Class Notes

Samuel Sipes passed away on April 14, 2024. A U.S. Army veteran, Sipes was a practicing attorney in El Paso, focusing on bankruptcy, business law and commercial law.

Judge Harriet Mitchell Murphy has passed away. A friend of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Justice Thurgood Marshall, Murphy was considered a legend by many for her trailblazing activism and her role as the first African-American woman permanently appointed to a judgeship in Texas. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, gifts be made to the Judge Harriet Murphy Memorial Scholarship in Law.

Donald Frank “Don” Schofield passed away on Dec. 2, 2023. A veteran of the U.S. Army, Schofield served as a city judge for Amarillo and practiced law in the Panhandle of Texas until retirement.

David Hall passed away on Oct. 11, 2023. A double Longhorn, Hall was an acclaimed social warrior, serving his home state as director of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid (TRLA) for nearly 40 years.

Ed Auler passed away on Oct. 14, 2023. After law school, Auler clerked for Judge Joe Greenhill at the Texas Supreme Court before joining the Austin firm of Kendall, Randall, Finch and Osborne. Auler’s career shifted when he and his wife founded Fall Creek Vineyards in the Hill Country region.

Orie Theodore Dinkins Jr. passed away August 26, 2023. Dinkins specialized in probate litigation and co-founded the law firm of Dinkins, Kelly, Lenox & Lamb before opening his own law practice in Brenham, Texas.

Frank Ryon Monroe passed away on May 8, 2023. Monroe spent two decades with Sheinfeld, Maley and Kay as a bankruptcy attorney and managing partner, then was appointed as United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Texas, and serving 20 years in Austin in that role.

Lee Yeakel has joined King & Spalding’s trials and global disputes practice group as senior counsel. Yeakel recently retired from the federal judiciary after serving for 20 years as a United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas.

Richard G. Shook passed away on Feb. 11, 2023. Shook was an attorney for Prudential Insurance Company of America until he retired after 30 years of service.

Alexander Bell passed away on Feb. 2, 2023. Bell was a professor at the University of Virginia Law School for eight years and a civil trial lawyer at Bell and Schneider for nearly 50 years.

Leonard Schwartz passed away on Oct. 13, 2022. Schwartz was a double Longhorn, having earned both his bachelor’s degree in business and his law degree from UT. As a lawyer, he specialized in the areas of school law, employment, civil rights, and litigation.

William David Roberts passed away on Sept. 28, 2022. Upon graduation from Texas Law, Roberts served in the United States Army, obtaining the rank of captain. Roberts went on practice law in the Golden Crescent region for 50 years, and also served in leadership roles for multiple professional and community organizations.

Peter D. Williamson, a shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s Houston office, was ranked in the 2019 Chambers USA Guide as a top-tier attorney in Immigration (Senior Statesman) in Texas.

Rod Koenig is currently serving as President of UT Midshipmans Foundation, serving as President of Monument Hill Chapter of Sons of the Republic of Texas, and serving as President of Black Jack Cemetery Association in Fayette County. He is active as a Trustee on Jackson Foundation, Williams Foundation, Gray Foundation, Orton Foundation and serves on a number of other Boards.

The Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section of the State Bar has selected Jim Aycock as the 2017 Recipient of the Distinguished Texas Probate and Trust Attorney Lifetime Achievement Award.