Law360 (April 17, 2025, 4:44 PM EDT) -- Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr PC announced that an experienced corporate attorney who has spent nearly 15 years working in-house and in private practice has joined the firm's Austin, Texas, office as a shareholder from Amini & Conant LLP.

Jared Greathouse joined Munsch Hardt at the start of April following a little more than five years at Amini & Conant. He told Law360 Pulse on Thursday that he decided to join the firm because of its reputation and culture, along with the wider range of services he can provide his clients without having to seek outside counsel.

"During the interview process, I asked a lot of questions about interfirm collaboration and was met with unanimous responses that no one is on an island here," Greathouse said. "The firm really operates as a brain trust for its clients and that was very important to me. I want to continue to grow Munsch Hardt's corporate presence in Austin and at a deeper level, I want for myself and the firm to be known as the preeminent problem solvers for businesses and business owners in Central Texas."

Greathouse, a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law, describes his practice as "serving as outside in-house counsel." He said he primarily represents small to midsize businesses dealing with issues related to regulators, vendors, partners, shareholders, employees and clients, including structure, governance, financing, board management, benefits and employment, intellectual propertyand specialty tax incentives.

"Munsch Hardt's leadership team is deeply committed to expanding its footprint in Austin, with astrong emphasis on transactional practices such as corporate/[mergers and acquisitions], real estate, health care, and more," Austin managing shareholder James Ray said in a statement. "We are excited for Jared to join the firm, as his background and expertise will significantly enhance our team and strengthen the services we offer our clients."

Greathouse said balancing growth and stability is one of the main challenges his clients are currently facing, citing as an example the rapid growth in 2020 and 2021 and the difficulty in maintaining the same pace.

"Operationally, I see clients face a lot of uncertainty about whether to grow their companies or bolster what is already in place and insulate themselves from instability," Greathouse said. "I'm also seeing people stepping out and creating their path. It's exciting for me to witness because I'm an entrepreneur and risk-taker at heart. I emotionally invest in watching my clients and friends chase their dreams."

Along with his time at Amini & Conant, Greathouse spent nearly two years with Blazier Christensen Browder & Virr PC, about a year with content management system company SeedLogix as general counsel and five years with wellness product company Proactive Risk Solutions, according to his
LinkedIn page.

"The short answer is empathy," Greathouse said regarding what he took away from his in-house experience. "I have a much better idea of how the soup is made. When a business owner reaches out to me to discuss bringing in contractors or expanding into new markets, I'm able to walk them through the host of landmines they need to account for along the way and help them navigate that process."

Greathouse said he joined Proactive at an early time in the company's lifespan, which included helping it obtain initial financing and participating in guiding it through numerous regulatory pitfalls while creating wellness products he said were designed to fit into tax-incentivized healthcare offerings.

"At the same time, the company ballooned from a couple of Austin-centered staff to employees in Dallas and Atlanta," Greathouse said. "It is safe to say we were busy keeping many plates spinning atonce. The experience helped me immensely in my current practice because I not only had a lot oftrial by fire, but I was able to see firsthand what business owners deal with day to day. That experience helps me anticipate client needs."

At SeedLogix, Greathouse said, the main focus was working to make search engine optimization more affordable for small businesses, which traditionally found the existing service offerings to be too expensive.

"We were trying to manage costs by bringing the services in-house, while continuing to serve the impressive client base SeedLogix had already built," he said. "In addition to getting a crash course in SEO marketing, I learned about integrating service offerings into an already existing business. This is another tool I continue to use when helping clients as they enter into similar arrangements."

Munsch Hardt has more than 160 attorneys in its three Texas offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston, the firm's website said.