planning and development of Westside Village, a 37-acre mixed-use district in Fort Worth located along the Trinity River near Downtown. The $1.7 billion project will include office, multifamily, retail, hospitality, and entertainment use, with walkable public spaces and adaptive reuse of existing structures. Munsch Hardt is advising on development, leasing, and condominium matters related to the project. - Distribution Company Litigation
Serve as ongoing litigation counsel to a Fort Worth-based food and beverage distribution company, providing experienced counsel across a variety of litigation matters, where we deliver proactive risk management and business-minded strategies to support the company’s ongoing operations. - Hospital Acquisition
Represented a large health system in its $116.5 million acquisition of a medical center located in Fort Worth, which was purchased through an auction process approved by the bankruptcy court. - Aviation Finance and Lender Counsel
Represented a Fort Worth-based, non-regulated lender in connection with its initial working capital loan. The Firm continues to provide legal counsel to such lender in connection with its financing of general aviation aircraft.
Beyond its legal practice, Munsch Hardt’s Fort Worth attorneys are active participants in the business, philanthropic, and civic life of Fort Worth. The Firm also plans to invest time and resources into the organizations and initiatives that contribute to what makes Fort Worth a dynamic and distinctive community.
Munsch Hardt has been recognized as a Best Place to Work by The Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle for several consecutive years. The Firm’s culture – rooted in collaboration, mutual respect, and long-term career investment – will be a defining feature of the Fort Worth office.
The following attorneys will be founding members of the Firm’s Fort Worth office:
Managing Shareholder – Fort Worth / Real Estate Finance
Adrienne Wall has been appointed Managing Shareholder of the Firm’s Fort Worth office, where she will work together with David Coligado to set and lead the office’s growth, client service, and strategic direction. In her legal practice, she represents commercial banks and lenders in finance transactions secured by real estate and business assets. Her experience includes construction, development, hotel, agricultural, purchase money, and multistate loans, as well as workouts, restructurings, forbearance agreements, foreclosures, and UCC Article 9 sales. Prior to joining Munsch Hardt, Wall served as Associate General Counsel for a regional commercial bank, advising on loan operations across Texas and Oklahoma.
Shareholder / Real Estate
Theo Bruton represents owners, developers, and investors in commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, financing, development, leasing, and dispositions involving retail, industrial, and multifamily projects. Bruton is an alumnus of Texas A&M University School of Law and is a resident of Fort Worth, and Bruton has spent most of his career practicing in Fort Worth. His experience includes negotiating purchase and sale agreements, commercial leases, financing documents, development agreements, and easements. Bruton previously served as in-house counsel for a commercial real estate developer in Fort Worth, providing him with practical insight into business operations and long-term development strategy.
Shareholder / Litigation
Austin Franklin is a trial attorney who represents individuals, corporations, and institutions in complex state and federal litigation. His practice includes business and contractual disputes, fraud and fiduciary duty claims, intellectual property matters, real estate and construction litigation, energy-related disputes, and partnership matters, as well as select probate, family, and employment cases. Franklin previously clerked for Judges Mark T. Pittman and Terry R. Means of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas and served on active duty in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he handled federal litigation and advised on national security and administrative matters. Franklin is an alumnus of Texas Christian University and has practiced in Fort Worth since leaving active-duty service.
Shareholder / Construction + Real Estate
Grant Jordan represents clients in construction and real estate matters in Fort Worth and throughout North Texas. A lifelong Fort Worth resident and an alumnus of Texas A&M University School of Law, he has held leadership roles with the Tarrant County Bar Association, the Construction Law Section, and TEXO construction association. He has also represented the City of Fort Worth in legal matters involving development and construction. Jordan is active in the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth, and he has been recognized by Fort Worth Magazine as a “Top Attorney” for construction law, reflecting his longstanding involvement in the local development and business communities.
Associate / Litigation
Erin Rutherford focuses her practice on litigation, with an emphasis on representing clients in the insurance industry. She supports clients throughout all stages of litigation involving first-party property and third-party insurance claims. Her background also includes hands-on experience in health care settings and work on environmental and energy-related matters, including environmental impact analysis and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation. Rutherford earned her law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth and is admitted to practice in Texas and Wyoming.
Shareholder / Financial Services + Corporate
Deana Tillotson is a seasoned legal professional with expertise in navigating complex legal issues. She most recently served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of a regional bank with locations in Fort Worth and throughout the metroplex. With over a decade of in-house counsel experience, she provides strategic legal counsel to executive management teams and boards of directors drawing on her experience in acquisitions and dispositions, corporate governance, lending and real estate matters, finance, risk management, compliance, and litigation. Tillotson also advises family offices and property owners, lenders, and investors in commercial real estate and business transactions.
Senior Attorney / Real Estate
Melissa Tucker represents lenders, developers, and investors in commercial real estate and financing. Her experience includes development and construction financing, multistate transactions, senior and subordinated debt, acquisitions, dispositions, and leasing of office, retail, and industrial properties. Tucker previously clerked for former Chief Justices John Cayce and now Chief Justice Bonnie Sudderth. She is a lifelong resident of Fort Worth, an alumnus of Texas A&M University School of Law and has practiced law in Fort Worth for her entire career.
Munsch Hardt’s Fort Worth office will be located at 777 Main Street in the heart of downtown. The Firm will occupy approximately 5,787 square feet on the 19 th floor, with options to support continued expansion.
About Munsch Hardt
Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. is a Texas-based, full-service law firm with more than 170 attorneys across Austin, Dallas, and Houston. The Firm provides comprehensive legal counsel to commercial clients at every stage of the business lifecycle, from start-up ventures to established institutions with legal needs across Texas and around the globe.
The Firm and its attorneys are consistently recognized for excellence, including rankings in Chambers USA and Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms.” Munsch Hardt has also been named a “Top Workplace” by The Dallas Morning News and Houston Chronicle, and a “Best Place to Work” by Austin Business Journal. Additionally, the Firm has been recognized among the “Middle Market 50” fastest-growing companies by Dallas Business Journal.
For more information, visit www.munsch.com.
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CONTACT: Dana Driver
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KEYWORD: TEXAS UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PROFESSIONAL SERVICES LEGAL RESIDENTIAL BUILDING & REAL ESTATE COMMERCIAL BUILDING & REAL ESTATE CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY REIT
SOURCE: Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.
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PUB: 04/01/2026 08:45 AM/DISC: 04/01/2026 08:47 AM
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