Jessica Adkins has joined Latham & Watkins in Houston as partner in the project development and finance practice. Adkins, transferring from Sidley Austin, advises on electric power and renewable energy transactions.
Nicholas McCoy has been promoted to partner in the Corporate Department at Proskauer Rose in Washington, D.C. McCoy, who is a member of the firm’s Private Funds Group, focuses his practice on representing leading private fund sponsors, institutional investors, and other market participants.
Siva Barnwell Adams has been named corporate secretary and chief governance officer of Chevron Corporation, effective Jan. 1, 2027. Barnwell Adams currently serves as deputy corporate secretary and prior to that role was senior managing counsel for the Major Transactions Law Group.
Jo-Ann Whitney Grace passed away on Oct. 29, 2026. After starting her career as an estate and gift tax attorney with the Internal Revenue Service, Grace served as president of the Metropolitan News Company and was co-publisher of the Metropolitan News-Enterprise with her husband, Roger.
Josh Pleitz has joined Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr’s Dallas office as a shareholder with the corporate securities and mergers and acquisitions practices. He previously was a partner at Dorsey & Whitney for nine years after eight years as an associate at Fulbright & Jaworski.
Alex Miller has been named the recipient of the 2026 San Antonio Corporate Counsel Award for Senior Counsel of the Year for a Large Legal Department by the Association of Corporate Counsel’s San Antonio chapter and The Texas Lawbook. As the chief of litigation at Valero, Miller manages a nine-figure litigation docket and has helped secure major legal victories for the company.
Emily Jolly has joined Troutman Pepper Locke’s Austin office as a partner in its Energy Regulatory Practice Group. She previously served as senior vice president and chief regulatory and compliance officer at the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Guy James Gray Jr. passed away on Oct. 20, 2026. Over his distinguished legal career in Jasper, Texas, he served as district attorney for 26 years.
Warne Arlen Rohne passed away on Oct. 16, 2026. An Army veteran, Rohne served as mayor of Pantego, Texas, for 10 years and had a private firm, Wayne Rohne Attorney at Law.
Elena Thompson, attorney at Miller Nash, has been elected as a member of the Real Property Council of the Washington State Bar Association Real Property, Probate and Trust section. Her term will run from 2026-2028.
Josh Pleitz has joined Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr as a shareholder in its Corporate & Securities and M&A practices. Pleitz has more than 16 years of experience advising public and private companies, private equity funds, and institutional investors on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, strategic investments, and other corporate matters.
Noah Hagey, co-founder and managing partner of BraunHagey & Borden, has been named to Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America for the fifth consecutive year, recognizing his work in complex commercial litigation. In addition, his firm was named Intellectual Property Litigation Department of the Year at the Law.com/New York Law Journal’s 2026 New York Legal Awards.
Thomas “Tom” Tomlinson has joined Ashurst Perkins Coie’s Projects, Energy, Environment & Resources group as partner, expanding the firm into Houston. Tomlinson brings over 30 years of experience advising sponsors, investors, developers, and lenders on transactions across the energy sector.
Alex Kaplan has joined the Houston office of Kirkland & Ellis as partner. As a commercial trial lawyer, Kaplan previously made partner at Susman Goffrey in just four years for his work in energy, antitrust, financial services, technology, intellectual property, and M&A-related disputes.
Judge Michael D. Schattman passed away on Oct. 9, 2026. His career included a federal clerkship with Judge Woodrow Seals in Houston, service as judge of Tarrant County Court No. 2 and the 348th District Court, and a later role as general counsel of the Small Business Administration.
Alejandra Chavira has joined Reynolds Frizzell in Houston as a trial attorney. She previously served as a law clerk to Judge James E. Graves Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Chalon N. Clark has joined Hunton Andrews Kurth in Dallas as a partner in the firm’s commercial litigation practice. Drawing on nearly two decades of experience handling complex, high-value matters, Clark’s practice focuses on high-stakes disputes across the commercial lending, construction, real estate, financial services, products liability, and employment sectors.
Versel (Wall) Rush has been appointed and sworn in as the associate judge of the Child Protection Court in the Permian Basin, 7th Administrative Region of Texas. Rush previously acted as a litigating attorney for the Department of Family and Protective Services.
The Honorable Jan Soifer received the inaugural Austin Young Lawyers Association’s Judicial Service Award for her dedication to AYLA. For nearly the past decade, she has served as a judge of the 345th District Court in Travis County, Texas.
Mark Perlmutter passed away on Oct. 13, 2026. He spent most of his professional career at Perlmutter & Schuelke, helping clients in complex personal injury, business litigation, and product liability cases. He also served as an adjunct professor and Texas Law and taught a class in UT’s Plan II Honors program.
Evan Kudler has joined Kaplan Kirsch in San Francisco as an attorney working on public infrastructure, environmental stewardship, and matters involving Native American tribes. He previously worked as an associate at Hogan Lovells and, before that, at Baker Botts.
Harold L. Phelan passed away on Oct. 9, 2026. After serving his country as a corporal in the U.S. Army, Phelan worked in private practice from 1961 to 2002, served as Hockley County attorney from 1965 to 1980, and was the 286th District judge for Hockley and Cochran counties from 2003 to 2007.
Emily Jolly has joined Troutman Pepper Locke’s Energy Regulatory practice as a partner in its Austin office. Jolly brings nearly two decades of Texas-based legal experience focusing on contested case proceedings, rulemakings, transmission, and wholesale power policy within ERCOT, as well as advocacy before the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
Joe Long passed away on Oct. 7, 2026. A U.S. Army veteran and double Longhorn, Long was a prominent lawyer, chairman and CEO of First State Bank, and philanthropist. With his wife, Teresa Lozano Long, he supported UT’s Institute of Latin American Studies, endowed faculty positions for talented musicians, developed the Latin American Collection at the Blanton Museum of Art , and established the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Career Launch Program for recent graduates of Texas Law.
Kristi Tyler has joined My Dallas Criminal Lawyer to handle juvenile defense, CPS cases, and criminal matters. Tyler previously led the Felony Crimes Against Children Division at the Collin County District Attorney’s Office.
Chris Smith passed away on Oct. 9, 2026. After serving as an assistant district attorney in Minnesota, Smith had his own firm specializing in real estate law in Syracuse, New York.
Florentino “Tino” Ramirez Jr. passed away on Sept. 29, 2026. His practice, Ramirez & Associates, represented businesses and banks working between the United States and Mexico. He was a founding member of the Mexican American Bar Association.
Michael Davis has been promoted to partner at Houston litigation firm Gibbs & Bruns. Prior to joining the firm, Davis clerked for former Fifth Circuit Judge Gregg Costa from 2018 to 2019.
Sam Waldon has joined WilmerHale’s Washington, D.C., office as partner in its Securities Litigation and Enforcement Group. As a former Securities and Exchange Commission senior enforcement official, Waldon will advise clients on regulatory and enforcement matters, internal investigations, litigation, and long-term risk mitigation.
Laura Galaviz passed away on Sept. 26, 2026. Galaviz worked as an El Paso prosecutor, family law attorney in San Marcos and Austin, advocate for the elderly, and volunteer for the Texas Abuse Hotline and CASA.
David Crook passed away on Oct. 1, 2026. A double Longhorn, he practiced law in both Austin and McAllen, concentrating on commercial and residential real estate law.
Michael Carnes passed away on Sept. 30, 2026. After a term as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Carnes spent more than 20 years as a criminal defense lawyer in Dallas.
Jesus Enrique Samaniego passed away on Sept. 29, 2026. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War before becoming the first Hispanic to hold both a CPA title and law degree in the state of Texas.
Keegan Warren has been named to the Equal Justice Works “40×40 Alumni Changemakers” list, which marks the organization’s 40th anniversary. She serves as the executive director of the Institute for Healthcare Access at Texas A&M University.
Brad Thompson has been appointed as managing partner for the Austin office of Duane Morris LLP. Before serving as a partner focusing on energy-related matters at the firm, he worked as a partner at King & Spalding. He also serves as a team lead for the Duane Morris Energy Industry Group and is a member of the firm’s governing Partners Board.
Charlotte Tonroy Slack passed away on Sept. 1, 2026. A double Longhorn, Slack was a community leader in her hometown, Pecos, Texas, as an organizing member of the Women’s Division of the Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Rodeo Parade. She also was involved with Pecos Players, a touring troupe that performed original plays.
Adrián Gay Lasa has joined the Mexico office of Greenberg Traurig’s capital markets and finance practices as a shareholder. Lasa, who received his LLM from Texas Law, has extensive experience in FIBRAs, a Mexican real estate investment trust.
Janet Walker, a Longhorn tennis icon, was inducted into the UT Athletics Hall of Honor on Sept. 18, 2026. During her college career from 1998-2001, she was an All-American in singles, the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year in 2000, and a five-time All-Big 12 selection. Walker is now president and CEO of the Texas Association of Community Health Plans based in Austin.
Christina Hightower has joined Kelley Drye & Warren LLP as a partner and will be based in Austin. Her practice focuses on major energy, data center, power generation, and infrastructure projects as she counsels owners and developers on project development, EPC and procurement strategy, risk allocation, and project execution.
Andres Contreras was recently recognized on the Super Lawyers 2026 “Texas Rising Stars” directory based on his work as a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Houston. Contreras was included in the category General Litigation, placing him among only 2.5% of eligible attorneys in Texas receive this distinction. Previously he was recognized on the Woodward/White Inc. 2027 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” directory in the categories Commercial Litigation, Personal Injury Litigation–Defendants and Product Liability Litigation–Defendants.
Daniel Sternthal has been recognized in the 2026 “Texas Super Lawyers” directory based on his work as a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Houston. Sternthal was listed among the top 5% of Texas lawyers in Health Care Law by this peer rating platform honoring those who have achieved a high degree of professional achievement and recognition.
Mitch McFarland has been recognized in the 2026 “Texas Super Lawyers” directory based on his work as a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Houston. McFarland was recognized for his work in Business Litigation by the peer rating platform that includes 5% of lawyers in Texas who have achieved a high degree of professional achievement and recognition.
Mason Hester has been recognized in the 2026 “Texas Super Lawyers” directory based on his work as a shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Houston. Hester earned additional distinction as one of the Top 100 attorneys in Houston and is listed among the top 5% of lawyers in Texas in Construction Litigation.
David Coligado has been recognized in the 2026 “Texas Super Lawyers” directory, based on his work as a shareholder and CEO at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr (Munsch Hardt) in Dallas. Coligado was recognized in Real Estate Law by the peer rating platform for lawyers who have achieved a high degree of professional achievement and recognition.
John Davis Roady passed away on Sept. 8, 2026. Roady had a long, distinguished legal career, including many years as senior partner at Hutcheson & Grundy in Houston where his practice included antitrust, employment, appellate law, and commercial litigation.
Allison Kendrick has joined McGuireWoods’ aviation litigation and product liability practice in Seattle as partner after serving as product liability counsel at Boeing.
Mindy Montford has co-founded the National Cold Case Center, a non-profit dedicated to providing funding for investigative resources, family-victim peer support, the creation of a national cold case database, and serving as a national hub for cold cases. She previously worked for the Attorney General’s Office Cold Case & Missing Persons Unit.
Barbara Breedlove Rollins passed away on August 23, 2026. She practiced law in Abilene, Texas, with the Bradbury, Tippen & Choate law firm for nine years before serving as the Taylor County Court at Law #2 judge for 24 years.
Jamie Vasquez has been sworn in as president of the San Antonio Bar Association. A tax lawyer, Vasquez is managing shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka in San Antonio and serves on the firm’s board of directors.
Kristen Silverberg has been named the new president and CEO of Business Roundtable, based in Washington, D.C., after serving as its president and COO. Silverberg began her career in public service as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, held several senior policy roles in the White House under President George W. Bush, served as U.S. ambassador to the European Union from 2008-09, and spent six years at the Institute of International Finance.