Hunton Andrews Kurth has hired Carl von Merz, the head of Mayer Brown‘s U.S. upstream energy practice and leader of its Houston corporate practice, as a partner in Houston and head of the firm’s U.S. oil and gas practice, as Big Law lateral hiring continues at a steady clip in the energy sector.

Von Merz, who joined Hunton Andrews on Tuesday, said the firm is ideal for his practice, because of its reputation in the energy sector, impressive teams in oil and gas, corporate and M&A, and large Texas presence.