Gary Farmer was featured on Texas Exes’ “Hello Longhorn,” a podcast and video series. As president of Heritage Title Company of Austin and past chair of Opportunity Austin, Farmer reflected on his time at the university and how it shaped his career. Earlier this year he received the Texas Exes 2025 Distinguished Alumnus Award.
David Hayden, retired U.S. Army colonel, has been appointed by Governor Josh Stein to serve a two-year term as chair of the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission. He’s currently an attorney at Smith Anderson and was previously general counsel and board secretary for USfalcon, Inc.
Susana Alemán passed away March 21, 2025. A triple Longhorn, Alemán served as assistant dean for student affairs at Texas Law from 1984-2006 and established the Dean Alemán Sunflower Lawhorn Scholarship in 2022 to support Mexican-American law students.
Sylvia Borunda Firth, of counsel at the Bojorquez Law Firm, was recognized for government service by McDonald’s at the 23d Annual Triunfadores Awards Luncheon. A past president of the State Bar of Texas, Firth previously served as city attorney for the City of El Paso.
Cynthia Fuller Leigh passed away Sept. 14, 2024. Leigh, who was a board-certified attorney in immigration and nationality law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, practiced immigration law and represented thousands of immigrants in her career.
Philip I. Danze has joined Hallett & Perrin in Dallas as a shareholder. Danze has a broad base of experience in complex real estate and corporate transactions, representing clients in connection with the acquisition, development, leasing, finance, and sale of a variety of large real estate projects.
Allison Dickson Baker, a lawyer, lobbyist, and longtime philanthropist, passed away on August 8, 2024. A double Longhorn, she worked as an environmental lawyer at Vinson and Elkins in Houston, before dedicating herself to raising her family, as well as philanthropic and civic pursuits. She founded the nonprofit Cattlemen Care in 2007.
Richard Mills, Jr. was confirmed to be U.S. ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 2, 2024. Mills previously was a member of the Senior Foreign Service, serving at the U.S. deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
Paula Desel was selected to a three-year term on the Rice University Alumni Association’s board of directors. Prior to her retirement, Desel practiced law at Baker Botts in Houston and Arnold & Porter in New York, and was an in-house attorney at Altria.
On May 2, 2024, Richard Mills Jr. was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as incoming ambassador to the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, 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.
Duke Whitney Gatlin passed away June 1st, 2016 in Nashville, TN.
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.