Chris Scruggs recently published “Leviathan & the Lambs,” the final book in the Arthur Stone series—which also includes “Marshland” and “Peace at Battle Mountain”—written under the pen name Alystair West. This newest release covers the events of the Great Recession. Scruggs practiced law for more than 14 years before entering full-time ministry, from which he retired in 2019.
Nate Stark passed away on April 23, 2025. In his 40-plus-year career, Stark served as a Travis County prosecutor for several years before launching his successful solo career as a criminal defense lawyer.
The Hon. Steven Dankof, a judge with the Montgomery County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court, has published “Extreme Cruelty: The Complicity of Judges in the Shame of Wrongful Convictions.” The book posits the notion that trial judges are the single greatest cause of wrongful convictions, sounding a clarion call for judges to take a penetrating look at their work and breathe life into their Constitutional oaths.
Edward Knight has been named one of the 500 most influential people of 2025 in Washington, D.C., by Washingtonian. As the executive vice chairman for Nasdaq, Edward was selected in the Banking & Finance category, which recognizes leaders who advocate for stable and secure financial systems.
Jane Rachael Vorwerk passed away on April 20, 2025. Jane, a double Longhorn, practiced as an attorney before focusing on raising her son.
James C. Lawler has since worked as a national security consultant since retiring as a senior CIA Operations officer in 2005. Lawler, who received The Trailblazer Award, the Director’s Award, the HUMINT Collector Award and the Donovan Award while with the CIA, has published two spy novels: “Living Lies” and “In the Twinkling of an Eye.”
Ricky Brent Keis passed away Feb. 1, 2025. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Keis began his law career as an attorney in Fort Worth and was later appointed to the bench at County Court at Law No. 1, where he served until his retirement in 2010.
Nina Cortell, senior counsel at Haynes and Boone, was honored with the Larry Schoenbrun Jurisprudence Award by the Anti-Defamation League. Cortell represents corporations, public entities, and individuals in cases that have put her at the forefront of Texas litigation practice.
Jack Balagia has been named executive director of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Energy Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Balagia was on Exxon Mobil’s legal team for nearly two decades, serving as vice president and general counsel from 2010 until his retirement in 2016.
James J. Neel passed away on August 8, 2024. Neel focused his legal career on helping people of lesser means navigate their legal issues, partnered with friend and fellow attorney David Horton.
The Hon. Jon Burrows recently retired after 20 years as County Judge of Bell County. Burrows served on the boards of directors of the Texas Association of Counties and the National Association of Counties. He was past president of the North & East County Judges and Commissioners Association and served two terms as president of the National Conference of Republican County Officials. He had practiced law in Temple, where he was board certified in Residential and Commercial Real Estate Law.
William Neal Blanton III passed away on March 12, 2024. Following his graduation from Texas Law, Blanton went into private practice with Butler Binion and later worked at Exxon Mobil.
Richard Pena has received the National Conference of Bar Presidents’ 2024 Fellows Award. Pena, who is only the second bar president from Texas to receive the award, is a past president of the State Bar of Texas and the Austin Bar Association. He is president and CEO at the Richard Pena law firm in Austin.
Linda Addison has joined the board of Lexitas, an Apax Partners private equity portfolio company and national provider of technology-enabled litigation support services to the legal industry, businesses and corporations. Addison, past U.S. managing partner of Norton Rose Fulbright, is founding president of the Center for Women in Law and has received both the University’s Presidential Citation and Distinguished Alumnus Award.
Richard “Rickey” Witte Alexander passed away Nov. 26, 2023. Alexander practiced law for nearly 40 years, during which time he specialized in civil litigation and served as a mentor to many young attorneys.
Robert Neal passed away in August 2023. Neal was a double Longhorn who recently retired from practicing law in Austin after more than 45 years.
Judge Bill Henderson, former district judge of Harris County Family Court and later legal advisor to County Judge Ed Emmett, has retired. He also served as an administrator for the Children’s Assessment Center and is currently volunteering for ReVision, a non-profit working with homeless youth.
Under the pen name Alystair West, George Christopher Scruggs published the novel “Marshland,” which involves a murder in Houston in the 1980s and the response of a young lawyer to the events in which he becomes involved. In addition to being an author, he is a retired lawyer and pastor.
Carl H. Green has been named one of the Best Personal Injury Lawyers in San Antonio by Forbes Advisor. Green, whose legal career spans more than four decades, has experience in multiple areas of legal practice at Mounce, Green, Myers, Safi, Paxson & Galatzan, P.C.
Eugene “Chip” Brees has been named one of the Best Personal Injury Lawyers in San Antonio by Forbes Advisor. After a successful career as a defense attorney, Brees transferred to the plaintiffs’ side in 2002, focusing on medical malpractice and representing injured persons and their families with the firm National Trial Law.
Susan Richardson passed away recently. An expert in oil and gas litigation, Richardson worked many years with the Gulf Oil Corporation, before joining the firm Cotton, Bledsoe, Tighe and Dawson, P.C. She was named a Texas Super Lawyer and one of the top 15 Oil and Gas Female Lawyers in Texas.
Edward Knight has been appointed as interim chairman of U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-India Business Council’s Global Board of Directors. Knight is currently the executive vice chairman of NASDAQ and serves as a trustee of the University of Texas Law School Foundation.
Nelson R. Block has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Fellows are historians elected to the Society in recognition of a “contribution to historical scholarship.” A retired shareholder from Winstead PC, Block is active in community service and also serves as chairman of the “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt Foundation.
Linda Leuchter Addison has been named the Lead Independent Director at Globe Life. Addison is the Founding President of the Center for Women in Law. In March of 2022, she received the Shirley Bird Perry Longhorn Citizenship Award presented by the UT Moody College of Communications Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life.
Linda Addison has received the Shirley Bird Perry Longhorn Citizenship Award presented by the UT Moody College of Communications. This award recognizes UT alumni, students, and employees for individual or collective acts that bring honor to the University community and positively impact civic life. Addison is Founding President of the Center for Women in Law. She was a U.S. Managing Partner of Norton Rose Fulbright and currently serves on the boards of KPMG LLP and Globe Life Inc., as well as multiple non-profit boards.
Lawrence Beck passed away March 14, 2022. Beck graduated from Texas Law in 1976, and began practicing at the firm Beck and Beck PC. He was board certified in business and consumer bankruptcy law and recognized for his pro bono work.
Jorge A. Solis passed away on Oct. 8, 2021 at the age of 70. A former chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Solis was a former prosecutor, a judge, a mentor for dozens of lawyers, and once considered a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court. Solis began his legal career as an assistant criminal district attorney for the Taylor County District Attorney’s Office in Abilene, Texas and went into private practice in 1981. He was then elected as the first Hispanic District Attorney for Taylor County, serving in that role for five years. He was a special prosecutor for the Narcotics Task Force in 1988 before running for judge. In lieu of flowers, the family requests for memorial gifts to be made to The Judge Jorge A. Solis Memorial Scholarship Fund at UTLSF.org/solis.
S. Anthony Safi has been recognized with the Kelly Frels Lifetime Achievement Award from the School Law Section of the State Bar of Texas. Safi is the only El Pasoan ever to have received this recognition. He is a Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, and a Fellow of the El Paso Bar Foundation.
Eva Janice “Jan” Summer passed away on June 25, 2021. As a founding member of the Center for Women in Law, Jan played an important role in providing scholarships for aspiring young women law students. Jan was also the founding director of The Center for Public Policy Dispute Resolution at The University of Texas School of Law.
James F. “Jim” Rogers, an advocate for the city of Dallas who contributed countless hours to local organizations, died on Feb. 15, after battling cancer. He was 73.
Rogers was a graduate of Baylor University and Texas Law. He worked as a CPA before founding Ameripro Industries and was known as an ardent and inspirational activist. He ran for Dallas City Council for the District 14 seat in 2013.
Lary D. Garrett was named Mentor of the Year for 2020 by the West Virginia State Bar, selected by the Young Lawyer Section of the State Bar. Previously, he was named the Lawyer Citizen of the Year in 2001 by the West Virginia Bar Foundation in recognition of his public service activities and accomplishments. Lary has practiced for 43 years with his wife, Karen Kunz Garrett ’78 (also a Texas Law alumn), as the firm Garrett & Garrett in the Mountain State.
Gene Nichol has recently joined the Board of Trustees of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), a national antipoverty organization based in Washington, D.C.
Carla Cox passed away November 29, 2019. Carla was a trusted and fearless lawyer on behalf of her clients, a leader at Jackson Walker, and a trailblazer for women in the legal profession. Carla’s commitment to elevating the legal profession, healthcare industry, and Austin community was demonstrated through her service as a member of the Leaders Circle at the University of Texas Center for Women in Law (CWIL), as well as her work with the Chancellor’s Council of the University of Texas System, among many other worthy causes. Among her many accolades was the Travis County Women Lawyers Association 2017 Pathfinder award, given to women lawyers who have been trailblazers in the legal profession in Travis County.
T. Ray Guy, a Litigation partner in the Dallas office of international law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, has earned recognition as a 2019 Texas Super Lawyer. Texas Super Lawyers rates lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is based on independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations, and only 5% of attorneys in each state are included in the Super Lawyers list each year.
Paul Woodrow passed away in February 2018. A longtime resident of Barrington, Illinois, Paul was retired after a long career in Human Resources. He is survived by his wife, Christina, and their children, Katherine, Andrew and Aaron. A fuller obituary may be found online at the link below.
KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, is pleased to announce the appointment of Linda L. Addison ’76 as an independent director to its U.S. Board of Directors. Addison is the immediate past U.S. Managing Partner (CEO equivalent) of Norton Rose Fulbright, one of the world’s largest global law firms.
T. Ray Guy, a partner in Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP’s Dallas office, has been named a Texas Super Lawyer. Texas Super Lawyers is a rating service of lawyers from more than 70 practice areas that is based on peer recognition and professional achievement. Though published in Texas through Texas Monthly magazine, the ratings are conducted through a national publication, Super Lawyers magazine, which publishes Super Lawyer rankings in each of the 50 states.
International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP today announced that Ray Guy of the firm’s Dallas office has been named to D Magazine’s Best Lawyers in Dallas 2017 list.
Thompson & Knight LLP is pleased to congratulate Jim Morriss, who was named to the 2016 Who’s Who Legal 100. Morriss was recognized for his work in environmental law.
McGuireWoods partner Ron Franklin, a highly acclaimed bet-the-company litigator, is featured by the National Law Journal in its Litigation Trailblazers issue published today. The publication recognizes top lawyers who have changed the practice of litigation with innovative legal strategies.
J. Scott Sheehan, a shareholder with the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, was recently elected as president-elect of the Texas Association of Bank Counsel (TABC) at its 39th annual convention in New Orleans.
Three University of Texas College of Law graduates were recently named as 2016 Best Lawyers in America’s “Lawyer of the Year.”
Steven L. Barghols, David L. Bryant and David E. Keglovits of GableGotwals received the honor from Best Lawyers. Barghols of Oklahoma City was honored for his work in Arbitration, Bryant of Tulsa was honored for his work in Bet-the-Company Litigation and Keglovits of Tulsa was honored for his work in Corporate Governance Law.