Maseo Brown is an associate in the Private Equity Practice Group in the Houston office of Haynes and Boone, LLP.
His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity investments, capital markets and securities, and other commercial transactions.
Prior to joining Haynes and Boone, Maseo earned his law degree from Tulane University Law School. While earning his degree, Maseo served as Vice President of the Business Law Society, Community Outreach Chair of the Black Law Students Association, Legal Extern at the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, and Senior Member of the Moot Court team. He also spent a semester studying international business law at the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law, where he learned about foreign direct investment into and out of China.
Credentials
Education J.D., Tulane University Law School, 2020 B.A., Oglethorpe University, 2014 LANGUAGES Spanish ADMISSIONS Texas
Activities
Member: American Bar Association, Business Law Section Member: American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Volunteer: Houston Volunteer Lawyers Member: Houston Lawyers Association Member: State Bar of Texas, Business Law Section Member: State Bar of Texas, African American Lawyers Section Member: Houston Bar Association, Mergers & Acquisitions Section Houston Small Business Legal Consultant (Houston Office of Business Opportunity) Member: Association for Corporate Growth, Young Professionals Network Mentor: Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Member: Emerging 100 Black Men of America, Economic Empowerment Committee
Vanessa Allen Sutherland is Executive Vice President of Government Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Phillips 66. She has over 25 years of legal experience.
Before assuming her current role in January 2022, Sutherland was Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer for Norfolk Southern Corporation, where she held a series of positions.
Sutherland brings considerable knowledge of the public sector, having served as Chairperson and CEO of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board from 2015-2018 and as Chief Counsel at the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration from 2011-2015. She also served in senior legal counsel roles for Altria Group and Philip Morris USA.
Sutherland earned a bachelor’s degree from Drew University, as well as a law degree and MBA from American University.
Leandra leverages her prior experience in the public and private sectors to develop effective legal arguments and equitable resolutions while deftly navigating the continuous dialogue between business and government interests.
Before joining B&D, Leandra served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Tort Litigation Division of the Texas Office of the Attorney General where she defended state agencies in personal injury, property damage, and wrongful termination lawsuits involving the Tort Claims Act. She also defended the State Office of Risk Management and other state agencies in workers’ compensation contested case hearings and appeals. Prior to that, Leandra worked as a real estate litigation associate at a boutique law firm in Austin representing commercial real estate and multifamily residential developers litigating real estate leases.
Leandra’s litigation experience includes first-chair representation of clients in front of the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearing, justice courts across Texas, county court at laws, district courts, and the First and Fourteenth Texas Court of Appeals.
During law school, Leandra volunteered as a Legal Intern at Texas Advocacy Project, a charitable organization that empowers survivors of dating and domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking through free legal services and access to the justice system.
Education
- George Washington University (B.A., 2012)
- Concentration in Business Economics and Public Policy
- University of Texas School of Law (J.D., 2016)
Bar Admissions
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Texas Bar Association
Community Involvement
- Legal Intern, Texas Advocacy Project, 2014
Brittani Booker Pleasant is a business, consumer, and civil litigation attorney with a proven record of local, regional and national leadership. Pleasant served as the president of the American Association for Justice (AAJ) for two consecutive terms. In this time, she headed the largest membership of this organization since its resurrection a few years prior. Before acquiring leadership positions in higher education, Pleasant attended St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas. Pleasant has been the recipient of the NAACP Torch-Bearer Award and Scholarship, an award given for the showing of academic excellence and proven leadership capabilities. As a student, she began mentoring other young men and women academically and socially. As an attorney, she serves as in the Circles Mentoring group that allows her to mentor future attorneys currently attending law school, and continues to serve as mentor to a number of young women in the San Antonio community. Recently, Pleasant has been honored as the 2017 Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc.'s Business Woman of the Year, recognized for her tenacity and drive as an entrepreneur. Attorney Pleasant has also been acknowledged as the Scene in SA's Best Lawyer of 2018 and 2021, nominated and awarded the Scene in SA's Rising Star of 2022, and recognized and awarded as the National Black Lawyer's Top 40 Under 40 (Texas). Today, B. Pleasant Law, PLLC is a thriving firm servicing San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi, and surrounding areas. With a long record of wins and settlements for small business owners, consumers who deserve protection, and even for families who need assistance carrying out their loved one's final wishes, B. Pleasant Law is busier than ever making sure the legal needs of the community are met.