Andrew L. Kerr, a member at Clark Hill in San Antonio, has been selected as one of five recipients of the 2025 Texas Bar Foundation’s Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award. The Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award is given to attorneys whose practice has spanned five decades or more, recognizing their dedication to justice and adherence to the principles and traditions of the legal profession.
Mary Ella McBrearty passed away March 21, 2025. McBrearty worked at the Heinrichs & De Gennaro law firms in San Antonio for over 25 years, where she specialized in business and tax law, estate and probate planning and insurance, and other corporate law. She was vice chancellor of the Texas Law Class of 1980.
Steven Stodghill was confirmed as a member of the Public Safety Commission by the Texas Senate. Stodghill, a partner at Winston & Strawn, has served on the PSC since his initial appointment in 2019.
Andrew Coleman has joined BraunHagey & Borden as a litigation attorney in the firm’s New York office. Coleman, whose practice will cover complex commercial disputes, recently clerked for the Honorable Brian A. Jackson of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
Following a long career in business journalism that included positions as editor-in-chief of Environmental Protection magazine, energy reporter for Texas Lawyer newspaper, and senior editor at POWER magazine (McGraw Hill), Angela Neville now owns Neville Wildlife Enterprises and handles hunting and grazing leases for property in Clay County, Texas. She also was an instructor at Texas A&M University’s Division of Environmental & Occupational Safety and taught continuing education classes to environmental professionals.
Diana Pérez Gomez has joined Jackson Walker as a partner in the Labor & Employment practice group for the firm’s Houston office. Gomez, who previously was a trial shareholder for Chamberlain Hrdlicka, serves on the board of directors for the State Bar of Texas and on the Texas Access to Justice Commission.
Leslie Tan has joined Jackson Walker as senior counsel in the Labor & Employment practice group for the firm’s Houston office. She is a seasoned senior counsel with expertise in labor and employment matters and complex civil litigation and a strong background in insurance defense.
James Francis “Jim” Haley Jr. passed away on March 26, 2025. Jim, a double Longhorn, served as deputy executive director and lead attorney at the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission for 15 years before continuing his government work at the Texas Department of Insurance.
Richard Gross passed away on March 25, 2025. Gross, a proud double Longhorn, worked for Baker Botts and, with his wife, owned a store in Boerne called Heydey.
Tom Royce Doyal has passed away. A double Longhorn and U.S. Army veteran, Doyal’s law practice represented school districts across the state of Texas throughout his career.
Lina Ortega is a new board member for the El Paso Community Foundation. Ortega, recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer, previously served four consecutive terms in the Texas House of Representatives.
Bruce McCandless III, son of astronaut Bruce McCandless II—who flew missions in the Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle programs—released his latest book, “Star Bound,” on Jan. 1, 2025. The book centers on the history of human spaceflight and the American space program and is the latest of McCandless’s novels and nonfiction work.
Susana Alemán passed away March 21, 2025. A triple Longhorn, Alemán served as assistant dean for student affairs at Texas Law from 1984-2006 and established the Dean Alemán Sunflower Lawhorn Scholarship in 2022 to support Mexican-American law students.
Aaron Reitz has been confirmed as the new Assistant U.S. Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy. In this role, he will oversee the administration’s selection of federal judges and help coordinate legal strategies on cultural issues. Reitz previously served as chief of staff to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and held a position in the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
Sam W. Lane Jr. passed away March 22, 2025. A proud double-Longhorn who served in the United States Army, Lane Jr. spent his career working at the private law practice he established in Dallas.
Daniel J. Pope has been named counsel for Bracewell where he will advise and defend energy, infrastructure, and industrial clients on environmental permits, transactions, and litigation. Pope previously was a judicial assistant for the Hon. Fred Biery of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division.
The Hon. Lisa Lewis has ascended to the bench as a justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York. Previously a judge for Kings County Civil Court and an attorney for District Council 37, Lewis has more than 25 years of experience in civil, criminal, and family law.
Billy Joe McLain has been appointed associate United States attorney, where he will oversee capital cases and help implement Department of Justice priorities. He brings nine years of experience as an assistant U.S. attorney in California, where he successfully prosecuted federal murder cases, fraud, public corruption, and organized crime. McLain previously practiced at Hueston Hennigan and Irell & Manella, and has clerked for judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Abby Rogers has joined Kane Russell Coleman Logan as an associate in the firm’s new Austin office. She is part of a team that focuses on bankruptcy, restructuring, and litigation. Rogers previously worked at Ross, Smith & Binford.
Mark Taylor has joined Kane Russell Coleman Logan as co-director, helping launch the firm’s new Austin office. This move expands the firm’s reach into Central Texas, with an initial focus on bankruptcy, restructuring, and litigation.
Mary Elizabeth Wilson has been appointed as the chief of staff and general counsel at the North Carolina Department of Commerce. In this role, Wilson will provide legal support across corporate matters, personnel, contracts, and economic development incentives.
Scott Aston passed away on March 10, 2025. A business litigation attorney for over 35 years in Dallas, Aston was repeatedly recognized as a Super Lawyer for his excellence and dedication to his clients.
Wanda Allen passed away on Feb. 3, 2025. Allen forged a successful career as a plaintiff’s attorney, trying cases in multiple federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. She served as an attorney-adviser at Lowry Air Force Base and dedicated much of her time to empowering women in the workforce. Selected for a Federal Bar Association fact-finding delegation to China, the USSR, and Finland, she earned numerous commendations for her work.
Charles “Charlie” Ray Burton passed away on March 8, 2025. A Navy veteran, Burton forged a lifelong friendship and partnership with classmate Roy Q. Minton while at Texas Law. The two worked at the Travis County Attorney’s Office before founding their own Austin law firm, which eventually became known as Minton, Burton, Foster, & Collins.
Stanley Krysa passed away on March 1, 2025. After entering the U.S. Department of Justice under the Attorney General’s Honors Program, Krysa served as a trial attorney litigating federal tax violations for nearly 42 years. He earned many honors throughout his career, including the Presidential Meritorious Executive Rank Award, the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, and the ABA Tax Section’s Ritholz Memorial Merit Award.
Michael Riordan has been named a senior attorney at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in Houston. A member of Bradley’s Bankruptcy & Creditors’ Rights Practice Group, he focuses his practice on the restructuring of companies in and out of bankruptcy, debtors’ and creditors’ rights, debtor-in-possession financers, and the acquisition and sale of distressed assets.
Olney Gray Wallis of Llano, Texas, passed away on November 18, 2024. A double Longhorn and Air Force veteran, Wallis served in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, was an assistant U.S. attorney in Houston, and then practiced law as a federal criminal trial attorney for over 54 years. He received the Air Force Commendation Medal and was recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice for his outstanding performance.
Joe Profaizer has joined Linklaters in Washington, D.C., as a partner and global co-head of Linklaters’ International Arbitration Practice. He continues to serve as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center.
Joe Lawlor has been promoted to partner at Orrick in Houston, where he advises clients with mergers and acquisitions, joint venture formations, and project development transactions across the full energy spectrum.
Jeff Davis Jr. passed away on March 6, 2025. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. He spent the rest of his career in private practice and as a judge for the Social Security Administration.
Arthur Nathan has joined Dykema’s Houston office, bringing his expertise in corporate and partnership transactions. Recognized by Chambers USA for his work in Corporate/M&A, Nathan was previously a partner at Jones Day and Haynes & Boone.
James Gosdin has been appointed head of direct underwriting at AmTrust Title Insurance Company in Houston. Previously, he served as senior vice president and chief underwriting counsel for Stewart Title Guaranty Company and has underwritten title insurance transactions nationwide.
Bill Wiley passed away on February 28, 2025. A double Longhorn, Wiley began his career in politics, working for U.S. Representatives Homer Thornberry and Jake Pickle in Washington, D.C., before serving for more than two decades as vice president of governmental affairs for Standard Oil (Amoco).
Philip Wright co-founded the Houston-based private equity firm Allied Industrial Partners, a lower-middle market private equity firm that applies an operationally focused, thematic approach to invest in high-growth industrial companies. Allied uses its strong operating heritage and extensive M&A capabilities to benefit its partners.
Cora Lynn Meyer passed away on Feb. 24, 2025 in Lufkin, Texas.
Patricia Rigney, city attorney for the City of Mission and owner of the Rigney Law Firm, has been reappointed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to the Business Advisory Council within the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Rigney will provide advice and expertise on actions state and local governments can take to assist businesses in recovering from a disaster.
Michael Reeder, a seasoned trial attorney and patent litigator, has joined Blank Rome’s Houston office as a partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation group and member of the Technology industry team. Previously, Reeder was a partner and founding member at Cadwell Clonts Reeder & Thomas.
Jonathan Harmon has been named one of Virginia’s 50 Most Powerful Leaders in 2025 by the publication Virginia Business. Harmon was elected to be the first Black chairman of the state’s largest law firm McGuireWoods in 2017 as a nationally recognized trial lawyer representing Fortune 500 companies.
Scott Cole, a veteran trial lawyer and patent litigator, has joined Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg as managing partner of its Austin office. Cole has three decades of experience in commercial and intellectual property disputes with past leadership roles at top firms including Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and McKool Smith.
Harris Well has been elected to partner at Reynolds Frizzell in Houston. A trial attorney with the firm since 2017, Harris is a master of deep and diligent research who finds unique ways to resolve legal issues for his business litigation clients in the energy, real estate, and financial industries.
Jesse Zambrano has created a Legal Eagles pipeline program through the Zambrano Law Firm. The program provides an immersive learning experience to high school and college students aspiring to make their mark in the legal domain, including a mentorship platform, educational resources, networking opportunities, and hands-on legal case experience.
Arthur Lee Pertile III passed away on Feb. 25, 2025. Throughout his career, Pertile served as the city attorney for numerous Texas cities including Waco, Katy, and Stafford, and most recently was a partner at Olson & Olson before his retirement.
Brighten S. Kaufman has been promoted to an associate for Akin where she will advise private fund managers and represent institutional and private investors across various jurisdictions. She was previously an Akin summer associate and a Strauss Diversity & Inclusion Scholar.
Kyle Fox has joined Perkins Coie’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity practices as a partner working in the firm’s Austin office. Fox is part of a three-partner group that made the move to Perkins Coie from Greenberg Traurig.
James Lloyd has been appointed deputy policy director to Vice President JD Vance. Before being called to serve in the Trump administration, Lloyd was deputy attorney general for civil litigation.
Senior Justice Debra H. Lehrmann, Texas Supreme Court’s longest-serving woman justice, has been named the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Samuel Pessarra Outstanding Jurist Award by the Texas Bar Foundation.
Mickey Klein, a longtime supporter and contributor to various programs and colleges at The University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded the Shirley Bird Perry Longhorn Citizenship Award with his wife Jeanne.
Harry Charles Dishman Jr. passed away Feb. 18, 2025. A double Longhorn who had a bachelor’s degree in business administration/accounting, Dishman was a skillful salesman of luxury goods for Tiffany’s, Cartier, and Gump’s.
Kate Goodrich has been promoted to a senior policy advisor and member of Holland & Knight’s Government Advocacy Team. Goodrich previously was deputy general counsel and policy advisor for the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives and a governmental affairs consultant with Jackson Walker.
Stephen Yeh has been promoted to partner at Latham & Watkins in Los Angeles, effective March 1, 2025. Yeh is a member of the firm’s Project Development & Finance Practice and Finance Department, where he represents financial institutions, corporate investors, sponsors, and developers.