Class Notes

Submit Class Note

Class of 1984

Paul Alexander

Paul Alexander

Class of

Paul Alexander passed away on March 11, 2024. Alexander was an accomplished lawyer, author, and paralytic polio survivor, gaining recognition for being the last living man in an iron lung.

Read More (External link)

Alfie Meyerson

Alfie Meyerson

Class of

Alfie Meyerson has been ranked in the 2023 Chambers USA Guide for his real estate practice. Meyerson is a partner at Jackson Walker, where his practice covers the acquisition, development, and financing of a range of commercial real estate transactions.

Read More (External link)

David Moran

David Moran

Class of

David Moran has been named in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of top 500 leading litigators in America. Moran, who was awarded for his antitrust practice, his focus during his career that has spanned more than 30 years.

Read More (External link)

Jose Moreno

José Angel Moreno

Class of

José Angel Moreno has retired from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas after more than 32 years of service.

Lamont Jefferson

Lamont Jefferson

Class of

Lamont Jefferson has been appointed to serve as a member of the Supreme Court Advisory Committee for the Supreme Court of Texas. Jefferson is an accomplished trial lawyer and partner at Jefferson Cano.

Read More (External link)

David Moran

David T. Moran

Class of

David T. Moran has been honored in Lawdragon’s 2024 list of the 500 leading litigators in America. Moran specializes in antitrust and class action litigation at Jackson Walker.

Read More (External link)

David Kinder

David Kinder

Class of

David Kinder was elected to the San Antonio chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. A trial attorney at Dykema, Kinder has more than 38 years of experience with complex and high stakes litigation matters and serves as co-chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee.

Read More (External link)

Susana Alemán

Susana Alemán

Class of

Susana Alemán was featured on the Austin Bar Association’s “Council of Firsts” podcast. Alemán, who was Texas Law’s longtime Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, was the first female and first Hispanic dean here. She has founded numerous scholarships to support new generations of law students.

Read More (External link)

The Hon. Hyattye O. Simmons

Class of

The Hon. Hyattye Simmons has been reappointed by the State Bar of Texas to serve as the 2023-24 chair of the Pattern Jury Charges Committee on General Negligence, Intentional Personal Torts, & Workers’ Compensation. Simmons is the presiding judge of Municipal Court for the City of Combine, Texas, and has more than 25 years of experience as a Texas civil trial and appellate attorney.

Read More (External link)

A photograph of Victor Michael Firth.

Victor Michael Firth

Class of

Victor Michael Firth passed away on May 17, 2023. After working for law firms in Oklahoma City and El Paso, Firth founded his own law firm, which eventually became Firth, Bunn, Kerr, Neill, P.C. In addition to his successful career in real estate law, Firth officiated college football games for many years.

Read More (External link)

Photo of David Pendarvis.

David Pendarvis

Class of

David Pendarvis, who has been Chief Administrative Officer and Global General Counsel for ResMed Inc., has announced his retirement. Pendarvis has held various positions throughout his two decades with the company.

Read More (External link)

John Elliot

John Elliott

Class of

John Elliott has been reappointed to the Teacher Retirement System of Texas Board of Trustees by Governor Abbott. Elliott is a double Longhorn, having also earned his bachelor’s degree from UT. His firm, Elliott Stratmann, specializes in commercial real estate.

Read More (External link)

Linda Rockwood

Class of

Linda Rockwood has been invited to join the University of Denver Alumni Council, where she earned her undergraduate degree before graduating from Texas Law.  Rockwood is an environmental lawyer whose practice specializes in environmental remediation and air quality.

Read More (External link)

Kimberly Allen

Kimberly Allen

Class of

Kimberly Allen has been appointed by Governor Abbott as judge of the 69th Judicial District Court. Allen has served as as the county attorney for Sherman County since 1997.

Read More (External link)

Don J. McDermett

Class of

Veteran Dallas corporate partner Don McDermett has moved his practice to Winston & Strawn, LLP.  McDermett has more than 30 years of experience in corporate, securities, and transactional law.

Read More (External link)

Sylvia Borunda-Firth

Sylvia Borunda-Firth

Class of

Sylvia Borunda-Firth has been selected as the interim city attorney of Laredo, Texas. She is currently the president of the State Bar of Texas and  a solo practitioner in El Paso. Prior to establishing her own firm, she was an associate with two El Paso firms, general counsel to American Garment Finishers, and served the city of El Paso for nearly 20 years.

Read More (External link)

Karen Roberts Washington

Karen R. Washington

Class of

Karen Roberts Washington was named a life member of the Uniform Law Commission. The Uniform Law Commission works to provide uniformity in state laws for citizens who work or travel in multiple states.

Read More (External link)

Martha Hofmeister

Martha Hardwick Hofmeister

Class of

Martha Hofmeister was awarded Altrusa International, Inc.’s highest honor: the Eleanor Roosevelt Humanitarian Award. This award is worldwide community service organization’s only award given to an individual member. Designed to recognize an Altrusan who makes a lasting contribution to community service as a result of involvement with Altrusa, recipients must have a distinguished service record at the local, district, and international levels. Hofmeister is a founding partner of Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP.

Read More (External link)

Ken Hawari

Kenneth “Ken” Hawari

Class of

Kenneth “Ken” Hawari passed away on Aug. 22, 2021 at the age of 62 in Houston, Texas. He was a double Longhorn and worked 17 years for Hughes and Luce Law Firm, in Dallas, Texas, where he had become a partner.  He became in-house counsel for ANS Medical Device in Plano, Texas, and later served as board director for private companies.  He retired to his beloved home in Taos, New Mexico.

Read More (External link)

Bryan C. Collins

Class of

The nationally prestigious legal guide Best Lawyers in America has recognized four attorneys from the Rogge Dunn Group in its 2021 edition, including partner Bryan Collins, JD ’84. Collins had earned honors for the first time this year, for his work in labor and employment litigation.

Read More (External link)

Sylvia Borunda Firth

Class of

Texas attorneys elected Sylvia Borunda Firth of El Paso to be president-elect of the State Bar of Texas. Borunda Firth will be sworn in as president-elect during a virtual Board of Directors meeting on June 25 and will serve as president of the State Bar of Texas from June 2021 to June 2022.

Read More (External link)

John W. Martin

Class of
Managing Partner

Baker Botts L.L.P., announced that John W. Martin has been elected as the firm’s 15th Managing Partner. Mr. Martin’s four-year term will commence April 1, 2019. “John is a bold and dynamic leader, and the perfect choice to lead our 179-year old firm in these changing times. I know that with John’s selection the future of the firm is in great hands,” said Andrew M. Baker, the current Managing Partner of Baker Botts.

Read More (External link)

Daniel L. Butcher

Class of
Partner

The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) has honored Daniel L. Butcher and Clark Hill Strasburger with a 2018 “Compass Award” in recognition of their support for and provision of career advancement opportunities for diverse attorneys. Butcher, formerly managing partner of Strasburger & Price, which combined with Clark Hill in April, is now a member of Clark Hill’s Executive Committee. The Compass Award recognizes LCLD members who demonstrate an exemplary commitment to the Council’s goal of creating a truly diverse U.S. legal profession.

Read More (External link)

John Schwartz

Class of

My new book, “This is the Year I Put My Financial Life in Order,” is being published by Penguin Random House on April 3. Part personal finance guide and part memoir, the book has some fun memories of my days in Austin at UT and UT Law.

Read More (External link)

Robert S. Glass

Class of

GableGotwals is pleased to announce Robert S. Glass was selected as a 2017 Oklahoma Super Lawyer in the practice areas of Health Care, Business Litigation and Business/Corporate Law. Robert has been elected to Super Lawyers since 2006.

Read More (External link)

David Hayden

Class of

Retired United States Army Colonel and Smith Anderson Attorney David Hayden has been appointed by North Caroline Governor Roy Cooper to serve as a Commissioner of the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission (NC MAC). Hayden served as both an Engineer and Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps Officer in the United States Army during a 29 year active military career. He also served on the Joint Staff in the Pentagon, participating in many federal government interagency panels and working groups. David brought his extensive experience in government contracting, corporate investigations and employment law to Smith Anderson in 2011.

Walt Herring

Class of

Walt Herring, a partner in Munck Wilson Mandala’s Commercial Litigation practice group, has been recognized in Best Lawyers for his work in complex commercial litigation. For more than 30 years, he has concentrated his practice on complex commercial litigation matters for a wide variety of clients in both state and federal courts throughout the nation. Mr. Herring regularly serves as first-chair counsel in trials and arbitrations, and has considerable experience with other dispute resolution techniques. In 2016, Mr. Herring favorably resolved a significant class action and a securities fraud matter for one of the firm’s clients.

Hal Ray

Class of

Hal Ray ’84, has been appointed United States Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Texas, Wichita Falls Division. Judge Ray previously was a partner in Pope, Hardwicke, Christie, Schell, Kelly & Ray, LLP, in Fort Worth.

Pagination