Hughes Watters Askanase Becomes Member of Geneva Group International Global Professional Alliance, Only Law Firm GGI Member in Texas

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hughes Watters Askanase L.L.P. (HWA) has become an independent member of Geneva Group International (GGI) and the only GGI member law firm in Texas. Lawrence A. “Larry” Young, an HWA partner, serves as HWA’s delegate with GGI. The only other GGI member in Texas is DRDA, a certified public accounting firm in Houston and Galveston.

“Being involved with GGI is working well for us”

Young and Wayne Kitchens, co-managing partner and head of the firm’s Business Bankruptcy Practice Area, will be speaking on “The Unique American Bankruptcy System” on Oct. 19 during the GGI World Conference in Rome. GGI will host the conference from Oct. 18 through 21.

According to Barbara Reiss of GGI, the most important element of nurturing successful cooperation among GGI members is personal contact. GGI hosts regional conferences for each continent several times a year and a World Conference once a year. In addition to these conferences, many more GGI meetings are held annually on a smaller scale. Young and other GGI member representatives attend these conferences and serve on Practice Groups that are expert groups formed by GGI members, focused on international business practices and related business and legal topics.

Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, GGI is a global alliance of leading independent, law, accounting, audit, management consulting and trust firms. GGI has been ranked as the sixth largest professional alliance in the world. GGI has more than 550 member offices worldwide with a presence in more than 100 countries.

All members are carefully selected and must meet specific standards for acceptance. GGI enables the best local independent firms to act globally without losing their independence.

“Speaking for my fellow partners and our entire staff, HWA is honored to be part of the GGI alliance. Becoming a GGI member firm was the fastest and most cost-effective way for us to expand beyond Houston and the United States,” Kitchens commented.

Established in 1978 by John Hughes, Harry Watters (now deceased) and David Askanase, HWA built a solid reputation, especially noted for its Business Bankruptcy Practice. Over the years, the firm added depth in several other practice areas to become a full-service business law firm, including Business Planning and Strategy, Commercial Finance, Commercial Litigation, Consumer Financial Services, Consumer and Commercial Default Servicing, Estate Planning, Probate, Real Estate and Commercial Real Estate Finance. The HWA team has grown to over 100, including attorneys and other staff members.

In addition to advising and supporting their clients, HWA attorneys routinely serve as expert sources for industry and professional organizations and media outlets. The firm itself and many HWA attorneys are AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell and have been recognized often in Best Lawyers in America® and Texas Monthly Magazine’s “Super Lawyers” and “Rising Stars” special issues. In addition, many HWA attorneys are certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in their respective area of practice.

“Being involved with GGI is working well for us,” Young commented. “HWA is reaping the benefits of referrals from other U.S.-based and international, independent member firms. We are likewise able to offer our current and prospective clients expanded capabilities and resources worldwide through the GGI organization in all the professional disciplines represented in GGI, including law, accounting and consulting firms, among others.”

For more information on Hughes Watters Askanase, L.L.P., please visit www.hwa.com. For more information on Geneva Group International, please visit www.ggi.com.

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