Jay Ong is set to become the new leader of the Austin office of law firm Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC.

Ong — who specializes in bankruptcy, restructuring and insolvency law — will take over as managing shareholder in the Texas capital on Jan. 1. He's been with the firm for nearly 20 years, starting as an associate after graduating from Cornell Law School.

Ong will oversee 17 staff members in Austin, with 11 attorneys and six support staff. That compares with 22 total staff and 13 attorneys two years ago.

He will also look to grow the firm's reach into West Texas and the San Antonio area, according to a Feb. 7 announcement. The company said it wants Austin to function "as a nerve center to promote our business in San Antonio or other markets in West Texas."

Ong replaces Ben Wheatley, who took over Munsch Hardt in Austin in early 2017. Wheatley is still with Munsch Hardt and is now co-chairman of its construction practice group, playing a "significant role" as that practice area continues to rapidly expand.

In addition to his leadership role in Austin, Ong will sit on the operations committee for Dallas-based Munsch Hardt.

Among the topics handled by Munsch Hardt attorneys in Austin are real estate, litigation, bankruptcy, construction, environmental and intellectual property.

"With Jay at the helm, I am confident he will continue to capitalize and build upon the office's great strengths," Munsch Hardt CEO Phil Appenzeller said in a statement.

Outside of work, Ong has been a coach for moot court teams at the University of Texas School of Law, winning two national championships. He was also part of the team that won a Chapter 11 Restructuring of the Year award in 2017 from the Global M&A Network for work on the bankruptcy of Life Partners Holdings Inc. You can read more about the case in Law Journal Newsletters.

The full article can also be viewed here.