Harvard to Houston: V&E’s Dealmaker Powerhouse

The Texas Lawbook spotlighted Partner Lande Spottswood as one of the nation’s top dealmakers and a key player in shaping Texas’s modern M&A landscape. Read a Q&A with her below.

How are you helping shape the younger dealmakers at V&E?

There are so many skills that make a great partner at a place like V&E, and some of them are the ones people automatically think of. You need to be technically excellent. You need to be good at drafting and negotiating. You need to be good at all of that stuff.

But I have ways I like to put people in situations I know will make them uncomfortable; make them do the hard stuff first and be equally intentional about it, not just what’s going to make them a good technical lawyer. What’s going to make them a good partner? That’s client coverage, thinking strategically about developing your own practice and network, and how to do so in tandem with developing technical skills in a way that makes sense. And a lot of that is talking about it, but also showing, bringing them, and encouraging them to see what other people are doing.

The interview also covers Spotwood’s path to dealmaking, the changes she’s noticed in the Texas M&A landscape, and how she spends her time outside the office.

Widely regarded as one of the country’s top M&A practitioners, Spottswood brings deep insight to complex, market-shaping transactions for Fortune 500 companies and leading private capital firms. Her work has earned recognition from Chambers USA, Lawdragon, The American Lawyer, The Deal, and numerous other publications. She also contributes significant leadership through her roles in firm management, recruiting, and national legal and policy organizations.