Class Notes

Stephen Utz passed away on Dec. 9, 2025. Through his nearly 40 years as the Roger Sherman Professor of Law at the University of Connecticut School of Law, Utz became a renowned expert in federal tax law, tax policy, and jurisprudence. He started his law career clerking for Judge Joseph T. Sneed of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco and then practiced for three years as an associate at the tax law firm of Caplin & Drysdale in Washington, D.C. before teaching law.

Mary Goldsmith has been selected for inclusion in Marquis “Who’s Who,” which is a biographical collection covering leaders and achievers from around the world. She is the owner of the Law Office of Mary A. Goldsmith in Port Aransas, Texas, as well as Mary Goldsmith Photography and Art in Nature.

Mitchell McFarland has been recognized in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America directory for his legal excellence in the Commercial Litigation category. He is a shareholder in the Houston office of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.

Keith Stanton Richey passed away on May 20, 2025. After starting his career at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Houston, Richey became an international tax attorney at Exxon, then Mobil. He continued his career as an international tax counsel for firms including Citibank, Xerox, ITT, and Xylem.

David E. Arnold passed away on March 23, 2025. David began his career at the firm Winters, Deaton, Briggs & Britton in Houston and retired from Arnold & Ellwood in 2012.

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.

Gary Zausmer has joined the Specialized Advocacy practice group at Butler Snow in Austin. Zausmer, who brings over 35 years of experience in litigation and client representation in multiple areas, most recently practiced at Enoch Kever.

D. Mitchell McFarland, a shareholder with Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr in Houston, has been named a 2024 Texas Super Lawyer in business litigation.

J. Cullen Aderhold has joined Dallas’ Hallett & Perrin as a shareholder. Aderhold has extensive experience representing domestic and foreign clients in a wide variety of commercial real estate, corporate, partnership, and other business transactions.

Rene Oliveira passed away on Jan. 23, 2023. Oliveria was a former state lawmaker who served in the Legislature from 1982 to 2019, and helped establish the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine.

Maria Arcelia “Arcie” Izquierdo Jordan passed away on Sept. 7, 2023. Jordan was an accomplished international law and immigration lawyer for nearly 25 years and  a former partner at Foley & Lardner LLP.

D. Mitchell McFarland has been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America for his work in commercial litigation. McFarland, who has more than 35 years of experience and specializes in the oil and gas industry, is a shareholder at Munsch Hardt and has gained a reputation for successfully taking complex business cases to trial.

Janiece Longoria has been reappointed to the University of Texas System Board of Regents. Longoria previously served a six-year term on the board, which is the governing body for the UT System. She is a founding member of the Center for Women in Law.

Russell Budd was named one of the Best Personal Injury Attorneys in Dallas by Forbes Advisor. Budd’s practice areas include pharmaceutical litigation, consumer protection, and environmental law. The Budd Innocence Center at Texas Law is named in honor of Budd and his wife, Dorothy.

Peter Sakai, formerly a state district judge, has been sworn in as Bexar County judge, managing a county of two million people. Sakai has spent his career in Bexar County, working in District Attorney’s Office, serving as the county’s juvenile section chief, then becoming an associate judge. In 2006, he was elected to the 225th District Court, a post to which he was re-elected three times without opposition.

David Whitten passed away on Sept. 9, 2022. A double longhorn, Whitten served on the staffs of two Texas Congressmen. He then entered private legal practice, specializing in environmental law as a shareholder with Guida, Slavich & Flores, P.C.

Steven Clifton James passed away on Nov. 13, 2021 after a battle with pulmonary fibrosis. James was a dedicated attorney and practiced law for 42 years. He spent most of his career as a solo practitioner in El Paso. In addition to his active trial practice, James also won multiple cases in the Supreme Court of Texas. He served as Section Representative to the State Bar Board of Directors, Chair of the Texas Bar College, President of the El Paso Bar Association, and Chair of the State Bar Consumer & Commercial Law Section.

Conde Cox has been recognized in the 2022 Best Lawyers in America in the fields of Debtor-Creditor Rights and Insolvency/Reorganization.

Ed Cotham has recently published two history books. Juneteenth: The Story Behind the Celebration (State House Press, 2021), and A Busy Week in Texas: U. S. Grant’s 1880 Visit to the Lone Star State (Texas State Historical Association Press, 2021).

Robert E. Icenhauer-Ramirez graduated from Texas A&M University and then from Texas Law at at age 23. He practiced law for 40 years, first in Port Arthur, Texas, and later as an attorney for the City of Austin. He supported Texas Law’s Dean’s Scholarship Excellence Fund. Icenhauer-Ramirez eventually pursued his dream of becoming a historian, receiving his doctorate degree in history in 2014 from UT Austin. He published a book in 2019, Treason on Trial: The United States v. Jefferson Davis, through LSU press. His greatest aspiration came true when he was able to teach history at UT. Memorial donations may be made to the Dr. Robert Icenhauer-Ramirez Memorial Endowment in the Department of History at the UT Austin.

Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C. announced that 15 of its attorneys have been recognized on the 2020 Texas Super Lawyers® list, including D. Mitchell McFarland, who is recognized for his expertise in business litigation. This is McFarland’s tenth year on the list.

Reid C. Wilson has been named to the 2021 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©.

Reid Wilson, Chairman and founder of the Wilson Cribbs + Goren law firm, has been elected as the chair of the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law (REPTL) Section of the State Bar of Texas for 2020–2021. Wilson previously served as treasurer and chair-elect/secretary, each for a one-year term.

J. Robert “Rob” Beatty has retired from Locke Lord LLP after forty years of practice. He and his wife Leslie reside in Manchester-By-The-Sea, Massachusetts.

Reid C. Wilson, chairman of Wilson Cribbs + Goren, a leading, boutique real estate law firm in Houston, has been selected to the 2018 Texas Super Lawyers list. Each year, no more than five percent of lawyers in the state are selected to receive this honor.

Reid Wilson, chair of the Wilson Cribbs + Goren law firm in Houston, has been elected treasurer of the Real Estate, Probate and Trust Law Section of the State Bar of Texas for 2018–2019.

Judge Peter Sakai, presiding judge of the 225th District Court, Bexar County, Texas was honored by St. Philip’s College, San Antonio, Texas, to be the 2017 Distinguished Commencement Speaker. The Texas Diversity Council recognized his contributions to the San Antonio community by naming him the DiversityFIRST Individual Award Winner. The Bexar County District Court judges have unanimously elected Judge Sakai to be Local Administrative Judge for a two year term, effective January 1, 2018.

In 2016, Judge Peter Sakai, presiding judge of the 225th District Court, Bexar County, Texas was honored by the Center for Health Care Services Foundation, as the fifty most influential leaders in mental health care in Bexar County. The Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word recognized his contributions to the San Antonio community by naming him for the Sister Walter Maher Humanitarian of the Year Award. The Supreme Court of Texas has reappointed Judge Sakai for a second term to the Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families.

Dentons, the global law firm, has named Cynthia L. Jackson as partner. Resident in the Firm’s Silicon Valley office, Jackson has over three decades of experience in California and US domestic, as well as international employment counseling and litigation. In addition to handling the global coordination of human resources and personnel-related agreements, policies and initiatives, she defends companies and C-suite individuals in high-profile class actions and other high-stakes employment litigation. “Cynthia’s extensive global compliance practice will enhance our ability to provide competitive US and cross-border workplace counseling, investigatory and litigation depth,” said Dentons US Managing Partner Mike McNamara.

Reid Wilson, chairman of Wilson Cribbs + Goren, PC, received the Best Speaker Award for the 2015 Advanced Real Estate Law Course presented by the Texas Bar CLE. Reid was recognized for his presentation on “Terminating Condominium Projects.” The award was presented at a luncheon during the State Bar’s 2016 Advanced Real Estate Law Course.

Gary E. Zausmer joins ENOCH KEVER PLLC, bringing strong commercial litigation expertise. Gary has been a prominent litigator in Texas for decades since serving as United States District Judge James R. Nowlin’s initial briefing attorney.

Reid C. Wilson, a shareholder with Wilson Cribbs & Goren PC, has been selected to the 2015 Texas Super Lawyers list as a top rated Land Use & Zoning attorney in Houston.

Cathy Lamboley, ’79, was named a Lion of the Texas Bar by The Texas Lawbook.

Superior Energy Services, Inc. announced that Janiece M. Longoria has been elected to its board of directors, effective immediately.