Barnes & Thornburg Shortlisted for ‘Deal of the Year’ and ‘Dealmaker of the Year’ in D CEO’s M&A Awards

Barnes & Thornburg was shortlisted as a finalist for “Deal of the Year” in the $250 million-$999 million category in D CEO’s Mergers & Acquisitions Awards 2026. In addition, partner Reid Johnson, who leads Barnes & Thornburg’s Dallas corporate practice, was named a finalist for “Dealmaker of the Year.”

The awards program, presented by D CEO magazine and the Association for Corporate Growth-DFW, honors notable North Texas transactions and the dealmakers who pushed them across the finish line.

Barnes and Thornburg was nominated for "Deal of the Year" after serving as lead counsel on one of the most meaningful transactions in North Texas: a landmark ESOP transition for Pogue Construction, one of the region’s most respected and longstanding construction companies. In addition to Reid, the team also included partners Michael Nader and Vincent Lillegard and associate Haylie English.

Reid also was among six lawyers selected as a finalist for “Attorney of the Year.” The other finalists include lawyers from Sidley Austin, Gibson Dunn, Haynes Boone and McGuire Woods. Finalists will be featured in the May 2026 issue of D CEO magazine and honored at a private awards ceremony this spring.

One of the leading corporate deal attorneys in the Lone Star State, Johnson has helped grow Barnes & Thornburg’s Dallas corporate practice into an increasingly influential player in the North Texas deal market. In 2025 alone, he played a key role in nearly 40 deals totaling approximately up to $5 billion in value.