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Blank Rome Continues Expansion of Corporate, M&A, and Securities Group with Partner in Houston

Nina Skinner

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to welcome Nina Bianchi Skinner to the firm’s Corporate, M&A, and Securities group in Houston. Nina has a notable track record as a trusted corporate and M&A adviser to energy, manufacturing, industrial, and services companies of all sizes, from local businesses to multinational corporations. She is skilled in navigating progressively complex business transactions with clear solutions for clients, and her arrival marks the next step in Blank Rome’s expansion to meet the dynamic needs of the firm’s clients in Houston and nationally. Nina joins Blank Rome from Liskow & Lewis where she was a shareholder.

As part of Blank Rome’s commitment to expanding in Houston, the firm also recently welcomed finance partners Cassandra G. Mott and Sarah H. Frazier, corporate partner C. Brendan Cummings, and Mexican counsel Ana Cecilia Ibarra-Van Oostenrijk. Nationally, the firm has added nearly 15 attorneys to its highly ranked Corporate, M&A, and Securities practice over the past two years, including most recently Leslie Marlow, Hank Gracin, and Patrick Egan, a respected corporate and securities law team in New York, and of counsel James H. Adkins in Washington, D.C.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nina to Blank Rome as we continue to strategically expand our Houston office as well as our national Corporate, M&A, and Securities practice,” said Grant S. Palmer, Blank Rome’s Managing Partner and CEO.  “Nina is a strong addition to our corporate group and also underscores Blank Rome’s continued national growth and commitment to the energy industry and to Texas.”

Nina concentrates her practice in mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations, distressed business transactions, joint ventures, private placements, borrower-side finance, corporate governance, and general corporate counseling. She also represents clients in sophisticated over-the-counter derivatives transactions and related Dodd-Frank, EMIR, and other regulatory compliance matters. 

“We are excited to add Nina to our growing team,” said Louis M. Rappaport, Partner and Co-Chair of Blank Rome’s Corporate, M&A, and Securities group. “Nina is a talented attorney with significant problem-solving and client advocacy skills, and she makes the most of every opportunity. I know she will do the same for our clients who are engaged in everything from routine M&A deals to more sophisticated transactions. She is a terrific addition to our market-leading Corporate practice.”

Nina represents purchasers, sellers, and investors in the middle market across a range of industries, such as energy (including oil and gas upstream, midstream, and downstream), industrials, chemicals, manufacturing, professional services, commodities markets, telecommunications, consumer products, information management, engineered products, and real estate.

“This is a unique opportunity to help build a corporate, M&A team in the Houston office backed by Blank Rome’s established brand as a major national player with high-caliber talent,” stated Nina. “The firm’s strategic goals in Texas, as well as its emphasis on innovation, client service, and collegiality, will allow me to confidently provide enhanced engagement and results for clients.”

“My clients also recognize that diverse organizations deliver stronger results, and Blank Rome’s leadership in embracing and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion across teams and offices directly aligns with the investments being made by companies today,” added Nina. “I look forward to sharing my Hispanic heritage with my Blank Rome peers and using my connections to the Latin American community in successfully servicing clients in domestic and international projects.”

Outside of the office, Nina is active in the Houston business and local community. She is a member of the Association of Corporate Growth, Houston Chapter and Houston Women’s Forum, and supports child advocacy and education initiatives.

Nina earned her J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center, her M.B.A from the University of Houston Bauer College of Business, and her B.S., magna cum laude, from Tulane University.


Since January 1, 2022, Blank Rome has welcomed the following leading partners across its U.S. offices, enhancing the firm’s services and capabilities throughout its various practices: