Class Notes

John Harmon Bennett, Jr., 73, died peacefully on Dec. 27, 2020, after an 18-month battle with ALS. He earned his B.A. from The University of Texas in 1969, and in 1972, graduated top of his class from Texas Law where he served on Law Review. After law school, Harmon took up a job at Fulbright and Jaworski. He then helped found a law firm, and over time it evolved into other firms. He rounded his career out as a solo practitioner, concentrating on general civil litigation and international business transactions and, for 37 years, Harmon was an involved member of the International Lawyers Group (ILG) where he served as secretary and then president. He was widely known for being a creative attorney who was sought after as a mentor.

Romulo L. “Romy” Diaz, Jr. of Philadelphia has been elected a public-service independent director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh. Diaz retired as General Counsel of PECO Energy Company of Philadelphia in 2020 and was recently honored with the Others Award by The Salvation Army Greater Philadelphia.

William T. Allen, a renowned jurist, scholar and counselor, who helped establish the law governing the conduct of corporations through many landmark judicial decisions, has died at age 75. Appointed by Governor Mike Castle, Allen served as chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery from 1985 to 1997. Often under national scrutiny, Allen wrote hundreds of opinions related to corporate law. He is considered by peers as one of the most accomplished judges of his era.

Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (Consumer Bankruptcy Law); named to the Texas Monthly “Super Lawyer” list for 12 years; Chairman of the State Bar’s Bankruptcy Section 2010-2011; inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Bankruptcy (15th Class); past Chairman of the West Texas Bankruptcy Bar Association and the Lubbock County Bar Association; for years a member of the “Recent Developments” panel at The Annual Jay L. Westbrook Bankruptcy Conference and a member of the Texas Bar Foundation.

Ivan Wood, senior counsel in Baker Donelson’s Houston office, has been ranked in Band 3 in the area of health care in Texas in the 2016 edition of Chambers USA.

Gardere Partner Frances E. Phillips was recently featured in the National Law Journal’s inaugural list of “Energy & Environmental Trailblazers.” For this honor, the NLJ accepted nominations and compiled 50 profiles of energy and environmental attorneys across the country who have “moved the needle in the legal arena” and are “impacting the crucial intersection between energy production and the environment.”