A Louisiana dentist accused by federal prosecutors of profiting from an insider trading scheme turned to attorneys at Smyser Kaplan & Veselka for help. So did the litigation trustee for Black Elk Energy Offshore Operations who alleged that four New York hedge funds illegally siphoned off the company’s oil and gas assets.

Houston-based Smyser Kaplan was successful in both cases in 2017. With only 22 lawyers, the firm has a substantial white-collar criminal defense practice in addition to representing clients in complex civil litigation.