Class Notes

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Class of 1982

Headshot of Layne Thompson.

Layne Thompson

Class of

Layne Thompson has been appointed as the district attorney of the 159th Judicial District in Angelina County by Governor Greg Abbott. Thompson, who previously served as an assistant district attorney, is former of counsel for Mike Love & Associates and former vice president of Thompson Cattle Company.

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Louis Taylor headshot

Louis Taylor

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Louis Taylor passed away on Jan. 21, 2024. Taylor served as the chief counsel and staff director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and was responsible for enacting key policies benefiting American small business owners.

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Janice Pardue

Janice Pardue

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Janice Pardue passed away on Dec. 21, 2023. Pardue was a celebrated family lawyer,  selected by her peers as a Super Lawyer and serving as chair of the HBA Family Law Section, Gulf Coast Family Lawyers, the Collaborative Law Section and Association of Women Attorneys.

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Parker Folse

Parker Folse

Class of

Parker Folse has been named “Lawyer of the Year” in Seattle for Antitrust Litigation. Folse is a partner with Susman Godfrey, LLP in the firm’s Seattle office and represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of complex commercial litigation matters.

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A photograph of Lisa McDaniel Crane.

Lisa McDaniel Crane

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Lisa McDaniel Crane passed away on May 15, 2023. She enjoyed a successful career as an attorney and real estate developer. She joined her husband Les as a partner in the ownership of Longhorn Dental, a business they worked together to build and expand.

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A photograph of Jay Howard.

Jay Howard

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Jay Howard has received the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Kansas School of Business. The is the owner and president of JDH Asset Management and JDH Investments in Austin, he is a member of KU Endowment’s Board of Trustees Executive Committee.

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Marc Stanley

Marc R. Stanley

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Marc R. Stanley is the U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Argentine Republic. Prior to his service as a diplomat, Stanley was a trial lawyer for 40 years, focusing on national class actions and complex litigation.

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Susan Byrd Burr

Class of

Susan Byrd Burr passed away on May 23, 2022. Burr graduated Texas Law with Order of the Coif, after serving as Associate Editor of the Texas Law Review. She worked as both of counsel and senior counsel for two California law firms until retiring in 2011.

Carrin Patman

Class of

Carrin Patman has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Iceland. She is the chair of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas and previously practiced as a partner of Bracewell LLP.

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Nancy Sagafi-Nejad

Nancy Sagafi-Nejad

Class of

Nancy Gail Black Sagafi-Nejad, 83, passed away on Sept. 27, 2021. She earned a Masters in art history and served in the Peace Corps teaching. Later, she graduated with her J.D. and worked as an employment discrimination and civil rights lawyer for the government and in private practice. Sagafi-Nejad wrote a book, Friends at the Bar: A Quaker View of Law, Conflict Resolution, and Legal Reform (SUNY Press, 2011), exploring how Quaker values can contribute to improvements in legal practice and the impact of the law on society.

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William Gibbons flying an Air Force plane

William J. Gibbons

Class of
Colonel

William J. Gibbons passed away on July 1, 2021 in San Antonio at the age of 90. He flew 58 combat missions in Korea, flew 206 combat missions in Vietnam, having an illustrious career in the Air Force. Upon his retirement from the Air Force, William fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an attorney. He embarked on a second career in the field of criminal prosecution, with several years of service as a Justice of the Peace in Caldwell County.

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Kay U. Brooks 1982

Kay U. Brooks

Class of

Kay U. Brooks was included in Sacramento Magazine’s 2020 Top Lawyers List for her work in Estate Planning & Probate. She was also recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021.

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Ashton Cumberbatch

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During the 2020 Andrea Pair Bryant Legacy Luncheon, Austin Black Lawyers Association (ABLA) honored Former Police Monitor Ashton Cumberbatch for his service to ABLA and the legal community.

Michael Mery

Class of
Hon.

The San Antonio Bar Foundation (SABF) is pleased to announce the appointment of the Honorable Judge Michael Mery to the SABF Fellows Program newly-elected 2020 class.

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David D. Vineyard

Class of
JD/MD

David Vineyard, JD, MD, had the pleasure of leading a charity climb up Mount Kilimanjaro last July to benefit Neema Village, an orphanage in Arusha,Tanzania

Chris Reynolds

Class of
Litigation Partner

Reynolds Frizzell Partner Chris Reynolds was inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (IATL) at their 2019 Annual Meeting. Founded in 1954, the Academy is known for an extremely rigorous vetting process and is recognized as the most prestigious organization of trial lawyers in the world. The Academy seeks out Fellows who have achieved a career of excellence as shown by their skills in trial, and as demonstrated by their integrity and professionalism.

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Arleas Upton Kea

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Arleas Upton Kea, the President of Texas Law’s Alumni Association, has been named Chief Operating Officer and Deputy to the Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Kea replaces Barbara Ryan, who retired as COO on July 27. Prior to her appointment as COO, Ms. Kea served as director of the Division of Administration, a post she has held since May 1999.

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Ashton G. Cumberbatch, Jr.

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McGinnis Lochridge welcomes Ashton G. Cumberbatch, Jr. as a special counsel in the firm, effective May 1. His primary practice areas include alternative dispute resolution and labor-employment law. He is rejoining McGinnis Lochridge after working at the firm previously from 1989 to 2002, including a period as leader of a period as leader of the employment law section.

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James E. “Jim” Smith

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James (Jim) Smith recently joined the Crain Caton & James (CCJ) law firm as Shareholder in the Environmental and Intellectual Practice Areas. His practice principally focuses on environmental matters including counseling, supporting transactions, and trying cases. He also has experience in intellectual property matters and is registered before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a patent attorney.

Joe Pevsner headshot

Joe Pevsner

Class of

The law firm of Thompson & Knight LLPis pleased to congratulate Joe Pevsner for his inclusion in D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas 2016,” which is featured in the magazine’s May issue.

Steve Demby headshot

Steve Demby

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Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is pleased to announce that Steve Demby, a shareholder in the firm’s Denver office and a member of its executive committee, recently was appointed to serve on the board of directors of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). His term starts in March 2016 and will initially last a period of three years.

Carrin Patman headshot

Carrin Patman

Class of

Center for Women in Law founder Carrin Patman was recently appointed Chair of the Houston Metro Board.

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Joseph S. Pevsner

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Joseph S. Pevsner was named “Local Litigation Star” in Texas by Benchmark Litigation 2016.

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