Class Notes

Frank Aguilar passed away Sept. 29, 2024. Aguilar was elected as judge for the 228th Criminal District Court of Harris County in 2018 and was re-elected in 2022.

Margaret Ingram passed away Sept. 9, 2024. In her position with the Texas Legislative Council, Ingram drafted legislation for nearly two decades specializing in water law.

Suzanne Milton has been appointed as chief audit and compliance executive of Virginia Commonwealth University’s audit and compliance services unit. Previously Milton was VCU’s chief ethics and compliance officer after practicing in-house labor and employment law for the U.S. Postal Service.

Sarah Burrell Foster passed away August 1, 2024. Foster, who earned three degrees from UT Austin – a B.A., M.A., and J.D – was a law partner at Haynes & Boone, LLP.

Mark S. Partin passed away Feb. 26, 2024. Partin was a successful disability rights attorney licensed to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court, several Circuit Courts, and the Federal Court, and spent his career representing and educating individuals with disabilities and their families.

Tim Taylor has been appointed to the 2024 board of directors and executive committee of the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA), oth of which he previously chaired. Taylor also previously served as president of RECA.

Danielle “DJ” Healey has joined Spencer Fane LLP’s Intellectual Property Practice Group as a partner in the firm’s Houston office. Healey is ranked as one of the best Intellectual Property litigators in the United States by Chambers Global and has represented clients before the FTC, the European Union, and Texas state authorities over three decades.

Dianne Shank Brode passed away on May 26, 2023. Brode began her law career at Shapiro, Edens and Cook as one of only three female attorneys before successfully initiating a joint venture, Techline Inc., with her husband.

Betty Balli Torres was awarded the Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas Access to Justice Commission. Torres is executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and was recognized for her longtime contributions to improving access to justice for low-income Texans.

Peter Moir has joined Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP as a toxic torts litigation partner. Moir, who previously worked at Forman Watkins & Krutz, has more than 30 years of experience in handling product liability and toxic tort cases at trial.

Mark Jones has rejoined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in the firm’s corporate, mergers, and acquisitions and securities practice. Jones started his legal career at Norton Rose nearly 40 years ago, leaving to serve at BakerHostetler for seven years.

Darryll Grubbs passed away on Dec.4, 2022. A double Longhorn who also earned his master’s degree at UT, Grubbs spent most of his career working for Texas Attorney General’s Office in the Child Support Enforcement Division.

Michael “Mike” Lee has been appointed by Governor Abbott to the 256th Judicial District Court in Dallas County. Lee is an attorney in private practice and former Judge of the 95th Judicial District Court in Dallas.

Paul Hobby has been elected to the Baker Institute Board of Advisors at Rice University. Hobby is the co-founder and managing director of Genesis Park, a private equity firm specializing in industrial intelligence, energy transition, and communications investments.

Mary Nichols, who has been the general counsel of Texas Mutual Insurance for 26 years, has announced her retirement. Throughout her career at Texas Mutual, Nichols vigorously defended the newly reformed workers’ compensation system.

J.J. Broderick has joined Blank Rome LLP’s Philadelphia office as a partner in the real estate practice group. Broderick advises clients, including private equity funds, REITS, tenants, landlords, buyers, sellers, developers, owners, operators, investors, and users in all aspects of real estate transactions. During his career, he has handled some of the largest, most complex U.S. real estate transactions.

Kenneth A. Clark has been appointed to Board of Directors of Summit Therapeutics, Inc. Clark was a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR) based out of the firm’s Palo Alto, CA, office where he  advised biotech companies in strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, and financing transactions, in addition to a range of other matters.

Jan Marie Ramsay passed peacefully in her sleep on Nov. 11, 2020, living over 20 years longer than her initial prognosis with brain cancer. Following her graduation from Texas Law, Ramsay began her career as an attorney in Dallas at the firm Gardere & Wynne in their labor and employment department. She was quickly promoted to partner due to her work ethic and dedication to her clients. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Wimberley, TX.

Elizabeth “Heidi” G. Bloch, a prominent Texas appellate lawyer, has joined the Austin office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a shareholder. The addition of Bloch to the firm further extends the depth and experience of Greenberg Traurig’s Texas Appellate Practice while also strengthening the firm’s already robust foothold of more than 125 attorneys in Texas.

Danielle Healey, a senior principal at Fish & Richardson, was selected as a 2018 “Women Who Mean Business” by Houston Business Journal in recognition of her career achievements, leadership and community involvement. Healey is an accomplished patent trial lawyer who has held various leadership roles over the past 24 years, including opening and growing Fish’s Houston office.

Danielle Healey, a senior principal at Fish & Richardson, the largest intellectual property law firm in the country, was named a top “Band 1” IP attorney in Texas in the 2018 edition of “Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.”

The Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson was chosen Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas during the 113th annual Diocesan Council on Saturday, February 25, 2017, held at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. She is the first woman to be elected bishop in the Diocese of West Texas. Brooke-Davidson, age 56, is currently the Vicar of Saint Elizabeth Episcopal Church in Buda, Texas. Now as the sixth Bishop Suffragan of the diocese, she will serve alongside the Diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. David M. Reed.

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